Teen Art Out 39

39 KARMA

Interview: Dianne van Giersbergen (Xandria)

Johan Ericson & Anders Jacobsson (Draconian)

Matei Puscaru (:umbra) , Fortune - Michela Sereni Always do good - Simona Mihalca Karma - Ioana Aghirculesei

ISSN 2284 – 6549 ISSN–L = 2284 – 6549

Teen Art Out nr 39 Our editorial team → Editor-in-Chief:

Simona Mihalca

→ Editors: Andreea

→ Cover

Albulescu Ruxandra Sevastin Michela Sereni Dennish Sahl Nina Moskowitz Anna Sára Kovács Ioana Aghirculesei Casiana Constantin Delia Cocos Viorela Coman

design: Alexandra Iosif

→ Design:

Simona Mihalca Alexandra Dinu Adrian Chețan Alexandra Iosif

We reserve the right to select the submissions received before publishing. → Contact: www. teen.artout.ro teen@artout.ro

Letter from the Editor Karma → Let’s talk about Karma, shall we? For our 39th issue, we followed the song by Kamelot to find out more about cosmic balance, about trading lives, about doing good and receiving good, about tracing back history. Everyone knows what karma is and has blames it at least once in its life. It’s where good things come from and where bad things go to die.

The presence higher force governing our life can be soothing. Having something to push us to do good is in no way bad. → But why is it this important? We all have our life narratives, with things that depend on us, that depend on our friends, on our family, on our environment. Sometimes, there are events that are out of anyone’s control. Sometimes things happen. And boy we question why they had to happen to us. → We look beyond our position and see other people, see what they project, what they let us see. For almost everyone out there, we are not there to see their struggle, to know their pains, to understand their emotions and hardships. We believe we know what their Karma is, what they destiny is. We might think they have it better than us. → Maybe they were just born lucky you say, to have money or looks or skills. Maybe they won the lottery. Why couldn’t that happen to you? The struggle goes on. The more we ignore our problems and think they are out of our grip, the more we believe other people handle their life better. It’s a vicious circle and, quite frankly, a dangerous one.

→ It doesn’t hurt to do some “window shopping”, every now and then, but it truly hurts to dwell on it. → Let’s turn back to our song of Karma from Kamelot. Even kings have their Karma and with all their wealth and power, gold and silver, heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Being in a place of power allows you to do whatever and sometimes be immune from consequences. Still, they might catch up to you one way or another. → At the end of the road, even the greatest king (and we are not talking only about literal kings) stands as a simple man, with the good and bad that he’s done. When the dawn of justice comes, the king would trade his kingdom for someone else’s karma. And the truth is, many people would accept and trade their karma, their life and destiny for the brightness and wealth that appears within the kingdom.

Simona Mihalca Editor-in-Chief

Interview: Dianne van Giersbergen

Interview Dianne van Giersbergen → Xandria is a band you’ve definitely heard of if you have followed our issues. They got their share of love and not for nothing. They meet the two big requirements: have great music and be nice, genuine people. The mix of metal and classical music is nothing new, but neither is Xandria. They’ve been around since 1994. That’s a lifetime. Starting in 2013, they have been joined on vocals by Dianne van Giersbergen, being such a good fit we cannot imagine it any other way. She is a powerhouse, a soprano and one who’s not afraid to push her limits, to show what she can do. She takes great pride in her technical studies and we take great joy in listening to her. She’s the friendly face of the band, the one we always see and the one that greets us with kindness and humility.

Some are maybe not that aware of where Simona Mihalca: Hi, Dianne. We’re glad the capabilities of their instrument lie but to be talking to you again. Let’s get right to due to my studies I am, which of course it and ask what everyone is dying to hear: for the style of music we are in is big plus. what can you tell us about Xandria’s future Not only for “Fire and Ashes” but also for album? any upcoming release this is and will be a Dianne: Well we haven’t officially anvery important factor in our compositions. nounced our upcoming album yet but as But not to worry, everything will stay withyou may expect we have been busy visiting in the Xandria style, though it might just the ‘SandLande’ studio in the Netherlands spark a little bit more. on a regular basis to write songs together with composer and producer Joost van den S.M: Do you ever believe that people asBroek , a name that you might know from sume that you are not the creative force just our previous works, that indeed could feabecause you are the front-woman? What ture on our next album. There is not much are the most significant and irritating exthat can be revealed yet but be sure to check amples of sexism you have encountered? our Instagram account for some teasing Dianne: Haha the good thing about this is photos of what we are up to! that within the band we all know and value S.M: On the previous materials your preseveryone’s creativity and input on the muence could sometimes be felt not just “in sic. Writing the music for Xandria has befront” of the music, but in the creative procome a team effort and I am proud to be cess. Do you intend to take an even more part of it, even when people might not recactive role in the songwriting of the next ognize it at first. And if anyone ever dares album? to state ‘just the front-woman’ than I would Dianne: For sure! And thank you very much be very happy to trade with this person for for noticing! Happy to hear you could hear the night: I will watch the show from the my personal touch. Ever since the beginaudience and he/she will sing the full set, ning I have been part of all the writing sesnot skipping any high notes, with the boys sions and involved in the process. Not only on stage. (hmm this actually sounds like a to give my creative cents on the process but fun idea!). also speak up about my voice. Every singer Believe me, every Xandria concert is a body has a voice that works differently, blossoms (and voice) work-out! But if you would be at a different height, consist of different colable to tell than that would mean that I ors and moves differently. didn’t study enough.

Interview: Dianne van Giersbergen

Tim Tronckoe

Interview: Dianne van Giersbergen S.M: How do you feel about going into your second full-length album with Xandria, now that you have built a relationship not just with the band but with the fan base and they got to know you? The band definitely built a new sound and style. Does it come with added pressure for you?

Dianne: I wouldn’t call it pressure. Now I am ‘only’ looking very much forward to a new era where we can present what we are up to, share more music with the world, with our fans who have been so good to me and of course update our set list with the latest songs!

S.M: You have definitely been doing a lot of touring. What is it you like the most about the countries you visit? Do you prefer to get to know different kind of arts, to sightsee, visit the famous places or get off the beaten track? Could you be looking for meeting local people or enjoying local foods?

Dianne: I do enjoy culture and sightseeing a lot! The thing is though that for me personally I really have to have a day off to set out to do this. The boys tend to go on a stroll before a concert, but I almost (especially on tour) never join them because I do not want to wear myself out. Saving my energy for a show later that day is always on top of my priorities.

S.M: Touring worldwide is so diverse, not only in terms of culture but of the venues you get to play in and their capacity. While you get to play some huge festivals and crowds in some places, other shows are more … intimate. What do you personally think of this duality?Dianne: I think it keeps you grounded and open to any situation. It’s very easy to get used to a kind of status and get bored with it after a while, even annoyed or hard to deal with when things turn the other way again.

Having this diversity is very beneficial for our dreams, hopes and motivation.

And for a personal note: I do not really care if we play for a thousand people or a hundred. As long as the crowd is willing to join the party I’m happy!

S.M: Touring also means a lot of wasted time, busses, connections, planes and a lot of waiting. How do you usually pass the time?

Any games/shows/books that have you hooked?

Dianne: I’m a big fan of watching series while touring! A few titles are: ‘Fargo’, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Suits’, ‘Person of Interest’, ‘The Killing’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘The Forgotten’, ‘Revolution’, and so on and so on.

S.M: There can definitely be good sides to touring and fame, and I would think one of those is meeting all the people you do. You have played with a lot of bands and sang at many a festivals. Have you ever had a moment that made you understand the saying “never meet your heroes”? Were some people or some experiences so different than what expected that they left you disappointed?

Dianne: Haha good question! I haven’t encountered this personally (yet) but I heard other musicians speak about how they were disappointed when meeting their heroes.

The thing is we are all human, we have the same needs, desires, highlights and flaws in our personalities. The thing you tend to do with a hero though is to put them on a pedestal, basically by taking away everything that makes them ‘normal’. Then when you meet this person you idolized and they turn out to be “just as yourself ”, well… See it as a dream: if you would have the choice to not wake up and let it vanish, you also wouldn’t.

