My choices and circumstances, part 1 – London bridge is falling down October 26, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.3 comments
When they asked me in kindergarten what my favorite smell at home was, I dreamily replied: “The fresh, electronic smell of my computer!’’
This response raised a lot of eyebrows, and the context is important to realize why: It was the beginning of the 90s, when Yugoslavia, and with her the last remnants of a normal life, were falling apart. For a lot of families, buying food and other basic necessities was becoming an everyday struggle, so owning this strange new machine was almost unheard of. As my parents were very forward looking and realized they’ll need one for their work, I was fortunate enough not only to have a computer in my home, but to also be allowed to spend hours in front of it, so I, well.. spent hours upon hours in front of it. Video games were the staple food of my computer diet, of course, but I did also spend a large amount of time learning DOS, Windows and other programs, which at age 6 made me quite possibly one of the youngest computer geeks in Serbia – a distinction I’m more confused than embarrassed about, because of the following reason: (more…)
Spotting my internet hypocrisy August 30, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.Tags: blog, company, creative, hipocrisy, organization, present, template, website
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How often I would complain to myself that so many companies and organizations don’t know how to present themselves online – that their sites lack creativity and personality.
Then I noticed that I’m using a template for my blog.
At times I would think that I should change it, but I never seem to get around to doing it. Well, my excuses aren’t any better than whatever it is those companies and organizations thought when they were putting up their websites.
Of course I seem to rarely have time for the small changes – there was a great quote that things that are easy to do are also easy not to do – but I should. My excuses are beyond stupid – they are nonexistant.
So…
The value of idleness August 17, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.add a comment
A bad thing about idleness is that it can bring out the worst in you.
A good thing about idleness is that it can bring out the worst in you.
It’s true that when things are hectic you can see what you’re really made of, where you’re strong and where you’re weak. You can see what’s really important to you and what isn’t.
But if you listen carefully enough, it’s the same with idleness too. (more…)
Wrestling with intents – Why you want to check your email right now August 11, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.Tags: attention, check, email, environment, facebook, influence, intent, interruption
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I was tying my shoelaces, getting ready to go out and buy some food, when I realized I haven’t charged my mp3 player in a while. I looked up, and on the table was my laptop and, sticking out at places beneath the papers, my headphones’ cable, to which my player is attached.
“I’ll plug it in when I get back”, I first thought.
“But wait, why don’t I plug it in now?”
“Nah, I’ll do it later. Besides, I need to find the cable for charging it.”
“Wait, it’s in the bag behind me. If I could just turn around…”
“No, no, don’t turn around. Look, you said you were going shopping right now, so why don’t you just charge it when you get back?”
And that’s when it hit me. There really was no reason not to plug in my mp3 player right now – in fact, plugging it in right now would mean it would charge faster. But the strength of the simple intent of “you said you were going shopping right now” was strong enough to demand that I leave right now. (more…)
A new direction August 8, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.Tags: audience, blog, defining, direction, new, readers, writing
3 comments
Right.
As I’ve not so recently said, lots of stuff happened, er, recently. I’ve tried to write about it, and I’ve actually been working on one post for several weeks now, but it’s just not coming out the way it should. The more I write it, the more I feel that I should write more, like I must cover every possible place where my readers might misunderstand me – like I’m trying to push all of my thoughts into one big unified idea which will also be understood by almost anyone who can read English.
Then I realized that it simply isn’t working. It’s not just this post, it’s my entire perception of my blog. I think I’m not sure whom I’m writing for anymore or how I should write. This blog started with mostly logs of what I’m doing, with the occasional reflective post; then switching into my musings on “doing” and the various people and situations that have inspired me to do and be better.
Those posts would come out, if not always naturally, then at least with a certain “this post just feels right” vibe in my mind. I would oftentimes write a draft that I didn’t like, but that first draft would then be a sort of anchor from which I could move into the direction I want. I accepted this as a natural part of my writing process. But now, I see that anchors are not enough – I must define a new direction.
I was trying to define it without thinking too precisely about who will read my blog, but I think that can’t be taken out of the equation. The “doing” posts were written in a certain tone that not only felt right but also seemed like it was written for an audience – because they were. I always wanted feedback from my readers, and I got a fair amount of it, some really insightful, but at the same time I always strived not to think too much about the fact that I’m writing for an audience, in the sense of wondering whether or not they would like what I have to say. I had things I wanted to say. They were written for me, but also for other people. Now that it has become too difficult to say things, it’s time for a change.
I think I won’t even clearly define my new direction here. It’s too early, and I don’t want the one thought that was written down to push away the others that weren’t. I have some ideas, but we’ll see how it goes.
Right.
From coals to diamonds – the evolution of ideas May 26, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.Tags: change, die, education, evolution, ideas, inspiration, language, workshop
7 comments
One of the most valuable lessons from my experimental language workshop was seeing how ideas can change, evolve and die when in contact with reality. What I imagined the workshop would look like and what it turned out to be are two things that not only look different, but are also based on very different principles.
I’m posting an email I’ve recently sent to a friend of mine which sprang out of one of our discussions about language learning, trying out new ideas etc. In it you will see the key stages of the evolution of my workshop and some of my personal reflections on the whole topic. Name and other personal details have been removed.
The calm after the storm May 25, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.Tags: activism, education, happiness, ideas, life, meaning, motivation, purpose, responsibility
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I really have a hard time not only comprehending how quickly the last few months have past, but how different that person looking ahead from a few months ago is. I am now for the first time in the paradoxal situation of looking forward to studying for my exams, because of how simple that is – you don’t make arrangements or intricate schedules or negotiate with the books, you just goddamn sit down and study from them. Too many things have happened recently, most of them demanding that I put them down of paper, but it simply didn’t feel right to do it yet. But now it feels right.
From primary school to outer space, part 1 March 26, 2009
Posted by Relja Dereta in Uncategorized.3 comments
“I am one of the beneficiaries of Osvit. First of all I want to say that I have problems with crowds, but I’m taking medicine for that. We’ve been awaiting your arrival for 3 hours now, and all this time I managed to sit here among all these people! Osvit has helped me a lot, but one of the best things for me here is the time I spend socializing with all these nice people.”
For a moment, I’m confused. This is supposed to be about the victims of domestic abuse, Osvit’s target group, not about socializing. And there is something in her voice that nags at me, demanding that I turn on my brain, but I shrug it off. You can’t analyze and interpret at the same time. Then she goes on:
