Mercator Blog

Olympix is blue!

2010-09-10T22:10:00.005+02:00

Now, the Olympix will come soon, and there will be some people who will try to tell you that Mercator plays for fun, and that we never win. We definitely have fun playing. And truth is: last year we had two hard-earned second places, and this is, to my knowledge, the best we've ever had. And I understand those people's way of thinking that if you don't have any expectations, it doesn't hurt when you lose. I appreciate the advice.

But.

I've found out that getting really into the spirit, training, going out for a fight on the sportsfield, and playing a good game - even a losing one - is more fun than playing for fun. And it's not like you can't win - with a bit of luck, anyone can. So just get motivated, focus on what you are really good at (i.e. every block should just really focus on one or two sports, and the players should keep their strength for those instead of playing everything all day long), train twice or so before the Olympix to get to know each other (but don't train right the day before, so that you have muscleache when you most need your muscles), and, well, win a first place, for cryin out loud! :) Make me proud, you ol' buggers!

That said, you must of course win the "Best-supported college" award.

Otherwise, you all know how to go on being awesome in all aspects (and by "all aspects" I mean partying).

P.S. To MB2 people: THE LEGACY LIVES!

Motivation by Momchil Minkov (Mercatorian, Class of 2010)

Congratulations

2010-06-02T10:58:00.000+02:00

Heartiest congratulations to the graduating Mercator Class of 2010. Enjoy the last few days of your Mercator life.

P.S. This blog is dead, this is my last post here. Creating this page was a lot of work but sometimes it is better to let go.

Chat from Chat

2010-02-23T22:09:00.003+01:00

It's my first ever blog and my last semester at Jacobs. So, I am finally going to write something here leaving my shyness behind :p Like most of us, Mercator College has also become a second home for me over the past years. It's going to be so difficult leaving this place...but i don't want to think about that. I want to make the most of the remaining time here and at the same time finish my undergraduate studies successfully. I spent my last summer interning in the southern hemisphere, so winter has been pretty long for me...like the one in Narnia ;) Can't wait for the spring to come.

Looking forward to the upcoming CIDs, Spirit days and the best Cheer Ups on campus!!

Cheers
CJ

Is this needed?

2009-11-21T01:20:00.000+01:00

Just wondering ... it seems that blogging is not popular amongst the current residents of Mercator College. So why not discontinue this blog?

It's almost been a month!

2009-09-21T23:11:00.000+02:00

It's almost been a month since I last saw Mercator. On a clammy morning I left, it was less than a month ago, though it feels ages have gone by.

Few things though haven't changed. This blog is as dead as it was back then, as dead as it has been since its inception. Why, I ask you all? Isn't there any in Mercator who would be willing to share his/her thoughts with us all, and with those outside the bubble? Maybe not. All human wisdom though is summed up in two words - wait and hope and I shall try to do the same. Wait in the hope that a worthy blogger shall feel inclined to say something on this blog.

As for me, Zurich ain't bad. Taking a seilbahn (cable car) to get home each day is exciting enough in itself. And as for ETH - damn it is big. Though why there are so few girls here, I don't know! :P The University of Zurich seems to attract all the girls somehow. I will have to solve this mystery soon, for my own good. :D

And Zurich, it is indeed a nice city. Nay it is beautiful, all hilly as I like it. It could be a little cheaper though. Oh, and a lot of people seem to speak English here. Just today I was in the mall wondering out aloud where to find garlic bread when a girl behind me told where exactly to find them. Not bad! And as for the Swiss German, I will have to wait for a reincarnation to understand them. :) Seriously speaking, it would be nice to understand what they are saying.

And in another news, someone I know recently spend a couple of months in the jungles of Namibia. How he managed to survive the ferocious lions and the venemous snakes, I do not know. He tells me he is safe and sound, but I will wait for my assessment till I meet him.

As for Mercator, I sure miss the college office. I probably spent more time there than in my room over the two last years - and definitely more that I spent in my lectures. :P Here's hoping that it remains as refreshing a place as it has always has been.

A job well done? It seems so. :)

2009-08-30T22:02:00.004+02:00

Tired of the Mercator website not matching up to the "lofty" standards set by our red and green cousins (the yellow ones have also done fairly well) I decided to revamp the Mercator Website. Actually, redo it from scratch. So for those of you who are somehow not aware of this, here is the website:
http://www.mercator-college.org

And here are some testimonials which make me feel rather happy :)

It looks MUCH better now with the more opaque menus! Great!
-Ivan M, former webmaster and the man responsible for the great content

congratulations to the new website, it looks great!
-Mandy, former college master and honorary member, Mercator

sweet! Great job!
- Warren, webmaster Jacobs University

Amazing work ... but loads too slow ... love the gallery and colours ...
- Ivan St., another in a long line of amazing webmasters at Mercator

Dude!

2009-08-27T13:48:00.002+02:00

Rahul!!! I've just checked the new website! Amazing work! I just love the new gallery and the little weather box. The colours as well... My only critique is that it's somewhat slower to render, but I guess this should go to the flash developers and not to you...

Simply marvellous! Now all you need is someone to fill it with (new) content and maintain it *consistently* (I know you guys in the office love the word ;-)).

Anyway! A lot of greetings from hot summer Munich and the even hotter, summerier office in which I have to spend around 4 more melting hours... I have to plan another visit to Bremen some time soon, I miss you all :)

Servus!

Ivan

The Cherry Street

2009-06-13T01:29:00.002+02:00

Hi again,

this time from the Cherry Street - or, as the name of the street where my new flat is goes in original, Kirschstrasse. What a romantic name, don't you think. And as irony goes, you would probably find it amusing that on a street with such a name, which brings (associations with early movies/memories of childhood days long gone/sweet aroma of an onstarting summer), there is exactly one cherry tree. And at least ten warehouses of different sorts, which inevitably means sometimes quite persistent roar of heavy trucks. Man, do I like irony. But more on this - later.

I have actually taken the time to check when my last post on this blog was - not counting Rahul's copy of my "suggestion box" note, it was good 4 months back... How fast time flies never stops to amaze me. But looking back, recounting memories, experiences, and events, it didn't actually pass so unremarkably. I deduced my student loan with almost 1000 Euros. I have a new place to live. I have written, tested and released probably hundreds if not thousands lines of Java code. It is quite possible that I met and just passed by at least 10 women who could have been The Love Of My Life (tm). The world discovered its new fashionable hysteria - the swine flu. My beloved Manchester United lost a Champions League final. Real Madrid killed all that was left pure and clean in football. Scientists discovered a way to create almost perfect, almost eternal artificial human hamstrings. Hell, a whole new batch of Jacobs University graduates spilled into the big world of opportunities, which lurks After. You should have seen me, grinning wide, happy and proud and satisfied, while watching, at my workplace, on the stream broadcast, all those people, whom I knew, many of whom still close friends, passing by President Treusch, receiving their diplomas... Completely inexplicable why I did it, but I guess I was right that it is really not that easy, if not impossible, to tear this place (Jacobs U.) out of your system. Oh, and by the way, Niky (Hi, Niky!), I'm quite impressed how perfectly you pronounced the names of the Mercator graduates! Simply great!

So before I get really boring, I'm quickly reaching my point. Which is, basically, to give out some signals of my ongoing existence and to check on yours. Hi guys! I miss you! You know what, lately I've been thinking that even though the Mercator College Office is probably not the best job in the world in terms of pay or working hours (late night office cleaning, anyone? :D), or of some of the duties present (I still remember spending a weekend trying to introduce some "order" in the chaos that were the B and C basements, only for Sammy to actually get lost in my new "order" :)), it could well turn out to be the best job I'll ever have in terms of actual satisfaction and fulfillment... Just the feeling that you're doing something which is rudimentary nice, which is appreciated and actually, really makes people feel good - not, as it is with most jobs out in the world, simply hacking the day away, making money, taking part in a social system which is built around money and greed... I loved it.

Ah, anyway - I would not be getting that anti-uthopical just yet :) Have fun, you guys, you all who are reading this blog, and I'll try to write again soon! From the pivot of what I am trying to mould in a new home for myself - the Cherry Street...

The Golden Rule

2009-05-10T21:22:00.002+02:00

Photograph by: Rajendra Thakurathi

The free chicken wings emails hit my mail box last Tuesday. I was instinctively drawn to Mercator Common room for them. I was happy to see only a small bunch of crowd waiting for the program to begin. It would mean more chicken wings for me.

A small video on the golden rule was shown to initiate the event. The speakers then went on to present Buddhist, Christian, literary and the Psychological perspective on the golden rule of living. Buddhist perceived the world as extension of oneself. They believed the golden rule of life was treating others as we treat ourselves. The Christian perspective had other mystical interpretation of the golden rule. This perspective believed in treating other people with love and care even if they are harsh and cruel to us. The literary perspective argued for the romantic version of the golden rule. The literature professor argued on the nineteenth century romantic portrayal of love. So for him the romantic love was the golden rule for life. The psychological perspective focused on the need of an individual to survive. And in order to survive best, the psychological perspective argued, the individuals have to maintain harmony and love between themselves. This process of coexisting was the golden rule of living for this perspective.

The discussion took me by complete surprise. I had nothing but chicken wings and Cola in my mind before I entered for the room. But the intellectual depth of the discussion slowly caught my attention. I slowly began to understand the intriguing perspectives of the golden rules.

Humans are simple by nature. They want to be loved and cared for. They want to live peacefully and want to ensure their future generations also have the same privileges. The social norms and sanctions evolve in such a process. The society is then governed by the fundamental understanding or golden rules. Each and every society has a unique understanding of this golden rule. But it’s very much striking, how similar they are and what they actually aim for. Each and every perspectives aim for love and compassion between the human beings. The minimal understanding required for another human being is also reflected in each and every of them. This understanding of the golden rule I obtained from the program was really worthwhile.

The chicken wings after the program did taste good. The Cola was also superb.

Just as I was taking the last bite of the wings a thought crossed my mind, “What would these chickens in our plate say about our love, compassion and the golden rule?” Another thought crossed my mind, “We are nothing but double standard hypocrites pretending to care.” A sad smile flashed across my face.

Tilak KC

It is almost time ...

2009-05-01T20:08:00.003+02:00

To say goodbye ...

One month left here and then we would all be off - to different corners of the world. Well, at least, all the final year students. The others stay. University's still here, not going anywhere, so where would they disappear?
If someone asks me how the three years have been, I wouldn't be able to say much. It is quite difficult to explain. In many aspects, it has been quite a unique experience. The charm of seeing so many different people around you might wear off after the first year, but the freshness does not. And trust me, it is only when you are away from this place (Internships, holidays, etc.) do you realize that you like it and miss it. More than the academics (way more), I will carry with me the memories of the wonderful people that I have met here.
Not to make the post soppy, I would try to list some unexpected experiences that I have had, or some nice "sound bytes/bloopers".

"You are going to use a water scale to make sure that small picture is straight on the wall" - me to Alex (facility student). Reaction -> raucous laughter.
I never thought that I would be cooking, I was quite confident in Aramark. Forget cooking, I now even experiment with the stuff that Aramark come up with. Frying salad and cooking rice with it - one of my successful experiments.
The reaction that I always get when people see me eating watermelon with salt - I think it tastes wonderfully well.

OK, time to get back to my guided research. One of the main reasons of writing this post was our esteemed webmaster and friend, Ango. He was experiencing some bugs in the Mercator Website while fetching the latest feed contents from the blog and he wanted me to write something so that he could test. If he figures it out, well and good for all us. Otherwise, be prepared to endure some more posts from me.

Cheers
Rahul

I love you

2009-04-21T12:14:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I went to the market. It was a busy place. People were busily buying the necessities. The vehicles were randomly moving. The passersby were hurrying towards their destination.

Then amidst all crowd, I saw a face froze time.

She had the eyes of deep blue sea. She had the color of the fair snow. Her smile was freezing everyone on their way. I could not stop myself from praising her.

“Oh, the fair one, oh angel, your incomparable beauty has in captivated me. My heart has fallen for you, oh, maiden I love you.” I said

She turned back. I saw a smile flash across her face. She soon left the market place.

I moved on.

After few more steps I saw another of the god’s masterpiece.

She was angelic. She had the heavenly beauty. She had the juvenile walk. She had the childish grace. Every passer by was turning back to glance at her. Yet, she was oddly oblivious of it. Dimples flashed across cheeks with those smile. She was a diamond oblivious of her own shine.

I couldn’t stop myself.

“Oh, the master creation of the god, thy creator must be very proud of you. I have never seen such an innocent beauty. You are the living angel. Oh, my love, I can’t tell you how much my heart longs for you.” I said.

She came to a sudden halt. I saw her rosy cheeks turn red. She turned and curiously gazed at me. She then too departed.

I moved on.

It was my lucky day. I saw another of the mesmerizing beauty ahead of me. She was the perfect imagination of an artist, perfect poem of a poet. Her dark oval face had searching brown eyes. She had perfect symmetrical nose. Her rosy lips were dry and oddly tempting. The two lines of white teeth flashed as she smiled about. She was searching for something in the shop.

I couldn’t stop myself.

“Oh god, thy heaven must be joyless for your angel is here in the earth. Oh, dear maiden, your grace is infinite. I can not tell you how much I wish to love you.”

She stared me with those brown eyes. There was neither compassion nor hatred in them. They were oddly calm. Soon, she too departed.

Today, I came back to the market.

There came the first angel.

“Oh dear poet, your courage has caught my heart. Your praising has given me a sleepless night. So, my dear poet, I am in love with you.”

She departed. Soon the second angel arrived.

“Oh dear boy, you have stolen something from me. I have never felt this before. I feel my heart longing for something, something beautiful. My heart longs for you my dear, you have stolen that from me, for that I am madly in love with you.

She departed. And the third angel arrived.

“Oh dear, your words have caught me, yet life isn’t just about words. The words shall be lost in happiness and sorrows of life. They shall be forgotten and buried. Love isn’t just about words. So, my dear, forgive me but I can not love you.”

Soon she too departed.

For some reason I was deeply in love with the third angel.

-Tilak KC

Cheers "Ivan a.k.a. blzmn"! :)

2009-04-16T19:38:00.004+02:00

Sometimes you see your thoughts expressed in some one else's words ...

03.01.2009
Bremen 28759

Hi everybody,

I'm really sorry we could not meet during my short stay on campus. I hope the office team (CMs, RAs, etc. included :-)) is doing well and wish you all very happy, academically light, party-time heavy, immensely enjoyable semester ahead. I have not forgotten you and I hope I will see you some time in the foreseeable future (for the Graduation for example ...).
I like to treat myself with the though that the world would end without me to support it, but actually I am glad Mercator is still in place and running even without my service :-). No, but, seriously, congratulations on your work here (now from the perspective of an outsider) and keep up the blue spirit ...
Have a blast!

Yours
Ivan St.

I do not what made me go and check the suggestion box. I was certainly not looking for suggestions, we never seem to get any ways. The only previous message in the "inbox" was from our very Aiste - another former member of the college office team. However, I sure wasn't experiencing another pleasant surprise but thanks for it Ivan! We might off some four months but we still managed to get your wonderful message.

And I find it ironic how your thoughts mirror mine exactly. It was only yesterday when I was wondering what it would be like to leave this place. And when you do not know what the future holds for you, these frequency of these thoughts increases multi-fold. I was about to write something, but could not find the words to express myself. Your message does the job wonderfully. I now know what I will feel like when the time for me to go comes as well. It is not that far away, but your message makes me realize that I should concentrate on cherishing what remains rather than dwell on what is yet unknown.

Thanks Ivan, thanks a lot!

Did you notice?

2009-04-10T09:42:00.005+02:00

The wonderful weather, the fresh air, the radiant sky and the colours all around ... did you notice them?
Ladies and gents, spring is here!

Justice

2009-04-09T12:27:00.006+02:00

Yesterday, I was out on the balcony. I was looking down the road. There was a little boot polisher with his small crate of brushes and polishes on one side of it. On the other side, there was a sage in yellow clothes seated in the tiger skin.

A customer and a worshiper came to the polisher and the sage respectively.

The polisher began his job. He placed his customer’s foot on the high hedge and started shining his shoes. He brushed off the shoe with the hard brush to remove the dust. After it was done, he took a soft brush and relentlessly brushed it across the shoe. He then applied some polish and then again went on with brushing. After five minute, one shoe was done. He then politely asked for the other shoe.

The shoes were all done. The customer took a five rupees note and handed it over to the polisher. He happily took it and put it in one of his inside pockets. He sincerely smiled at his customer and thanked him for his generosity.

The sage was also busy. He was moving his hands around and uttering incantations and mantras. He was trying to chase away the dark spirits.

The worshiper took a fifty rupees note and placed it in front of the sage. The sage threw a dirty look at money.

He reluctantly took the note and put it in his inside pocket. He then chained his pocket and double-checked it to make sure it was safely done.

The worshipper stood up and headed away. The sage did not bother to look up and give him final blessings.

Another customer and a female prayer came to the polisher and the sage respectively. The boy sincerely started his job. The priest was eyeing his client maliciously. He was trying to peek over the loose blouse of the female prayer.

After the job was done the boy got another five rupees note and the priest got a new crackling five hundred rupees note.

-Tilak KC

The sketch for the story is by Shreekrishna Sharma. You could find his works in http://www.ckizna.bravehost.com

Deadwood & Spring Break ...

2009-04-02T11:05:00.004+02:00

Hopefully a break from work, a break from boredom and a break from all things academic. Break from university? I don't think so! Half the university is heading to Mallorca and the other half to Barcelona (the BRIMUN gang remains at the uni), so the chances that we all still manage to run into "people of 80 different nationalities as we walk around" (so wanted to use the brilliant catch phrase of our university) remain quite high. If I were into statistics, I might have given you a more accurate answer but being a computer scientist I shall remain with the tried and tested methods of probability.
Wondering why I titled it as deadwood? Look at the blog, last post was over a month ago! Highly disappointing for a college with 190 sets of grey cells floating around. Hard to imagine that not even 10 of them would be interested in sharing their experiences with everyone. Or have we turned so mundane, so monotonous that there is nothing to talk about? Hard to believe that considering the number of interesting events we have had over the past month. There was St. Patrick's with the dance and the Guinness, there was the Mercator Art Competition which featured nearly 30 diverse submissions and there was the Theatre Play thrown in between as well. And of course, not to forget the cheery cheer ups which, if the turnouts and the testimonials from members of the other colleges are anything to go by, are simply the best in the whole university! (need to brag a little, don't I :) ).
So guys, pick up your pens (or should I say fingers?) and start blogging. It's not that hard, it's not that tedious. We know you are out there itching to write and if you don't come here, we will come and get you!
Hope you all enjoy the spring break (which was apparently cancelled in an acrimonious decision on the historic day of 1st April :P).

Cheers
Rahul "I want you to blog" Jain :)

Eva in the Office

2009-02-27T21:41:00.001+01:00

Original Author: Eva Ben

Bonjour tout le monde, comment ca va? we have two Moroccans, two and a half indians, and me. the topic of discussion is about spring break, time zones and resolutions. Smells like burned dough in the kitchen. bien venue to the mercator college office, friday evening.

Eva :)

5382

2009-02-22T01:45:00.003+01:00

5382. That was my phone number for two of the best years in my life - so far.

My phone number in Mercator.

Funny how many things can change in no more than a half year - may be 8 months. College life, graduation - these things seem more than a thousand years away. I am living a new life, new goals, new story, new dreams in Munich. The Munich Diaries - The Story Continued. Believe it or not, this was the first phrase which came to my mind when Rahul sent me the link to this blog (Many thanks!!!), with all the old posts carefully copied on this new home of Mercator College's student mind...

There are some things to which one always come back. This is, in my eyes, from my mouth, pretty exhausted, worn out phrase - I kept telling it to some of my dearest friends when I decided to leave my home Bulgaria for the second time last year, after spending the summer and most of the autumn drifting in the unidentified state between Graduation and Real Life (tm). Gosh, how hard was it this time around. But I wouldn't like to go into details - whenever the nostalgia falls hard on me, I remember what one girl, among those aforementioned dearest friends, once told me: Don't worry, we'll meet again. We are seeking souls, and seeking souls always meet one another...

Anyway, I just wanted to share with all of you folks that I have not forgotten you, or Mercator, or you in Mercator, and I doubt I will soon do... if ever. The MCO Experience was a defining one for my path through life so far, and although I am perfectly aware that time goes in only one direction, I also like to think that Mercator is somehow a part of my present. Count this as the #0 post - I'll do my best to keep on contributing stuff from over here, in friendly, beer & FC Bayern Muenchen obsessed, beautiful Bavaria...

Wiederschauen!

Ivan St.

Dreams

2009-02-19T03:21:00.005+01:00

Tilak KC

Education has been the only escape for me.

I was raised in one of the most primitive village. I had to walk two hours to and from school daily for my primary education. We had no shoe or slipper to assist us. I still remember those cold winter morning when my feet would burn with cold on my way to school. The sensation of feet would go numb after a while. By the time I reached school I had to run to the fireplace to warm them up.

I wore a grey short and a blue shirt to the school. I had a small brown sweater on top of the shirt. Everything was fine in summer. The torn parts of shirt and sweater on my elbow would act like the ventilators. The space below from the shorts would allow the air to pass up cooling the under stuffs. But things got quiet difficult in winters. The cool air of summer would get really cold in the winters. And the under stuffs and elbows would virtually freeze on the way to school. My parents did their best to patch up the torn parts but those patches were never as good as the new ones.

The classrooms were big empty rooms. There were home made rugs and carpets on the floor. There was a single chair and a blackboard for the teacher. The school didn’t have sufficient class rooms. Whole of the class had to sit in a single room. We were two hundred in our class and we had to cramp in a single room. The books were freely distributed by the government. The copies were expensive. We mostly used a slate. Slates were reusable. We could write on both sides of it and then erase it after showing it to the teacher. We used to run to the river to collect the chalks. We used to collect the special white rocks that could be effectively used as chalk.

I loved going to the school. The walks were difficult the mornings were chilly but the idea of going to the school was beautiful. There were only few children that went to school from our village. And it really felt great walking out in the morning with a slanted bag and a water bottle on my hand. The new things learned at the schools were very much appreciated by my parents. My father would repeatedly ask me about it. And I felt a sense of pride in retelling him with every inch of detail. He would then look at me with ardent admiration on his eyes. He would then carry me on his shoulders and we would head for a walk. This always drove me to get the best in the school. The schools were fun too. I loved learning new things. I heard about the buses and planes for the first time in school. That day I pestered my father to tell me each and every detail of the bus. By the end of it, I had a beautiful picture of house like structure with four wheels and many windows walking through the hills. I read about the capital city Kathmandu for the first time in the grade two. That night I dreamt of going to the capital with my father. These fascinations and desires always drove me to the school.

This article is the excerpt from my upcoming book..Fairytale..

Design Update

2009-02-19T01:54:00.002+01:00

A big thanks to Etherhill for the top image (pun intended). Also, a big thanks to the developers of GIMP, I absolutely love Fuzzy Select.

Cheers
Rahul

Updates, Backports, et al.

2009-02-19T00:36:00.002+01:00

So after some really tedious work (I had to import all the blog posts manually as Blogger does not currently support import files generated by Movable Type Open Source 4.1) I have finally managed to backport all the posts on the old mercator blogs. Enjoy the archives.

Cheers
Rahul

European Nights in College Office / Common Room

2009-02-18T23:32:00.006+01:00

Now, now! Don't get your hopes up, I am just talking about football here. We would be screening Champions League / UEFA Cup matches in the college office /common room. Today, we had the first screening as our very own Werder Bremen hosted Italian giants AC Milan. The game ended 1-1, with both sides hitting the crossbar once each. Diego (for Bremen) and Inzaghi (for Milan) were the scorers. For highlights head over to greatgoals.
Next Wednesday (24th February) we would meet in the common room to see the gladiators (Roma) take on the gunners (Arsenal) at Emirates. And as a die-hard Roma fan, I have to say this, FORZA Roma everybody. For an exciting trailer of the match, see this youtube video .
Hoping for one hell of a match!

Hello!

2009-02-18T23:27:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone,

I am Rahul Jain, a third year Computer Science undergraduate at Jacobs University and a resident of Mercator College since my first year. I would be assisting Ango with the blog and sharing my experiences of life in and after Mercator College. Get the comments rolling.

Welcome

2009-02-18T17:01:00.006+01:00

Hi from the Weblady of Mercator aka Mihaela :) I am looking forward to a productive collaboration in keeping this blog alive!
// Updated on 23.02.2010

N.O.

2008-07-07T00:34:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

And so that's it. An (unofficial) NO from the admin and I am out of this place for real. I honestly didn't believe it is going to happen that quickly; after all a big part of me is still left in this soggy, cloudy, quite oftenly depressing campus, how could I ever detach from it?

I don't know. I guess I'll have to find some other way, but it just comes to show things simply happen, whether we like it, whether we have planned for them, or not.

It is not the end of the world, I know. Life is in front of me with all those exciting things to come. If only it wasn't for the little voice inside my hand telling me this is a door I would never be able to completely shut...

july

2008-07-02T00:33:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

It is the middle of the year again, or, to be more precies, half of the year has passed beneath my feet - fast, unforgiving - never coming back.

It was July Morning yesterday. The day, which a single hippie anthem turned into a celebration of the new beginning, accompanied by a night of quite unrestrained drinking. The roots of this meet-the-new-dawn romantics probably go way, way back to the cult of the Sun, common in most early civilizations... The new dawn, a new day, smell of a fresh air and cold night clouds backing, giving in. Eternal strive for the new hope; as if the simple fact that you have gotten out of bed early/didn't go to bed until *very* late would change anything. But I love it, love it, love it. My private New Year's Eve - the July Morning.

I missed it again this year. But one thing I've learnt - the date itself is not important. Whether it is July 1st, September 16th or March 4th doesn't matter. What matters is to remember that there *always* will be a sunrise; a new dawn; a morning of pure resurrection. Even if you are a lazy asshole like myself and could hardly be bothered to sacrifice a good night's sleep unless very special circumstances occur. What is important: the sunrise in you. This is another, much less known song by Uriah Heep, by the way.

random

2008-06-11T00:32:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

As I was sliding in and out of consciousness this morning, never minding the effort to wake up or fall completely asleep, I was quite probably the happies person on Earth.

We are taught to believe that people who do not spend their life working are lazy bastards, committed slackers and so on. I, myself, have always despised people who are too lazy to do anything with their lives. But while experiencing the warm waves of the knowledge that today I am free, and there is nothing expected from me in this day, but to have a nice, relaxing time, I am not so sure anymore. Yes, sure, I've spent the last three years without laying back for more than a week or so, and perhaps I deserve to get this hippie-like month or two before going on... But is the pointless lazying really without a point? Hell, there are complete cultures, philosophies, founded on the notion of having your time observing the world...

Anyway, holiday rocks. I wish I was not alone here in this forgotten town, so I could share it with someone.

Counting

2008-05-24T00:32:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

So that was it. As fast as expected, the last week or so of my student's life flew away. A quick burst of 4 exams, and it is over. Over. Completely - nothing more to do here, everything is finished. At least with Bachelor's education...

It is so easy to count the days - exactly 14 to Check-out day. But there are some other things that are so hard to count - not that it is complex, it is just ... hard. For instance, when you count, you know that there is no time to drink another crate of beer. Or there is no point in buying one more box of pizzas. No more than two chocolates. No use in printing a new book to read. Two or three more laundries. Time - I don't care about it. But all those little signs of life that are flowing through my fingers faster than I can count - this is really getting to me. I can't believe I'm saying it after 3 years of constant, at moments almost unbearable pressure, but it seems that now, when it is all over, is the real time to be strong.

graduation?

2008-05-16T00:31:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

So, it's all over, then? The guided research is - kind of - done, not complete, but done, paper submitted, presentation given, although it passed quite bad... but whatever, it. is. OVER. And with all the courses already passed, as it seems, I am starting to embrace the idea that my days in this university are counted. Hopefully, at least the undergraduate days. I really want it all to be over once and for all - I do not have the nerve to wait for all the grades and stuff, I am so tired of the whole grade business that I just want my diploma in my hands and the long summer rest I have promised myself some 2 years ago.

Today something else occured to me - even if it happens so that I am admitted here and I do not see the last of this university on 6th of June, I will no longer be living on campus. Strange thought. This campus, this college started feeling like home, kind of...

countdown

2008-05-08T00:30:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

46 hours and counting... down. This is the time remaining to finish my guided research, finish the paper, check it, double check it, drink a glass of cold water to flush away all the bad taste of incompleteness and imperfection and submit the damn thing. One day, when it is long since gone, I am sure I'll be missing dearly these hours of high-strung, nerve-twisting tension... straining your will, or your stubborness, to the very edge, which you never exactly dare to cross.

We are always so afraid of the edges, even when we are constantly moving on them. What lies beyond is scary. Freefall? FREE fall? I wouldn't call it this way - to fall and to be free are contradictory terms in my eyes.

Anyway, one day I'll be missing it all, but right now, in this very moment, I would love 2 hours for myself, sunset at the top of the world, a hammock, and the inevitable cold beer. Or the soft touch of the freshly mown grass under your bare feet on campus green, as hippie as the experience may sound. But bring it on, whatever may come. 46 hours and counting down.

some tech stuff

2008-04-30T00:29:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Wow, I haven't written here for a really long time. The sixth semester kind of got me and with all this guided research and such "I am going slightly mad". Not that slightly, if I have to be sincere, though...

Anyway, I just wanted to note that a new list for communication with the Mercator College team - information _AT_ mercator-college.org . Feel free to use it for requests, suggestions, or just to tell us how great we are :P

Now let's read some scientific bullshit - wrapping it up.

elegantly wasted

2008-04-13T00:28:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Look at all that shines
Baby's down on the world as she knows it...

I've been listening a lot to this song recently and although I still don't quite get the meaning of the lyrics, I caught myself thinking a lot about this particular name - "Elegantly Wasted".

Apart from all the shite that's been happening recently, pressure, frustration and disappointment, there's been a lot going on which made me go into this slightly nostalgic, slightly oblivious state of mind. And the beautiful, in all the best senses of the word, spring. I just can't get tired of it - I wait for it, I live it up every single year, and still the sheer power of life bringing everything out of winter's excuse for existence amazes me over and over again.
And the hope for something better...

Wasted days of pure enjoyment.

We run
We hide
We wait and we want
The good life
Aw sure
You're right
This ain't, the good life
Ah, elegantly wasted

a late vacation

2008-04-05T00:28:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Due to a somewhat unlikely sequence of events (and lack of others, at that) this week happened to be my real spring break. With basically nothing to do - no studying, no homeworks, no work, no anything, it was literally my time in my own hands. Which, accidentally, is my definition of a holiday.

But which is the most extraordinary in this situation, I used the time not to drink my brains away or something, but to delve deep into one of my old and quite forgotten passions - namely, history. Geeky as it may sound, I've read half the reader of the Contemporary European History course out of pure interest... Now start laughing :D

No, really, it was enjoyable. And it's over, which is the best part - you can't get to appreciate these lucky breaks in the middle of the semester, if there's no sh*te to follow. Now let it spin, I'm alright and charged for the remaining 2 last months of my undergraduate education.

everything

2008-03-29T00:27:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

So, basically, a lot of things happened.

Midterms are almost over. After one hell of an exam as a fruit of a pure genuine decision to have it on Saturday, and my feeling quite... oh, well, I'd not use the correct words on this blog, so let's just say I felt tired after it... I have only one left and it is so far away in the future that I can not even perceive it is real. Strange thing, though, because I am sure it will come tomorrow - something's going on, it's just like my first year, the time is passing and I can't even understand how fast it's going. Stop it!!!

Anyway. To complete this totally unordered, unlogical train of thoughts, I'll add that my new machine from DELL arrived just on time and is awesome. It's pathetic, I know, but things like this make me feel complete in a sick, twisted way.

Only three years of CS and I'm starting to lose it... Hahaha, aaaaaaanywaaaay...

Off to wherever now! Will write again in some better moment.

In Rainbows

2008-03-21T00:26:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Man, where have I been looking in the last half an year?! Radiohead have a new album out... Ahh, I feel so lucky to have its first listening ahead of me...

It's funny how such small things can keep you up.

complete

2008-03-20T00:25:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Complete... you say that I am, too.

Or something like this goes the paraphrase of a favourite VAST song.. What I mean is - my application for graduate admission at Jacobs is finally complete. At least campusnet says so. But hey, is this small piece of information storage really holding my complete self? Do they expect me to fit in a few megabytes? Or do they actually know I really am? I guess not, I guess not... but for now at least it is a relief; to have this off my head and stuff.

You do what you've got to do, and then watch in awe as the universal puzzle slowly accommodates the changes.

green

2008-03-18T00:24:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

...was St. Patrick. As most of us, although the most greenish thing one can find in my wardrobe was some very undefined nuance of brown.

Anyway, the event went well and, if one paid attention, one could have spotted me jumping around in Irish dance. If you have witnessed this sight, you have very good reasons to go up there in Scotland and try to take a picture of Nessie - it's that rare ;-)

And now - off to Hannover - life's a journey, not a destination.

beginnings and ends

2008-03-15T00:23:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Level 1: Why?
Level 2: What?
Level 3: When?
Level 4: What? Right NOW?!
Level 5: Shit I am in an inspiration drought...

Why can't those motivational essays write themselves... while we're occupied with better things, like enjoying spring breaks and stuff?... If there's one thing I hate about writing, that is those standard, template-oriented, brag-obligatory pieces of information you're supposed to impress somebody with. Hell, I wonder what it is like having to read these things for a living. Anyway, Calliope on my side, here I go... Off to madness.

Break! Spring Break!

2008-03-14T00:23:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Finally!

The blissful feeling that you have already:

1) bought a crate of beer
2) cleaned & vacuumed your room
3) put your desktop in order (it'd been waiting for it for two months)

...and the evening is still young. Never mind all the homeworks, guided researches/ba thesises (is this the plural form of the thing?!) and midterms asking for your attention during the so-called vacation. There's time tomorrow!

Welcome to freedom! Ah, the great outdoors...

enjoying the weather

2008-03-12T00:22:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet, shalala...

Nah, not really - Bremer weather showing its true face again, or its true "multifaciality" perhaps, changing at least 7 times since the morning. Currently its cold, damp, windy and as if willing to rain the guts of the clouds right on top of our heads. And I'm stuck in the office in the dead hour just before the afternoon classes start, hitting my head in the keyboard over two of the ugliest homeworks (if we don't count Graphics & Visualisiation, they're different category altogether) I've seen during my time in this university.

But spring break is coming, as a matter of fact only two days of misery away. Sleep FTW!

up and running again

2008-03-11T00:20:00.002+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

Ah, finally the thing is working again. I had a massive hard drive crash about 2 weeks ago and I've lost everything on the disk; so yesterday I had to re-install the program responsible for the menus around the site... And they disappeared completely. ;)

I hope not many people noticed. Meanwhile, the Russian websites saved me again. I hope everything is OK now.

welcome to my world

2008-03-11T00:19:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Ivan Stefanov)

It's been a while and I've been having quite some trouble restraining my graphomania, but it has finally prevailed and I've joined the blogging world.

It's ridiculous, I know.

Anyway, the name of the blog is a tribute to the address of the very first forums of Gamers' Workshop - already dead, but never forgotten PC games magazine. You will be missed, guys.

Do not expect me to write very often here, and anyway I'm not sure yet if I am going to publish the link to this place anyway :D

Last Days of the Year

2005-06-01T15:42:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Jenny)

I love this time, even though it is stressful and at times frustrating, because my undergraduate friends are done and partying, while we, the grads, are still struggling with our papers (master thesis for this case, but lets not get there… don’t ask me… just don’t).
What’s so special about this time, except from the amount of parties, festivals and small spontaneous get-togethers? Well, the day is drawing nearer and nearer, the day then we will leave the campus: some - for summer, some – for good. I don’t know how about you, guys, but for me, as the time of farewell draws nearer, my senses kind of sharpen and my thoughts and filings crystallize. I dislike “ranking” friends into “best friends”, “good friends”, “just friends” or whatever. Yet I cannot help but notice that I think a lot about my IUB friends during those last days (and it was the same last year). With some people we had great fun together, yet there are others, from whom I learned a lot. Some people I just “discovered” as very dear friends after knowing them for quite a while already. And I know for sure that I will miss some people dearly over summer and will be looking forward to see them again. As for the graduating class – I do believe I will see you, somewhere, somehow. Stay in touch, won’t you?
I know - it’s silly that you start appreciating what you have, right before you loose it. But it’s better late than never. Last days of the year make me think about the treasure I have here: my friends. You rock! You make my day here – every single day - and that is not an exaggeration. You can make me laugh through tears. I will miss you. See you back at IUB. Yes, even the graduating ones, because “IUB” is not only a physical place. It’s also a world where we will be returning every now and then.

The “Hair” at IUB – Backstage Perspective

2005-05-16T15:00:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Jenny)

Don’t ask me how was the musical. I was too much involved therefore I loved it. For me it was just great. Everybody did his or her best – that’s the way to do it and it’s amazing! Of course it was far from perfect, but so what? It was a musical staged by students and it rocked!
Another reason why I can’t say how it was is that I never saw it from the audience perspective. I was always standing at the curtain. That gives you an interesting angle and a weird sound.
At the first performance everybody was very nervous (me included). The goddamn curtain mechanism was broken and repaired already twice during previous rehearsals and we could only pray that it holds this time. The fact that in last part of the show I knew only theoretically when I’m supposed to close and open the curtain (coz it never survived the whole rehearsal) was far from encouraging. Besides, there were so many other things to worry about. But there was Ravi, standing right next to me, and Anna, and Karol, and Raluca, and everybody else was there to help. As soon as the curtain was closed the “backstage team” would break into a run. Being fast and quiet simultaneously is kind of difficult, especially if you have to turn the Central Park into a party in a house. Yes, we were far from perfect, but it worked. And then there was a standing ovation, and the second show and “Let the Sunshine In” with everybody on the stage, and the party (if you ever get a chance to dance rock-n-roll barefoot – do it!) and endless conversations at meals in the canteen going over small details and laughing about bumps and mistakes. And something else, that is difficult to put into words. Something that still lingers in the air. Something that makes me smile every time someone “from the Hair” passes by. Now we all have something to share, something that unites us. We had a good team and we had a good time. I am happy and proud that I was part of the “Hair” project, even though only a small part. Thank you, guys and girls, you’re the best!

Survival Tip 2 - MSN Messenger

2005-05-10T12:24:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Jenny)

Get on MSN! Most of IUB students use it. Once you get it and you have some of your best friends on the list you’ll know why it is so important. It’s the main means of communication and, actually, much more. It might turn to be an important way of knowing what’s happening with your friends. As for friends – see survival tip one ;). So, get on MSN and pay attention to the nicks.

Survival Tip 1 - Friends

2005-05-10T12:14:00.000+02:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Jenny)

The question of how do I survive here when all come to worse can be answered with one word only – friends. There are lots of friends for fun: for parties, for nice chats in the canteen, for sharing club activities, for shopping trips downtown. It’s enough to just look around – there are so many smiling faces. People here are really great and interesting to talk to. You make lots of friends. But… This is not the whole story. There is also another type of friendship. A friend who is there for you in your darkest hour, who notices that you’re in pain – no matter how hard you try to hide it. If there is at least one such person around – you have a treasure.

Here we go

2005-03-12T15:43:00.000+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Kheli)

Hello Mercatorians...welcome to my pad where i will entertain you with all my interesting experiences in our college...Keep your eyes out for this.. make sure when you enter you are sitting back relaxed because its gonna be a bumpy ride....

Khelz

Hello

2005-03-06T19:31:00.002+01:00

Imported from the old Mercator Blog (Original Author: Jenny)

Hi, I am Jenny from Armenia - a second year master student at IUB. It's going to be a crazy spring but I'll do my best to update this weblog every now and then. Hopefully this will become an interesting way of sharing our experience with college and university life. I might also ocasionally post something about Bremen and other places in Germany. But this ain't my diary, so - no personal ups and down.
To be continued...

Posting How To

2002-02-27T14:28:00.005+01:00

Hello all,

First of all, welcome to Mercator College blog. Blog about your experiences, your feelings and the special moments you experiences in this wonderful college. Any and everyone who feels associated with this college is more than welcome to post on this blog.
However, as the blog is hosted on blogger (a service provided by Google), it is necessary to have a google account to post on this blog. If you would like to become a permanent contributor to this blog send an email to Mihaela (webmaster@mercator-college.org) or me (rahulthewall3000@gmail.com) along with your gmail ID and we would add you as a permanent contributor to this blog. If you have already registered to post on this blog, head over here.
If you have just some interesting write-up for the blog, don't have a gmail ID or simply do not want to register for the blog, just send us your blog post (us would be again Billy or me) and we would put it up on the blog for you.

So,what are you waiting for, start blogging now!
And if you have any doubts or questions, post your comments here. :)

Cheers
Rahul