S.M: What would you say are the biggest lessons you’ve had to learn in your career?

Dianne: That you and only you can take full responsibility for your wellbeing. This might sound harsh but everything and everyone will have their own agenda and if you want to make your way through it is important to stay true to your own needs and feelings.

S.M: Both you and Xandria have been included in some different off-stage projects, such as the board game or dolls. Merchandise is also becoming much more diverse.

What would you like to have produced in the future under the Xandria banner?

Dianne: Well we have been brainstorming about a Precious Metal Jewelry special that would be available via the Xandria merch only… but let me brainstorm on that a bit further.

S.M: We all love your “Precious Metal” jewelry line. What were some of the most surprising reactions you got to it? Do you ever consider a future expansion of the line?

Dianne: Thank you very much! I must say that I am head over heels with the reactions I receive from people all over the world; every one of them is special to me.

I just love to create my guitar and bass guitar string jewelry, jewelry that has a story to tell, has been performed on by bands from the genre, maybe even playing your favorite songs with those strings that I then turn into jewelry for my fans to wear or to give away to their loved ones.

What’s up next? Well I’ve recently also started making jewelry made out of cymbals! Which of course brings a whole now color to my jewelry line! The material is so beautiful to work with!

S.M: As Isaac Delahaye once famously showed us, you’re a great cook (and an even greater houseguest). What are some of your “signature” dishes you like to cook and what are your favorite dishes in general?

Dianne: Haha yes I’ve gotten to know Isaac a lot better over the last months and must say he’s a great guy to hang out with! I don’t know if I really have a signature dish but I do like to give the traditional Dutch ‘mash pot’ or as we call it ‘stamppot’ a twist: so I’d add for example goat cheese, or spiced sausage to a traditional recipe. Furthermore I love cous cous, pasta and curry. I love to work with fresh ingredients, make my own dressings and keep my dinner as healthy as possible.

Another thing that I really like is vegetable/ fruit smoothies. They are easy to make and a great simple nutrition for on the road or during a busy day!

S.M: What do or should people to do push you, to motivate you or even maybe to help you when you are feeling down?

Dianne: If I now say ‘send me chocolate’ then I will be 20kilos heavier on our next gig! Hahaha! Well to be honest with all the uplifting messages I receive from fans and followers all over the world it is hard to feel down. Of course I too have my moments when I am not on top of the world but when that happens I find myself turning to friends. I am a real people person, meaning I get a lot of energy out of being surrounded by people, talking with them, laughing and living with them.

S.M: To finish on a happy note: what is the best thing that has happened to you so far in 2016 and what would be the best things that you can envision?

Dianne: Whoo difficult question! 2016 has just begun! But then let me name a personal highlight: the celebration of New Years eve for which we, a group of friends, flew to Florence (Italy). The night was perfect: beautiful historic art, an incredible diner, great wines, mid night on the old ancient square where there was a classical orchestra performing and all the crowd was waltzing the night away! Just perfect!

Tim Tronckoe

Interview: Dianne van Giersbergen

Tim Tronckoe

Interview: Matei Pușcaru Trupa: :umbra

Inter Matei P → If that name doesn’t sound familiar to you, yet, it will soon. He’s just 22 and he’s got big plans. He’s been playing different instruments all his life, but you can now recognize him as the bass player in his new project, trupa :umbra. He’s done shows and projects, joined and left bands, held music classes, all while studying for a non-musical degree. He knows what he wants and how hard that will be, but if he’s passionate about one thing it’s music. So let’s see what he had to say: Simona: Hi, Matei. We’re glad to be talking to you.

Matei: Hi, nice to meet you.

Simona: You have been involved in a number of musical projects until now. What attracted you to the concept of trupa : umbra?

Matei: First of all, we’re all very good friends–I think “brothers” might be a better term. Secondly, the music we make, because it combines elements from all our favorite genres in a very unique way, making me (and probably all of us) enjoy every second of it.

Simona: You have just released your first music video - Dau. Tell us a bit about how the experience was, not only filming it but the pre and post-production.

Matei: Pre-production was fun, ‘cause we came up with the idea for the storyline together. Everyone in the cast and the production team are friends of ours, so we all came up with many crazy ideas, but the one you can see in the video was the conclusion of our thoughts. Filming it was not so easy, since we had to face low temperatures as it was shot outdoor, and it took about 12 hours, so you can say an entire day. But after all it was fun as we had many bloopers, and it was a good experience for all of us to get more into it. And when we saw the final outcome, we all decided it was totally worth it.

Simona: The song itself doesn’t have a “childfriendly” message. I am curious to know how the creative process behind it was. Did you ever think you might get some backlash from it?

rview Puscaru , Matei: Mihai came up with the lyrics, and together we made a song out of it. It’s a rough idea, not an easy one to get by, but I think it’s what makes the song special. I find it very catchy and cool, but the lyrics stand out and make you reflect deeper on their meaning. So yes, I know that not everyone will not accept it easily, or who knows, maybe find it even offensive (hopefully not :)), but we wrote it for the ones who actually want to enjoy something different. Personally, I get tired of hearing all the same words and ideas everywhere, and every time I get to part in something new, I become really enthusiastic.

Simona: From your experience so far, what do you believe is the ratio of talent, work and luck in order to succeed in the musical scene?

Matei: This is an arguable topic, and I would put talent, work and luck together in one single extremely important aspect: devotion. You may not be that talented, or you may not have the time to study as much as it is required, or you may even be an outsider that tries to make his way up the industry,

but as long as you are devoted to it, one way or another, you will succeed. Of course it doesn’t happen overnight, we’re talking years here, but as long as you desire it and do as much as you can towards fulfilling your dream, you’re going to do it. Just never give up.

Simona: You have played smaller and bigger stages. Have you ever had stage fright? If so, how do you get over it?

Matei: In my case, I never had stage fright.

I might get a little nervous the last 2-3 minutes before the gig starts, but as soon as I play the first note, I’m done with it. I usually connect with the music we’re playing, and often get quite emotional, trying to give the audience as much as I can: not only music, but feelings. I don’t enjoy shows where the bands just stay in front of me and play as much as dynamic shows, with movement, with crazy moves, with everything to keep my attention towards them not only through their music, and so I try to do that myself as best as I can.

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Interview: Matei Puscaru

Interview: Matei Puscaru , Simona: What song of yours are you proudest of? Why? Matei: It’s a hard call, as I enjoy them all, but the one that would stand out is “Mi-e dor”. I love the song for its energy, for its emotional combination, and how it manages to take the listener through happiness, sadness, nostalgia, fury, all of them. It’s just the complete formula if you ask me. But it also has to be a live experience, because, as I said before, you might not get all of these feelings if you’re listening to it in traffic as opposed to hearing it, watching it, and actually living it.

Simona: What are you working on right now, or what are you currently obsessed with?

Matei: Right now we are working together on our show coming up on March 31st, in Music Club, alongside our good friends The Purple Dandies and The Mad Socks.

The show itself will consist of the release of 3 new singles (one from each band), ours being “Lumea de cand te-am uitat”, which is probably my 2nd favorite song. And about obsessions, I don’t really know what to say… my schedule is usually full, so I rarely have spare time to focus on something particular. But since most of my time is filled with music-related activities (rehearsals, teaching music, going to shows), I think it’s obviously music is my obsession.

Simona: Off the stage you are a computer science student. It’s something becoming increasingly common for IT and music to coexist. If you were given the chance to be a full-time musician, would you miss it?

Matei: I keep getting this advice from many people recently “Keep music just as a hobby, go for the IT. You will earn a lot of money”.

The problem is, I’m not into that, so I am usually unable to explain it to people. If I were to choose between having a lot of money as a programmer and have to reduce music to just something I enjoy, and have a music career but at the risk of living on debts, I would go for the second without hesitation.

I’d prefer to look back at myself 20 years from now on and say “Well, at least I gave my best and tried” than look back with regret that I haven’t done anything.

Simona: What role do you think the artist has in society?

Matei: Art is what makes our life interesting.

Try to take art out of our lives: no music, no movies, no shows, no comedies, no nothing. We would be just boring robots roaming around. So the artist has to ensure that people enjoy life, in every aspect of it.

