Friday, December 16, 2016

Cadouri de Craciun pentru Mirel & Galbenus


Anul asta m-am hotarat sa nu mai arunc bani aiurea pe cadouri de Craciun. Un economist a demonstrat deja ca in medie platim cu 16% mai mult pe cadouri decat ar plati cei care primesc cadourile. Si cum ma consider in general peste medie, cu siguranta procentul cu care gresesc eu este mult mai ridicat.

Deci: fara cadouri anul asta de la mine: gata cu sticlele scumpe de vin, gata cu halatele de baie la preturi obscene, gata cu renii traditionali romanesti produsi cu dragoste in China. Poate doar un Lego, sa fie liniste in case de Craciun

Economistul care a facut studiul cu pricina atrage atentia ca alaturi de valoarea economica exista si o valoare emotionala care se impacheteaza si se transmite o data cu cadoul. Dar, pentru transmiterea unei emotii, a unor sentimente, o felicitare scrisa de mana ar trebui sa fie suficienta. Si daca felicitarea e scrisa/desenata de un copil, se obtine chiar si mai multa emotie cu efort zero.

Anul asta am un plan prin care nu mai distrug valoare economica: voi oferi cate o felicitare prietenilor si familiei si voi trimite banii unei cauze in care cred.





Anul asta voi trimite banii cuiva care pentru mine este persoana anului: este un tip normal, un tip foarte normal: Mirel. Sau era un tip normal, foarte normal, acum cativa ani, inainte ca Imparatul maladiilor sa incerce sa-i adopte copilul. Acum Mirel e un superman normal, chiar un superman foarte normal. (Imparatul maladiilor e biografia castigatoare de Pulitzer a acestui intrus)

Acum urmeaza partea cea mai grea greu. Sa scriu despre cineva care a aflat acum cativa ani ca pustiul lui de 6 ani are o tumora pe creier nu poate fi simplu deoarece textul rezultat nu poate fi altfel decat tragic. Si de aceea e atat de greu, pentru ca alaturi de Mirel nu percepi tragicul. Cand merg in vizita pe la el si Marinus pentru o bere si o poveste ma simt bine, ma simt foarte bine, ca si cum as vorbi nimicuri cu un foarte bun vechi prieten. Si de obicei nu vorbim nimicuri, pentru ca imi povesteste chestii depre care nu pot scrie aici fara a fi tragic. Asa ca nu voi scrie. Chiar si fara boala, e greu pentru orice om normal sa imagineze o realitate tata-fiu cu un ritm zilnic simplu, compus din doua batai, o pendulare neintrerupta intre coridoare de spital si casa adoptiva din aceasta Viena frumoasa, dar care pentru ei este doar un oras strain, fara prieteni. Fara prieteni, fara petreceri de copii, fara nevrut de facut temele, fara certuri domestice. Fara nimic din ceea ce face ca zilele noastra sa para plictisitoare in general si frumoase pe alocuri. Doar o rutina simpla, inebunitoare, zilnica, o naveta casa – spital, spital – casa. Casa – spital, spital – casa. Casa – spital, spital – casa. De fapt sunt niste prieteni temporari intalniti la spital, dar in realitatea lor, adesea, prietenii pleaca in rai destul de repede dupa ce fac cunostinta.

Cand merg in vizita la Mirel si Marinus nu simt parfumul fin dar inecacios al imparatului. Nu are curaj nici sa se apropie de casa lor. Singurul miros pe care il miros e mirosul senzational al mancarii de casa, care impreuna cu doza infinita de optimism practic este strategia lui Mirel de a il invinge pe imparat. Aceasta reteta care impreuna cu cei 2 ani de plan experimental de bataie de la AKH si cu inca niste ani petrecuti inainte in transeele spitalelor Bucurestene ar trebui sa tina imparatul la distanta si, intr-un final, sa-l inchida pentru totdeauna intre copertile unei alte carti castigatoare de Pulitzer – categoria istorie.

