Meet my hero: Selim Aydemir

A few weeks ago in this post, I had tried to explain a phenomena about the culture I grew in. In an attempt to describe the way artfulness is hailed in the Turkish society, I used these sentences:

"...In Turkish society, artfulness in daily life is hailed and to be artful is accepted as the common norm to the degree that sometimes complying with rules is seen as stupidity.

The Turkish cunning behavior generally drives the humorous innovation in daily life and appears at the point where there is some saving in the amount of labor or more rarely in the total cost or the time to spend..."

and here is the news I came across in today's paper. Selim Aydemir, a soccer player in the 3rd. league in Germany, was fired by his trainer because he simply preferred to secretly take the tram for couple of stations during a running training instead of running the course like all of his team mates.

In the same post where I described this behaviour, in an attempt of further explaining this strange characteristic, I said;

"... What makes it even more bizarre is we are perfectly aware of our flaws and contradictions but we love them. We love to make fun of ourselves where we call the Turkish stereotype "yurdum insani" - "human of my country".... "

and to exemplify this sentiment, here is how one of the major newspapers in Turkey preferred to comment on this news:

"Answer to Turkish style training: You're fired."

I'm so delighted to be able to provide a good example. I can sleep peacefully now. ;)

Void

Define and narrow me, you starve yourself of yourself.

Nail me down in a box of cold words, that box is your coffin.
I do not know who I am,
I am in astounding lucid confusion.
I am not a Christian, I am not a Jew, I am not a Zoroastrian,
And I am not even a Muslim.
I do not belong to the land, or to any known or unknown sea.
Nature cannot own or claim me, nor can heaven,
Nor can India, China, Bulgaria,
My birthplace is placelessness,
My sign to have and give no sign.
You say you see my mouth, ears, yes, nose---they are not mine.
I am the life of life.
I am that cat, this stone, no one.
I have thrown duality away like an old dishrag,
I see and know all times and worlds,
As one, one, always one.
So what do I have to do to get you to admit who is speaking?
Admit it and change everything!
This is your own voice echoing off the walls of God.

Rumi (1207-1273)

runrunrunrunrunstoplookandlisten

If only we didn't need a train to remind ourselves.

(from Edinburgh-Waverley train station)

Mind The Recession

Having received results of endless formalities mentioned in this post, in the last few weeks I have been trying to shape the mold of my life for the coming few years.

In addition to allowing myself to decay in a series of super boring accounting classes as part of my newly started PhD curriculum, last week I was in the UK to deal with some formalities (again - ouch!) which unfortunately came bundled with the granted work permit.

London looks as busy as always. Not much seemed to change since my last visit a year ago; Oxford Street is as chaotic, tube stations still look like as hectic as an ant nest. Sun shined unusually brightly all through my stay making people flood to parks turning Hanover Square -where our new office building is located- into a lunch time festival area.


As soon as one starts talking with people however, traces of recession begin to appear. What I have found particularly interesting was the reaction I received from people - mostly officers from governmental institutions or banks - when I told them that we were in the UK to start-up our own company. Omitting few topic specific differences here and there, the conversations looked almost the same wherever I went:

DK: Hello, I'm here on a Tier 1 visa and would like to register my UK address/open a UK bank account/file a health record/etc etc...
Officer: Certainly. (a very evident doubt appears on the face) Did you already find a job or are you yet to find one?
DK: I'm here to start-up a subsidiary of my own company in Turkey.
Officer: (The face expression changes completely with an awe) Oh marvelous. In this country we need more investors and new jobs nowadays.

Well...

Not best time to start a business in the UK - that is for sure. I must admit however that all this recession thing amplifies the sense of adventure and makes the whole idea more likable. Of course, our decision is based on strategical business/personal reasons that we think are more sound than mere suicidal romanticism.

We'll see.

First Love

Saw one of Bergman's early movies yesterday. The "Summer Interlude" dating back to 1951.

Motto used in the teaser of the movie was this:

"First love never dies, but something dies with first love."

Amen.