Simona: Is art separate from entertainment or are they one in the same?

Matei: I think entertainment is included in art. I don’t think each and everyone can go in front of other people and say something interesting or funny. You got to know how to keep their attention on you, and that’s hard. Sure you can say that entertainment is easier, as you can also prepare a few texts to make sure you succeed, but I doubt anyone who does it actually enjoys it.

Simona: What do you think people misunderstand the most about being a musician, especially a young one?

Matei: When it comes to young ones, I think… everything? People are afraid of their close ones wanting to be a musician: everyone keeps saying “you’ll never have enough money, you’ll live on the streets” and so on, and everyone tries to push you to not follow it as a career, especially if you don’t have an extraordinary born talent.

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Interview: Matei Puscaru

You never get encouragement except from other musicians, which it’s sad, and totally wrong. Yes, it is hard, but so is astrophysics, chemistry, medicine, and any other particular domain, so as long as you really wish to follow it and are devoted to it, it’s as noble, as enjoyable and as rewarding as everything else.

Simona: What was the first album you bought with your own money?

Matei: Well, thanks to the internet, I didn’t buy many albums (shame on me). But I think it was Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Simona: Do you consider yourself to be a risk-taker? What are the most adventurous or dangerous things you have ever done?

Matei: Totally a risk-taker. And coming to dangerous things, let’s just say I climbed some really high buildings I wasn’t supposed (or allowed) to.

Simona: Do you believe you have a healthy life-style? Are you trying to have one?

Matei: As long as I don’t feel ill, I’m ok. But I should probably start having a normal schedule as everyone else, instead of the chaotic one I currently have.

Simona: If you could choose anyone to live next door to you, who would it be?

Matei: If by anyone would mean also ones who have passed away, that would be Leonardo Da Vinci. But if I had to choose among the ones still alive, I wouldn’t be able to pick one between John Frusciante, Steven Wilson or Lyndsy Fonseca (eh…).

Simona: Thank you!

Matei: Thank you too, and I hope to see you on March 31st at our show!

An interview with Johan Ericson and Anders Jacobsson of Draconian

An interview with Johan Ericson and Anders Jacobsson

„This is going to make us stronger“ → For the first time in the 22 year history of the band, Draconian has embarked on a tour across Europe. We spoke with them about their experience on the road, their new album and overrated TV-shows before their show in Munich.

Dennis Sahl: Thank god it is warm inside here, finally winter hit home.

Laughter from Anders Jacobsson: Yeah and now they switched the heating on. It was one cold soundcheck.

D.S.: How has your first long tour been so far?

Johan Ericson: This is the second to last show and so far it’s been pretty good. Tomorrow is the last show in Oberhausen.

A.J.: It has been a bit of a struggle first time in the beginning. You know, you have to get used to the whole culture of touring if you will call it that. There are a lot of unwritten rules you have to know about.

D.S.: What kind of rules?

A.J.: You are really close to each other all the time. You have to adjust to that. And we have been sick, all of us. It’s going to make us stronger, that’s for sure. This whole experience. And every evening is a whole different experience as well.

D.S.: The crowd?

A.J.: It’s just the energy, the feeling. Also the things you take to stage with yourself.

That’s at least how it is for me personally.

D.S.: Any favorite so far?

A.J.: For me personally it was Weinheim.

Great crowd, great feeling, great venue.

J.E.: The whole thing for me. Berlin was really good too for example.

A.J.: And tomorrow (in Oberhausen) there’s going to be a lot of people we know. They will all be coming.

J.E.: Like a celebration of the end of the tour in a way.

D.S.: What did you do to get ready for the tour?

J.E.: We rehearsed. One time.

Both Anders and Jacob laugh.

A.J.: Yes, there was no time for more. Daniel actually only practiced our songs for ten hours in total. And he is a guitar player, not a bass player.

D.S.: That was enough?

J.E.: Yeah, the schedule was so tight and that’s the reason why there was no time for rehearsals. But so far it’s been really good and we live up to our own expectations.

A.J.: And we had the tour in Greece which has been almost like a preparation. And we know Daniel a while actually. So he knows our material.

An interview with Johan Ericson and Anders Jacobsson D.S.: What will be the first thing when you guys come home?

Both: Sleep!

J.E.: Actually I have one day off before going back to work. So, that’s good.

A.J.: One day off too! Gonna make the best of it! There’s no real rest on tour you know.

Sometimes you sit for hours and wait but then there always is something small to do.

Carry stuff, do an interview, solve a problem. There is never enough time to rest.

D.S: So not enough sleep?

J.E: No not really.

A.J: Well last night I’ve slept pretty much and well. Maybe it’s also psychological – the end of the tour. But you just have to take care of yourself, stay hydrated, look after yourself.

And it’s pretty crowded with 18 people in the bus. But in general you always have to do something before resting. Set things up, sound check and all that.

J.E.: I’m looking forward to coming home actually for another reason. Yesterday season four of House of Cards has been released. I have something to catch up on when I arrive.

D.S.: Which other series do you like?

A.J.: My two favorites are Breaking Bad and Mad Men. It’s a bit hard to get into but once you do it’s just so good. I’m a Mafia freak.

A bench in the background is thrown over with a loud clatter and everyone jumps in surprise.

D.S.: No Game of Thrones?

A.J.: I hate Game of Thrones!

J.E.: Yes, it’s overrated.

A.J.: It’s only sex and killing. I’m over that.

D.S: How’s the life on the bus?

J.E.: I really liked it actually. But the last few days there’s a stomach flu going round. Everyone’s been sick and puking and so it was not always that nice in the bus.

D.S.: Let’s talk about music downloads: How have they affected your band?

A.J.: For us it has been swinging around actually. Our fans give a lot of value to the music, sharing is on the decline in general.

It is out of fashion now. Our fans actually pay double the price to buy a vinyl, to have something physical and high-quality they can hold in their hands.

A.J.: It’s maybe a small Metal-community compared to the big business. But a dedicated one who gives a high value to music.

D.S.: Draconian has seen quite a few line-up changes because of personal reasons. How much of a sacrifice is it to be a musician?

J.E.: It takes a lot of sacrifice personally.

A.J.: Yes, you have to prioritize. Time away from home, coordinate with the job. You have to put your own money into this.

Without making these choices it is useless to try. This is the first tour for us and it will influence our future too but it’s difficult to judge how.

J.E.: And it’s not only about touring and making shows and so on. Making albums as well. You have to spend the money for the equipment. You spend the time to rehearse, to do the promotion, interviews, contracts, administrative work and so on. And this takes a lot of time.

A.J.: But it has gotten easier for us, especially on the tour, since we have managers to take care of the administrative business for us.

They are organizing a lot for us and without this it would be impossible for us.

D.S.: Did this also help recording Sovran, your latest album?

J.E.: Well for the live shows definitely. Because we can focus on going out to play. We don’t have to do so much anymore. When it comes to the studio I still prefer to do it all myself.

D.S.: So every album is laid out in your head in the beginning already?

J.E.: Absolutely, there always is a plan. You have to think a year ahead, to book the studios, everything. The studio time is expensive, it needs a tight plan.

D.S.: Talking about Sovran: How was the songwriting, especially with Heike coming into the band?

J.E.: The songwriting took a long time. Well actually I had the songs written in a short time already but then we had to wait for Heike to get her visa. That took over a year I think.

A.J.: Yeah, the whole album process took four years this time.

J.E.: And of course the songs evolved over that time. The base was written early but they changed a bit over time. Also recording sessions took a while. It was over a year from recording the drums to the final result. We did not want to release the album during the summer time. It was a long process all in all but we are very happy with the result.

D.S.: Sovran sounds different than the album before...

J.E.: …I only can speak for myself, the music.

Actually I looked back a bit to our roots in the 90’s. I tried to make it sound like Draconian of course but keep it more simple in a way.

D.S: … and the lyrics?