Deci, acesta e planul meu de Craciun

Dedesubt sunt detaliile contului lui Mirel, daca doriti sa-l sprijiniti pe el si Marinus in aventura lor infuzata de optimism si mancare de casa

Daca aveti alte cauze in care credeti, fiti creativi si trimiteti acolo bani. Cu siguranta prietenii vostri au deja mai multi reni traditionali Romanesti decat e legal acceptabil on orice tara europeana. O felicitare ar trebui sa fie suficienta.

La multi ani,
Radu

Mirel Dolofan, Bank: BRD GROUPE SOCIETE GENERALE SA

Conturi:
RON: RO86BRDE426SV74231324260
EUR:  RO33BRDE426SV74231414260

Christmas gift ideas & fighting the emperor with Mirel & Marinus



This year I decided to stop wasting money on Christmas gifts. According to some economist's research, on average, we pay 16% more on stuff than the recipients of our gifts would be willing to pay. And as I consider myself to be always, always above average, I am for sure in a decent top percentile of this statistic.

So no presents this year from me: no expensive bottles of wine, no strangely overpriced bathrobes, no Chinese made, Romanian traditional wooden elves. Maybe just some Lego, there must be peace in homes for Christmas.

What even the 16% researcher highlights, there is also an emotional value that we wrap together with the gift paper, and his study does not account for it. But for the emotions, a card with some thoughts scribbled on the back, should be more than enough. And if I outsource this job to my kid, even more emotion for almost no effort.

My plan for this year to stop destroying economic value is the following: I will give cards to friends and family, and send the money to a cause I believe in.

This year, my Christmas chimes and dimes will go to a guy who is for me THE person of the year. He is a normal guy, a very normal guy: Mirel. Or he was a normal, very normal guy some years ago, before the Emperor of maladies decided to try to adopt Mirel’s kid. Now Mirel is a normal superman, a very normal superman. (Emperor of maladies is the name of the Pulitzer prize winning biography of this uninvited adopter).

This is the most difficult part for me to write and I will keep it as short as possible. Writing about a person who discovered some years ago that his 6 years old kid has brain cancer cannot be easy because the text cannot be un-tragic. And that’s why it’s so difficult, because with Mirel you don’t feel the tragic of it. When I visit him and Marinus for a drink and a chat, I feel good, I feel very good, like having small, gossipy talk with old, old friends. And usually the talk is not small at all, it’s about stuff I cannot write without being tragic. And I will not write. Even without the malady, it’s hard for any normal person to imagine a father-kid reality with a daily, simple, two beats rhythm, split evenly, half hospital corridors half adopted home in this beautiful but for them friendless, foreign city that is Vienna. No friends, no kids birthdays, no school hassles, no domestic spouse fights. Nothing that makes the fabric of our normal days seem boring or beautiful. Just simple, maddening, daily, home – hospital, hospital – home commute. Or there are some temporary friends from hospital, but in this reality they usually go to heaven soon after they meet them.

When I visit Mirel and Marinus, I never smell the dazzling perfume of the emperor. He doesn’t have the guts to approach their house. The only smell I smell is the smell of delicious home-made food, which together with an infinite dose of practical optimism is Mirel’s receipt to fight the emperor. This receipt, together with the 2 year experimental battle plan of AKH and some more before in Romanian hospitals, should keep the emperor at bay and, hopefully move him again in a Pulitzer prize winning book – history category this time..

So that’s my Christmas plan.

Below I put Mirel’s account details, if you want to support him and Marinus in their optimism infused, cooking adventure.

If you have other causes you believe in, be creative and send there the money. For sure most of your friends have more Chinese made traditional elves than is legally allowed in any European country. A card should be enough.

Merry Christmas!
Radu

Account owner: Mirel Dolofan, Bank: BRD GROUPE SOCIETE GENERALE SA

Accounts:
RON: RO86BRDE426SV74231324260
EUR:  RO33BRDE426SV74231414260