A.J.: They are also a product of the years that went by. And they changed from scratch to the release. They are my thoughts about life, the universe especially. What you do with yourself; what I want to do. Some stuff I actually wrote and had to figure it out myself afterward. It just came from somewhere and I had to find out what to do with it... (thinks and then slowly) My personal idea was that I wanted to focus on the big picture this time …

D.S.: ...Is that Sovran?

A.J.: That is Sovran. The big thing. That we all do in the universe. The rest is emotions.

That’s what we all are. The album is about how we fit in the picture, what we do, how our emotions connect. The things in our lives, the problems, everything.

Q: Your music as a whole has a big influence on your fans. How does their feedback influence you in return?

J.E.: It’s simply the driving force for us.

A.J.: Yes, all the good reactions and to see how they enjoy. That drives us. I mean that’s just what keeps me going. The fans are the reward.

J.E.: That’s true. To go down to mix with the audience after the show, hear people’s thoughts and so on. That’s the important bit.

A.J.: Because through what we do … we share something D.S.: They inspire you?

J.E.: Sometimes that happens. Through all the years some of our fans became real friends and they definitely influence us in a way – as a part of our lives.

D.S.: Thank you for your time. Finally: Will there be more tours?

A.J.: Definitely. Actually we would really love to go on a South American tour. Our fans there have been waiting for us. But it’s not in our hands. The promoters and venue owners have to get interested.

An interview with Johan Ericson and Anders Jacobsson

Review Draconian Setlist: 1.Stellar Tombs 2.Bloodflower 3.A Scenery of Loss 4.Heavy Lies The Crown 5.Pale Tortured Blue 6.Rivers Between Us 7.Dishearten → The evening was started by the deathcore metal band Oceans Awake. They played for thirty minutes and filled this half hour with only three songs. Each of which felt like an actual eternity. However – they did not really strike with the crowd. After a short break Year Of The Goat followed. The band’s sound is rooted in hard rock and progressive rock of the 1970s. Year Of The Goat brought a sudden musical change into the evening. The audience first seemed to be caught by surprise but then moved quickly to headbanging along. The swedes delivered a very solid performance despite smaller sound troubles in the beginning. → After their set it was time for Draconian to mount the stage. You would expect a lot if you heard a band has only rehearsed once before touring. Draconian had to replace two members of the band just prior to the tour. With a completely new rhythm section they headed out to Europe – and conquered it. The band was tight and confident, sounding as if they had played together for a longer time. Daniel Änghede, vocalist and guitarist in Crippled Black Phoenix and ISON, filled in on bass like it has been his instrument for years. → The typical Draconian sound with Anders Johansen’s rough vocals and Heike Langhans struck home with the audience. Munich’s audience is famed for being reluctant and distant.

Nevertheless the band immediately connected with their audience. Most of the set featured the new album, kicking off with the Stellar Tombs. Old songs were mixed in, just like A Scenery of Loss off the 2005 album Arcane Rain Fell. Heike Langhans proved a perfect match for the band’s sound, delivering old songs as new with vocal perfection. → After just close to one hour the Draconian set came to an end. The pleas of the audience for an encore were unanswered due to a tight timing. After a short remodeling of the stage Ominum Gatherum delivered the closing set of the evening. The Finnish band was received with mixed emotions by the crowd. Quite a few people already left while Draconian joined the audience to chat and connect with the fans.

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Science “That’s the whole problem with science.You’ve got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder” Bill Watterson

The Big Bang Theory “ The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless” Steven Weinberg, 1977 → What humans call the universe is a observable spherical region. → Perchance, one of the most powerful and interesting mysteries, is how the universe came to be. All of the other important questions- Is time travell possible? What exactly is consciousness?- are caused by it. → According to the Big Bang theory, 14 billion years ago, there wasn’t anything, anywhere, except hydrogen and a small amount of helium. There weren’t any stars or planets either. Scientists claim that before the Big Bang, the entire world wee see now was compressed into a hot, dense mass just a few millimeters across. This incomprehensible state is believed to have existed for only a fraction of the first second of time. After this, a universe exploded into existence, caused by a fluctuation in a completely empty void. → NASA claims that In the very first second after the universe was created, the surrounding temperature was around 10 billion degrees Fahrenheit( and 5.5 billion Celsius). → The early soup of the universe, that contained a vast collection of fundamental particles such as electrons, protons and neutrons, would have been impossible to see because the light could not carry inside it. → NASA declared that the free electrons would have caused photons to scatter. After the free electrons met up with nuclei, the light was finally allowed to shine through, after about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. → Scientists also speculate that the first stars began to form out of hydrogen when the universe was around 100 million years old. The same way, the Sun originated about 4.49 billion years ago.

→ Instruments aboard the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite showed that 99,97% of the energy of the universe was actually released within the first year of its origin. Astronomers also hypothesize that almost 99% of the matter in the universe is invisible or dark matter, composed of some kind of matter that is very effortful to detect. Objects are being dragged out of Earth’s Hubble Volume and will become unnoticeable to the humans of the future, because of the universe’s expansion. → As a definition of the origin of the universe, the Big Bang has considerable bearing on religion and philosophy. As a result, it has become one of the liveliest areas in the discourse between science and religion, as some believe that the Big Bang implies a creator, some see its mention in their holly books and some argue that the Big Bang cosmology makes the notion of a creator superfluous. → Also, a century after Albert Einstein redefined the understanding of time and space, his general theory of relativity was finally confirmed. A few weeks ago, at a press conference, physicists from LIGO revealed that gravitional waves were detected. Everyone is on a hunt to find them, NASA even sending a lunar surface graimeter to the moon on Apollo 17 in 1972. → As a conclusion, one of the biggest mysteries is how was the universe created and the Big Bang theory could be the answer to that.

by: Delia Cocos

Book Review

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Spring has just began and we’re gladly shedding our heavy coats and start dreaming of foreign lands and exciting adventures. The world is big and waiting for us to see, but where do we start? How do we make a list of all there is to see in this world? Or maybe of what is the most important.

Worry not, we’ve got you covered with this beautiful album “Ocolul Pământului în 80 de Minuni”. It sounds like a big number, but it has all you need: ideas, advice, places you’ve never been to, places you’ve never heard of, places you will definitely enjoy. And, of course, a travel album would not be an album without breathtaking photography. Looking at all these wonders on big pages in so many colours brings you as close as you without going there. The first step to travel is traveling with your mind.

Stuck in a place with no memory, Thomas is surrounded by people hostile to them who tell him they are stuck in a … you guessed it, maze. Curious by nature, he wants to find out what is beyond their grounds, to explore. He must do this at great peril, as the maze is not your run of the mill. You either run fast or you die trying. And he’s intending to do exactly that.

Young Adult action novels have been making the rounds, breaking records, selling in millions. Normally, they were turned into 3-4 movies, which went on to have an even bigger success.

If you liked The Hunger Games or the Divergent series, don’t stop there.

Read The Maze Runner, or “Labirintul” as we call it in Romanian.

Excelența în is a promising

,,

”

When you are growing, pressure comes at you from all angles, from bosses to employees, from colleagues to partners.

Do you have what it takes?

Find out now.

name.

It’s easy to do something, but, to excel in it, it takes about 10,000 hours, or so they say. The book come highly recommended from Wall Street Journal and Forbes and now it can be yours.

Street Journal and Forbes and now it can be yours.

Don’t expect it to make you an expert, but it definitely presents you a fascinating world and teaches you about it. It has tips and tricks, real life stories and a lot of knowledge.

It defines what a manager is and how to be one. It gives you context and helps you.

Do not believe everything you see or hear. Life is not always the way it is in Lie To Me. But so many things are just like that. Only 7% of communication is done with words. Yes, that’s right.

And words deceit like no other.

But emotions, movement, expressions, tones are the ones you should be on the lookout.

What better stage to find out from than the political one?

Where are more lies being told?

Where is the pressure higher?

Where will you find more demagogies? demagogies?

You can learn about the gestures people do and how they fall within different spectres, how to learn from them, how to read people and, why not, how to exploit that.

Simona Mihalca

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week – 19-23 February February 2016 Welcome to London Fashion Week February 2016, Autumn-Winter season 2016 one of the most important Fashion events of the year!

According to Wikipedia, ‘London Fashion Week is a clothing trade show held in London twice each year, and it’s one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks on the planet!

‘Currently, it is sponsored by MercedesBenz, and Toni & Guy. It states that it is attended by over 5,000 press and buyers, and has estimated orders of £40 million or £100 million. . A retail-focused event, London Fashion Weekend, takes place immediately afterwards at the same venue and is open to the general public.’

According to me, the most mind-blowing experience I have ever experienced!

Let me just try to sum up what I consider a fashion phenomenon and write about how how much London had to offer to fashion and art lovers who were blessed enough to be a part of this amazing time.

As I was getting ready to face this overwhelming event I just couldn’t imagine the intensity and speed I had to keep up with in order to report to you guys straight from the fashion front line. You see, this February at the London Fashion Week, there were

so many events happening at the same time: You have the street show with stylish and posh, eccentric people buzzing around on the whereabouts of Brewer Street, Soho the heart of bohemian London.

This new central London location, host to designer catwalk shows in the British Fashion Council Show Space and Designers Showrooms around 100 emerging designers exhibit their collections to an audience of UK and international press, buyers and stylists.

The 1st.floor of the 1929 build iconic art deco building was for reserved for the LFW guest registration, a photographers’ area and press, where I managed to get my international press badge, along with Alex Coman, our official Teen Art Out photographer. As soon as we got the official access and registration papers we could pass the security checks and visit 2nd. Floor, the Fashion Bounty of the Designer Showrooms, where we could indulge in the latest designer creations, be it clothing, accessories and jewellery.

An exhibition meant as a networking place where young designers could talk about their work and connect with buyers and stylists

from all over the world.

London Fashion Week is after all, the best place to network, discover and connect with like-minded people in this field!

Next in line: 3rd Floor Well, this a totally different story – It’s the Mount Olympus of the Greek gods and goddesses, Fashion Heaven, Valhalla or Nirvana – it’s up to you to choose the perfect term for the place when all the magic happens: most of the catwalk shows and the VIP party area. Looking down the window, observing the huss and fuss outside the building, there were people roaming about the street, tourists, bloggers, fashion students, stylists and armies of eager photographers willing to do whatever they need to do for that perfect snapshot it finally hit me: I was attending London Fashion week, and at least for a week London was the centre of the world!!!

Groups of friends taking selfies, broadcasters and presenters reporting from the fashion front line and security people securing the traffic around the area were all a mesmerizing and colourful sight to see! Oh, and don’t forget about the people who just genuinely wanted to visit Soho and they just happened to pass by.

The ‘circus’ in the street became even more interesting when three models crashed the LFW official opening day protesting for PETA, urging the fashion industry to stop using fur in clothing, to support cruelty free clothing.

Catwalk Shows LFW is going strong this year, get yourself ready for the mindblowing fashion shows with star designers

like Alexander McQueen, returning this season to London, Belstaff, Erdem, Christopher Kane, Vivienne Westwood, Burberry, Mother of Pearl , Sadie Williams, Top Shop, Toga and a special show by the Alumni from the MA Fashion Course from Central Saint Martins, a leading college of the University of the Arts London – to name just a few.

I wish there were enough time to browse all the new street style obsessions and see all the shows, each of them was spectacular and different, from Topshop Unique show, Christopher Kane showed at Tate Modern held at Tate Museum, showing off arful florals, knitwear and lovely cocktail dresses.

The Mary Katrantzou show introduced the public to Russian dolls looking models and spectacular, clean tailored dresseswhile Burberry designs stole the spotlight with the new womenswear collection with visible influence from the lively ‘70’s.

The accessories designer Anya Hindmarch show was another highlight with the original design of the catwalk, a huge spectacular performance of a giant Rubik’s cube, seducing her audience with the unique visuals and one of a kind handbags, adorned with floral and candy decorations, as well as Pac Man patterns.

Beauty Trends Make-up wise, the general focal point was healthy, light, glowing skin with different approaches when it came to the other facial features: a nude lip for Sass and Bide, sculpted neutrals on eyelids and cheekbones by Jaeger, super-highlighted skin and red lip for House of Holland, beautiful explosion of gold and blue and extra layers of face paint for Vivienne Westwood to ‘Just Bitten’ lip stains for Temperley.

Another highlight was using original statement accessories on the eye area like Xiao Li or lace masks at Emilio de la Morena show.

Along with famous model beauties (Suki Waterhouse, Jourdan Dunn, Karlie Kloss) and power stylists (Kate Fowley, Caroline Sieber, Hanneli Mustaparta) the front seat audience for all the shows was made of a bunch of the most influencing tribe in fashion there is, call them tech queens if you want, these ladies do hold the social media power with hundreds of thousands of followers and counting!

From blogging pioneer Susannah Lau (AKA Susie Bubble), Chiara Ferragni (www.theblondesalad.com), Eva Chen (Instagram’s head of Fashion Partnerships), beauty guru Tanya Burr to our own Romanian stylish bloggers, Anda Sbarcea (www. hatsonclouds. com) and Larisa Costea (www.themysteriousgirl.ro) have some really interesting input about the BIG event! Do check them out!

The Designer Showrooms

London Fashion Week’s central hub in Brewer Street Carpark, is the place where over 140 designers display their AW16 collections, along with the catwalk and presentation schedule.

Thanks to the exclusive Teen ArtOut photos, you can have a glimpse at the 1,600 square meteres of Art Wear presented in the David Collins Studio on the 2nd floor.

Both established and emerging brands will feature in the showrooms, showcasing ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear. The Designer Showrooms attract an audience of international and UK press and buyers throughout the Fashion Week.

Most of them graduates of St Martins or London Royal College of Art, I was mesmerized by the designs of: Georgia Hardinge, Moon Lee Design, Laura Theiss, Kim Kwang, Florian London, Alexandra Moura, Cecilie Bahnsen with their refined approach to multiple textures and innovative approach to fashion. Hitech garments were presented alongside with nature inspired, organic materials, everything displayed with impeccable taste and aesthetic vision.

My personal favourite was Moon LeeDesign (www.moonleeartwear.com) - one of the most impressive designs, I fell in love at first sight with her distinctive touch of artistry in her intricate creations. Talking to the creative director, Injoo Lee Idiscovered her love of details in her artful hand painted designs as well as a passion for the diversity of human emotions expressed through her geometrical, colourful and inspiring creations.

Too busy and afraid of missing anything out? No worries, LFW has it all, including live streaming of all fashion shows - for all you fashionistas,www.londonfashionweeklive.com International Fashion Showcase 2016 Another important event during LFW I was thrilled to check on my ‘to see list’ was the International Fashion Showcase 2016, (IFS) created by British Council and British Fashion Council, a public programme meant to celebrate House’s central theme Utopia 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility, inspired by Thomas Moore’s inspirational text.

This February, the BFC used the amazing Sommerset House a key cultural destination in the heart of Londonto exhibitthe vision of the new generation of international designers and curators from 24 countries that share their own versions of the Fashion Utopia.

As I walked in, I could admire the works of art and the visuals of each and every county, meeting friendly , smiling people ready to share their vision with the curious public.

I was really impressed with our own Romanian exhibition, set up by by the Romanian Cultural Institute in London together with Assamblage – The Romanian Association for Contemporary Jewellery, powered by UniCredit Bank.

‘Found.Lost.Found’: Romanian Jewellery Design at the London Fashion Week 2016 It is the sixth consecutive participation for Romania, with the central theme of ‎Found.

Lost. Found‬ handled with great care by the curator David Sandu and the ubertalented contemporary jewllery designers: IoanaArdelean, Maria OtiliaMihalcea, AdelinaPetcanand Andreia Gabriela Popescu with stunning visuals by Black Horse Mansion.

The young designers paid a creative tribute to the great craftmanship of our ancestors in Dacia, one of the richest

areas in gold resources of the Roman Empire, bringing to international attention the forgotten treasures of a lost and fascinating world.

The exhibition that brought Romania the jury’s special ‎Prize for AccessoryDesign‬, awarded to designer OtiliaMihalcea, for her stunning collection - ‘Neotectonics’. She graduated the Assamblage School of Contemporary Jewellery and you can check out her works of art online, by visitng her website www. ovaloval.com.

The prize was awarded for the first time in the IFS history due to Romania’s highly appreciated showcase. Let’s see what designer ‎and curator David Sandu‬ has to say about the significance of divinity and simbolism of jewellery in our times: ‘Most of the ancient Dacian jewellery was not meant to have a functional purpose. The jewellery pieces were part of their religious cult, offerings made to the gods to wear.

Because of this, they’re not made at a human scale, seeming to belong to oversized giant beings. They are the passage to transcendence and utopia.

They are offerings that, beyond their ritualistic purpose, represent the direct contact between humans and divinity. Thus, the art of jewellery becomes a legitimation of the people: humans now stand face to face with gods.

Universally, the value of the offerings was established not only through the gold it contained, but also by the ritual of offering itself. Nowadays, contemporary jewellery becomes important through its signification, pursuing the eternal dialogue between valuable and precious. In the context of the reappraisal of values, one constant remains: the cultural value of a jewellery object will always overcome its material assessment.’

As I left the showcase, I never felt more proud and connected to my Romanian heritage and peers. (you can also easily see that in my outfit, I just love the Romanian blouse! )

The biggest (and bestdressed) party award went to Elle, who closed London Fashion Week with their annual Style Awards ceremony last night.

Since I almost used up all my space meant for this article, I am bound to sum everything up and draw the conclusion and having to admit that my most favourite thing about LFW was the unique and fresh street catwalk I was delighted to watch for 5 internationally fashionable days...

After all, I have to agree with Carine Roitfeld, the former editor in chief Vogue Paris and global fashion director Harpers Bazaar who states: ‘For me, the English are the kings and queens of fashion’.

So here’s to the next spectacular London Fashion week in September! Cheers from sunny London from a devoted fashion lover ;)

Article by Viorela Coman Photographer: Alex Coman – AlexComan Photography

Photo Credits: RCI London

Karma

Respect!

What an odd thing has common sense become! It is such a rarity that now it is often mistaken for a bad joke. Are you confused? Allow me to explain: Just a few days ago, while I was running late to my first class in the morning, I saw the janitors and I slowed down to say “Good morning”. Since they were right in front of me, and I was going to pass right through them anyway, I thought it would have been rude of me to pretend I didn’t see them. They didn’t respond.

Some days later, when I said “Good morning”, they stopped and stared at me with their eyes wide open.

“Were you talking to us?”

Of course I was talking to them! They mumbled something back (I would like to believe was a shy “Hello”) and then went back to cleaning the floors. On my way to class, I kept thinking that everyone usually ignores them. The interaction between them and the students is so little, they aren’t used to such an “outrageous” behavior like mine. Actually, they don’t even expect to be noticed.

Instead, what they are used to is to be treated like they only exist when there is something to be cleaned. They suspect you of mocking them when you say “please” and “thank you” and act like they don’t need to be respected. They do. Everyone does. Regardless of someone’s level of education or job, they still need to be respected.

It is said that karma always comes back around, meaning that, based on your actions, you will eventually face the consequences. It is just like playing with a boomerang; sooner or later, you own actions will come back at you. This is why, in the Buddhist philosophy, it is believed that one will get what they deserve, thus encouraging people to open up their hearts to sympathy, love, understanding. They are taught to respect one another and never look down on those lower than them on the social hierarchy.

So respect those around you!

Notice them! Try your hardest to be the living proof that common sense and kindness didn’t become a thing of the past. To you, a simple “Good morning” may not mean that much, but it can surely brighten someone else’s day.

Andreea Albulescu

Someday You’ll Ache Like I Ache Michela Sereni

Many pop lyrics have taught us, over the decades, that “What goes around, comes back around” [insert various synth noises here], giving an approximate sum up of what the biggest part of Europe (and America, according to a few unreleased songs by Lady Gaga, and many more) thinks Karma is. Well, today it’s karma, but yesterday (and the day before that, and so on) it was Fortune. In the Middle Ages the Wheel of Fortune was the big thing. As pop-colture as you could get in the 1200s. A round-shaped concrete object spun by Luck, fueled by its whiny ways, with and history and roots that go back to the old philosophers: “Cicero seems to have particularly liked the metaphor. But its influence in the Middle Ages can be traced mostly to the ’Consolation of Philosophy‘ of the late Roman philosopher Boethius”[1a].

Being someone who could just not let a hot bomb drop in silence (other than a true late-1200s man), Dante in its “Comedy” (specifically, in Inferno, VII 82-90) wrote about it. Here, Virgil tried to point out to his lucky follower, that Fortune was the same thing as Providence (ruled by God’s will), and therefore unchained from mortals’ power. She could create and force Nations to fall, and man’s knowledge could not possibly contrast her. The very way in which she had been forged during the dawn of days, makes it so that she spins fast and hence causes her subjects to experience, in good or in bad, her changes [2].

Obviously, all the fame and glory impacted minds so greatly that Fortune’s image was nearly everywhere, at the time; a visible sign was understandable by everyone (let’s remember how many could not ready, please), developing a simple way to express the true message of this sort-of-deity.

[1 a/b]http://www.themiddleages.net/wheel_ of_fortune.html [2]Dante, “Commedia - Inferno” by Emilio Pasquini and Antonio Quaglio (Garzanti, ed.2000)

The iconography took all the space it could find, and it covered little miniatures to huge cathedrals (IE: Duomo in Siena, Italy), in which the personification of Fortuna was represented bigger in stature than her human subjects, in order to underline her obvious importance and immense power. “Illustrations of Fortune’s Wheel in various texts are also common. [...] in about the twelfth century this evolves into a depiction of Fortune standing beside a mechanical wheel which she controls with a lever.

On the wheel are depictes (usually) four figures: one at the top, one at the bottom, one rising, and one falling. These figures often wear the guise of kings”[1b]. The 4 stages mean: “I rule” (regno), “I have nothing, no kingdom” (sum sine regno), “I will reign” (regnabo) and “I ruled” (regnavi)[3a]. The purpose of this imagery was to remind the public about the real nature of earthly goods and commodities, with their alluring appearance but also temporary and vague meanings, as opposed to qualities that come from within the soul, such as virtue and a righteous morality.

Needless to say, this kind of philosophy was a product of its time under every aspect, and not least in that comforting the lowers classes, setting them up against the richer ones. Incidentally, this contrast was merely virtual, since an actual war with the simple purpose of riding up to the top would be, in fact, counterproductive, given the very own essence of the wheel, and thus not supported. As everything in the Middle Ages goes, Christianity was strictly connected to it (as a fact, “After the fall of Rome, the medievals took this wheel of life and Christianized it” [4]).

The idea of this Lottery Goddess was bipolar, as well: “Medieval representations of Fortune emphasize her duality and instability. She often displays two faces, either side-by-side, or back-to-back like Janus; with one black face and one white, or one smiling and one lowering. Sometimes one eye is beaming and one weeping. She may appear blindfolded, like Justice, but without the scale: she is, so to speak, impartial in injustice.

Sometimes her head is bald behind but has a long forelock for seizing, like Opportunity. Her clothing may be of changeable colours or sharply divided into dark and bright or rich and beggarly“ [3b]. This bonds her to many other gods and deities in every kind of mythology: as Madonna would put it just after the hard rap part in ‘American Life‘, “nothing is what it seems”. Or rather, it’s not just that.

The concept of this entity in its entirety hasn’t left our society yet (will it ever?). And. Look. I ain’t trying to say that a bad heartbreak will be followed by attacks of diarrhea to the other party (wheteher it happens or not, 8tracks has the best selection of power-up post-breakdown empowering playlists), but since the dawn of man we’ve believed that what we do, may it be good or bad, will come back to haunt us. Is it karma?

Is it fortune? We have, for sure, modified and adapted the message to our newest necessities, but the continuity (and even the discontinuities, and the breaks) in our past show we’re children from the previous eras.

Whatever leads, something will follow.

[3a/b]http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/ dweb/themes_motifs/fortune/iconography.php [4]http://2catholicmen.blogspot.it/2012/02/medieval-wheel-of-fortune.html

I HOPE IT HAUNTS YOU

The morning after, I bet it felt odd to look in the mirror. I hope it felt like you were trespassing in your own vessel, as if you had drank something that made your body too big, your heart too small. I bet when you looked in the mirror and saw your face, you looked away. The five o’clock shadow like a stain, the bags under your eyes like bruises. I hope they haunt you.

When you put on a tee, and it smelled vaguely of my perfume, I hope you had to take it off. I hope you threw it across the room, because it just hurt too much.

As you slipped your belt through the loops, I wonder if you dug your nails into the leather, remembering how many times I teased you over its noisiness. I hope it haunts you.

If you look at your car and you’re sent back to late nights in the backseat, I bet it’s gonna mess you up. The sweat clinging to us both, the kisses that got increasingly sloppier, the clothes draped haphazardly across the seats. We were crazy in love, and I bet that drives you crazy now. I hope you recall the feel of me as you drive along the highway. And I hope you struggle to get used to the hollow feeling you now have instead. I hope it haunts you.

Your phone’s wallpaper needs to be changed. Put your dog on the screen, instead of my face, even though we both know I’m much prettier. Your laptop’s screensaver needs to be altered. A picture of a sunset will do, instead of my face, even though we both know I’m much more exotic. Slowly deleting my pictures from your profile, I bet your fingers will shake, hover above the “delete” button, and make you question yourself. I hope my face haunts you.

As you go about your day, and see couples dining at that little cafe where I always got the soup, or meeting for Starbucks and sitting in the corner spot we tucked ourselves into, I bet your heart will turn inside out. A glove four sizes too small will squeeze its way around, and your blood supply will run out. I hope the color drains from your face as you realize there is no going back from this, and I hope to God you pray to go back. I pray to God it haunts you.

You don’t walk out cause you’re bored. I hope the footsteps you left on my porch stay frozen in the snow, so if you ever happen to walk by, you’ll see what kind of mark you left on my soul. I hope you fall apart slowly, like you thought we did. I want you to feel your heart crack when you look in the mirror and feel hollow because the person that held you up is actually the person who ripped the supports out from under you. I beg that it haunts you.

You made your choice. I’m making mine. I know I’ll be fine in a matter of weeks. Sure, my intake of chocolate will triple. Yeah, my usage of Kleenex will quadruple. But in a month, I will be out taking boys to my backseat, and you will be sitting in yours alone, trying to catch one last whiff of my perfume. And that, I hope, haunts you. That you don’t get to walk out, and choose when you walk back in. You’re out for good, and I hope you get what’s comin’ to ya. I hope that Karma follows you like the plague, and takes you for a joyride or twelve. I hope Karma shows you what it means to be alone. I hope Karma haunts you.

Nina Moskowitz

Always do

good Simona Mihalca

They say Karma’s a bitch. Others say she’s a bitch only if you are. But who is this Karma they all keep talking about? No, it’s not the character from the TV Show Faking It, though it might also apply there. It’s about the cosmic law of balance, the idea to do good to receive good.

A fundamental doctrine in Buddhism, the idea of karma was present in India for millennia. Why are some people richer, luckier, more privileged? Why are some born into money and luxury and others starve? Why do some people win the lottery of genetics and others live a life of misery? It is a lottery, after all, an accidental match of thousands of factors. We don’t choose where to be born, how to look like, what colour to be. It is all thrust upon us and we must do our best.

Believing in destiny, in Karma, in something bigger than us, in gods and spirits has been here since the dawn of time. We, as people, used to worship the sun, the water, the nature. Someway along the way we moved it to anthropomorphic figures. It makes some of us bear with their life.

It makes some believe they

serve a bigger purpose, that their life has meaning. Still, for so many people, it’s a way to deflect responsibility from our own lives. “If it’s God’s will”. Sometimes it has to be our doing, our will, our strength. But that can so easily be all in vain, when all the factors that should land us in a stable, nurturing home, with a roof over our heads, with food to eat and with health and happiness don’t work as expected. It’s

hard to accept facts and we need a culprit. Sometimes it really is out of our hands. But how can it be just random?

Because it is? Because you happened to be born like this? And here comes the theory of Karma to explain it all, or better said, to make some sense out of this.

Is it true? Some would argue so. We have this “little-known” theory called String Theory which states,

in a very, very simplified way, that everything is connected in the Universe through some … you guessed it, strings. The concept that everything is united in the Universe is definitely not a new one.

You can call it fortune, luck, destiny, coincidence.

If billions of people believe that their life is influenced by the position of distant stars (yes, astrology), then how could they not believe in Karma? According to a research at York University, doing small acts of kindness will increase your happiness and that good feeling you get

true? What’s the worst that can happen if you are good and kind to people, if you are positive and believe in something? Sure, it may get you disappointed, it may get your heart broken. But that also happens to the most negative of people. There’s no down-

can stay with you for months.

So there might be some facts behind this Karma concept.

On the other hand, what would happen, were it not

side of doing good. We have the ability and capability, but it is not something most of us focus on. Still, Karma is not always something so positive.

It’s a quid pro quo. Obviously, if you’re good, you will have good things come your way.

But what if you’re bad? How can you live your life in fear that you will be reprehended?

Many would say it’s nonsense. We don’t know what happens after life and have no way, for now, to prove that there is a cosmic balance. Our understanding of cosmos, energy and psychology are so extremely limited. Yet, we choose not to believe.

At the end of the day, either if we believe in Karma or not, we should do good. We should help people and give our best. We can keep an open mind and expect to be treated the way we treat others. We may not win every time, but when we do, we have to make it count.

Karma

This is it, this is the concept of karma, a teaching which originally comes from Hinduism and Buddhism, but since the 70s, the first time when Eastern religions became massively popular in the West, it became quite well-known in Europe and America too. The idea of karma means that everything you give to the people around you – every act of respect, compassion and loyalty, or betrayal, cruelty and violence, inflicting pain, fear and sorrow and hopelessness, hurting souls, destroying lives – finds its way right back to you. In life, you get exactly what you deserve – and if you have created yourself a kingdom by conquering others, built an empire with innocent people’s blood and sweat and suffering, on the ruins of your own soul, your own conscience, then the time when it all ends will eventually come, and then you will have to pay the price for all the treasure and glory you have acquired. Then, it will be way too late for remorse.

But the big question is: what is glory? Can it only be found in the position of power, and absolutely nowhere else in the whole world?

Does being great, glorious and heroic only mean the control over the world, being a conqueror, being famous, respected and feared by people? Is glory really all about becoming greater than everybody else? Is this really the only way to become a hero? Maybe, some would say, it is.

But perhaps, glory might take other, less dramatic, not so shiny, not so spectacular, more peaceful forms, some of them hidden deep among the monotonous routines and in the rush of our everyday life: it might be present in little, silent victories and heroic acts, like catching your bus when running late from somewhere, gaining a new friend’s trust, comforting a sad sibling, learning something new and exciting, writing poetry, singing, dancing, telling stories full of magic and danger and secrets and love – a life of a seemingly completely mundane and ordinary human can be full of them.

You must be careful and wise choosing what kind of glory you really wish to chase – because if you do not choose well, there will be a point where you will realise it is too late and you will find your life wasted on something utterly meaningless, you will be alone, and no one will be tere to trade their karma for your kingdom. Not like anyone could just drop in your place to bear the consequences for your acts anyway, even if they wanted to; there are things that no one else can do for you. The idea of karma is that your life is what you make of it – all the obstacles you face on your way, every last little difficulty is there for a reason.

You have to come through them and learn from them, you have to deal with your unfinished business in order to find peace when you reach the end. And if you choose your path right, walk it with wisdom, patience and perseverance, treat everyone around you with the respect and kindness they deserve, love the ones close to you, do not get fooled by the false illusions of society, and manage not to lose yourself along the way – you will get all the rewards that you are worthy of, and when the end comes, you can leave this world knowing that it is a lot better than how you found it. And that, my friend, can certainly be called a kind of glory.

Kovács Anna Sára

Changing your karma

When things go wrong, they usually tend to get worse and it makes you think that you are a magnet that attracts only bad luck in your life. When trying in various ways to attract good things but you fail, it’s easy to believe that they are not intended to come into your life. All you want is to be surrounded by good people and nice smiles. Although you try so hard to make it work, sometimes it seems impossible. „Karma is messing with my mood, again!” you think.

I’m sorry that I’m the one to tell you, but this is true. Depending on what we did and what we do now, karma plays a big role in our lives.

However, karma must not lead our destiny because we can turn the cards in our favor.

Karma, as we know, it can change according to us and our actions. Karma can be changed for the better. We can all avoid the negative effects of karma. Good thing to know: karma may come upon us through our own efforts or with the help of the others. In other words, destiny can change. We wonder how we can avoid sleepless nights and many unanswered questions. The answer lies within us: we must learn not to be selfish and start listening to others. We are not alone in the world, we are not totally and always right, not everything is perfect and we should not label something or someone before we truly really understand it.

In a more a more elaborate definition, “our karma represents the things we do everyday. An action (drink a cup of coffee) creates a memory (I liked that cup of coffee) that creates a desire (I want another cup of coffee) that creates an action and determines the cycle to start again. To change your karma is like changing your habits. You just have to do something different. But many of us are so conditioned that they can’t see that there may be something different to do. We need to open ourselves to the infinite possibilities that exist there for us” says Lissa Coffey.

When you do a good deed you must not ask yourself whether or not your place in Heaven is now reserved. Being kind and nice should be a reflex, a way to understand the others and yourself better.

Never do anything just for show in order to prevent from attracting karmic revenge on you or to receive appreciation of others. Do not expect anything for your actions, like a reward or thankful words. Every gesture, every word no matter how insignificant it may seem, at the right time can mean more than you think…Reward will come when you least expect it.

Ruxandra Sevastin

Karma

Karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where the intent and actions of an individual-the cause, influence the future of that individual-the effect.

I was always astonished by this concept of Karma from the very first moment I found out that this theory is based on what Swami Vivekananda, an Indian philosopher once said. His idea went like this: if you throw a ball in a void space, that ball will turn back to you with the same speed, because gravitation laws don’t apply in void spaces. In the same way, every action of an individual will catch up with him in a short period of time, equal and in the same form as the initial one.

I recently read an article in which there was presented a story about a woman who was looking through old family albums, one week before her wedding day. A photo taken thirty years previously at Disneyland Florida caught her eyes. In the photo there were her brothers and her, posing with a Disney character. In the background there was a little boy in a stroller. He looked so familiar and shortly after she found out that he was her soon to be husband. Those were the two of them in a photo taken fifteen years before they met each other. As she looked through more photos she noticed that the little boy was in others also.

And of course the coincidences didn’t end there. At the time the photos were taken in Disneyland, the soon to be married couple were living in different countries. Fifteen years later they were both working in the same hotel in Florida, and had started dating and only to get married six years later.

If you think that there is nothing really scary or impossible about this, meeting in the same place, more than once, and living in different cities only to end up working in the same place, is kind of a big deal.

Some people will ask what the link between the story I have presented and karma is. Well it is Karma which always brings people together. I said that Karma is doing something and receiving the same thing in return. I want you all to think about one time when you did something good for a person around you and what happened after that. Nothing bad, I imagine. I can assure you that only good things happened, even though you might not remember.

Some people put this principle in other words. They say that, if something bad happens to them now, in a short period of time something good will come around, as well. I tend to believe this statement is true because if you are a good person, life will reward you, one way or another.

Even if you believe in karma or not, I guess everyone gets to agree with its principles at a point in their life. Of course, is up to you how you live your life and how you interpret things that happen to you, but beware‌

Ioana Aghirculesei

Karma police from Kamelot street calling Karmarians

The officer that caught me last week lying on the grass has put a letter in my mailbox. The letter carries the Karma Department badge.

I didn’t know the police has already changed its name, I only got a trace of that last night from my mom, I thought it was a joke from a comedy channel.

The title is “Honor, gold and glory - respect one self ”. They say they’ve finally been given Karma Goddess’ wisdom and that she’d founded their police station. She’s only asked them to share this letter with whoever seems to be in need of it. But you’ve already seen that on TV 3000 last night, haven’t you?

The Goddess is sorry we’ve misunderstood her words “All you do in life comes back to you” for so long. Karma says the good or the bad we do comes back to us as good or bad thoughts about ourselves.

She forgot to add this because she’d thought it was obvious. Furthermore, she receives daily déjà-vus regarding the Sanity points we score on our daily tests.

Honor is the first spectrum of measuring actions, whenever one acts one should ask oneself: “How did I reach this accomplishment? Does it reflect my true struggle? Have I been stealing the hope or the actual resources others need? One must keep one’s honor intact, be truthful to the self and others so one could be respected when the Karmday comes!”

The second concern of the Goddess is gold, this is how they call knowledge on her planet: “Have I digged for gold today? Have I gifted anyone with a piece of gold today? In order to find gold one must clean up the mess that covers it - the heavy mud made of fearing the unknown and of trying to sell ideas by terrifying the ones who don’t know how to search for gold: the believers-at-first-sight and the ones who didn’t honor my emissaries - the teachers and the scientists sent here to help you against the Devils wearing Angel faces and Zen makeup that sell ideas so you can’t find gold, wisdom or honor.”

Her last “must-have” is the glory alias wisdom as we can see: “Have I ever tried to understand others by switching skins with them?

Have I digged for gold in a pragmatic or logical way as the emissaries had indicated? Have I quitted being an anarchist at least once so other can taste it themselves? In order to reach this state of mind one should be able to see the reasons behind black-eyed souls, to discern if they lack honor because of others or themselves. One must emphasize on human history and mathematics rather than believing-at-first-sight whatever frightening or absurd story one may come upon on my sister’s feed, Goddess Internet. One must serve one’s heart on a plate, at least for the innocents - they should be offered honesty cream and an emotional seasoning.”

The Goddess lastly adds she’s met all the kings: the ones that made an adjustment to our history by building schools and being tolerant, but also the ones who killed without mercy. They all had difficulty with her rules, but on Karma’s utopia planet everyone is cured.

She says we are not on that planet, here we still get influenced by our Sanity tests. She says we shouldn’t be dreaming of moving to that planet as far as Karmath is just as uncertain as Earth is.

Casiana Constantin

The best is yet to come

Being young means to get to know things, to explore and to enjoy life to the fullest. But do we actually enjoy youth completely?

From a young age we think that being young and free is the key to getting to aquire as much knowledge and experience as we need, but do we actually gain everything from going out with our friends, doing everything that crosses our minds and spending our parents’ money?

Somehow yes and somehow no.

Living wildly and freely is a thing that leads to experience. Experience is the key to maturity, but doing the same thing over and over again does not get you anywhere and even makes your life boring from the point onwards. It is ok to try things, to understand how they work and what is good or bad for you, and I believe this is what life is all about, it gives us the opportunity to acomplish things.

Children these days are waiting to get older to explore the world and to gain as much as they can. That is until the moment when they actually understand that being old doesn’t mean just coming home late from parties, getting drunk and doing all the things they have in their heads. When they realise how life actually is, they start making a pattern on what is the best for them and what is not and they start doing those things.

With every move, they learn something new and also they encourage other youngsters to try those things, even though they may not be the best things that they can do for their personal development.

But, as a song says, the best is yet to come.

If we think about the statement that I have mentioned, we think about how every day of our life we are confronted with all sorts of actions that we feel strange about or make us feel good, being at the same time aware of the fact that there will always be something good to every action, regardless of how it makes us feel, “because if it’s not good, it’s not the end’’.

And as Yin and Yang symbolise the fact that there is something good in every bad thing and there is somerhing bad in every good thing, we have to live with both good and bad things alike.

Walking on the bridge from the past to the future, we can look back and see what had happened and we review our mistakes and look towards to the future, wondering about what will be and how we will pass those moments, getting to understand that everything we will do is going to lead us somewhere, even if we might be scared at times.

But as Churchill said ‘’Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm’’ and the most important thing is to be happy with who we are and to believe in ourselves.

Ioana Aghirculesei

No. 40