When taking one position feels like coming to terms with what you are worth of, i.e. good

Dear Ms _________, I would like to come back to the offer I received from ASEF for the position I applied for. Once more I would like to stress the fact that we have had an open and constructive dialogue throughout the application procedure, which I held in high respect: this mail tries to develop that openness further. Ms ______ and Mr _______ read in :cc ( though I know that the first is currently on leave). After having attentively evaluated your financial offer (and the related conditions), discussed living costs and rentals´ situation with acquaintances living in Singapore, considered the profile of the person you had been looking for in your opening, and - last but not least - after having considered my profile and my previous professional experience, I came to the conclusion that the income you offer does not correspond to the expectations I would have for a such a position. For as much as I am willing and excited by the idea of moving to Asia and developing the projects of the Foundation, discovering a new and vibrant culture and getting to know new colleagues and friends, I do not find appropriate the kind of living arrangements I would need to undergo if working (full time) at ASEF under your offer. I am aware of the fact that I would need to share a flat with some other people, but still it would be a matter of how much I would need to share. Furthermore, together with the costs of living, one has also to consider additional health benefits costs, travel costs (at least once a year a flight way and back to Europe, I reckon), pension founds, savings and so on. I am not sure whether there is room for negotiating the salary with ASEF, i.e. with you or any other person in the Foundation; in case there was such room, I would be willing to discuss any job offer entailing an income ranging from ___ to _______ thousand Singapore dollars (gross). I am fully aware that this request would represent at least an increase of more than a third of your initial offer; still, after a long consultation with friends and an extensive internet search I am confident that this request does not look too high or unfair if compared with living conditions in Singapore for a 33-years old professional with almost 7 years of experience in educational programmes. I hope that ASEF will be as open to discuss the issue as I have been in reviewing my profile and qualifications in the past weeks with you. If not, I do not want to prevent the Foundation from selecting another employer in due time. I thank you for your attention and hope to hear form you soon, either way. Let me finally wish you a nice day. With very kind regards from Berlin

Soundtrack

And I read you from afar

Mail I got on October 6

"So I have been thinking about sending you a message a lot of times. But every time i started writing i got the vague feeling of having to apologize for something but i wasn't really sure for what exactly. Anyway, today i was cleaning up and found a box of old pictures and i saw the attached one. Maybe i am an enormous sentimental fool.. but I think it would be a shame if we would loose contact and become strangers. Hope you are doing well.
x Name

Full albums I have been listening to today

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

Sebadoh's new 

Rokia Traoré's latest

E. Costello and the Roots

Chvrches, the new one

Oneonthrix Point Never, the new one on Warp

Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt (twice)

OM Advaitic songs

VH-1 - Purple R@in (1984)

En Espanol sobra Soundcloud

New track from NY

Anniversary and Colbert

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

An email from July 2nd Id love to see answered at some stage

(...) "I just came back from an event organized in Venice by the regional authority. It is about sharing memories about different tragedies of the recent European history, though, given the organisations involved, it turned out to be only about remembering the Shoah. Long story short there was a guy from an an org in Munich named name removed and for a moment I thought it was one of those guys you worked with. I hid this memory somewhere until I came to my office; then tried to figure out whether I knew the guy from before, which involved going through our correspondence from the days in Djermanie. Looking at it today, it seems to show that we were very close or maybe only lonely back then. Anyway a very beautiful souvenir in my inbox has been kept all these years and I rejoiced. I hope you are fine, at some point you will also update me on your whereabouts, Miss name removed, I am sure. Take care until then and enjoy summer (...)

Coffee and Flats

11th commandment If s/he burns your coffee machine, keep the distance and run away as fast as you can, if you can...

True buddy: a friend able to tell the truth and to be your best friend

Ich kann Dir nicht genau sagen warum und es geht mich auch nichts an, aber als ich Dich gesehen habe am WE beim schwimmen und auch nachher am Telefon – ein Supergefühl von Dir für die Dame höhrt sich anders an…

A take of mine I like, the city of mine I love

Singles

TVOTR´s single on NPR. Here

Few thoughts on how people send in job applications (after having read ca. 200 for a senior position (sic))

Dear applicants,
Doctors,
PhDs,
Researchers,
Savers of the lonely,
Defenders of the poor,
Unique hopes in a world of poor management,
....Dudes,

When applying for a position, what you should do is (it is actually very easy indeed):
- read the key qualifications requested
- read the opening in the very first place, for God's sake
- avoid bragging around with all the languages you speak for a paragraph or more (unless you apply for a god-damned interpretor job!)
- avoid sending 8-pages-long cvs with your experience in fostering coordination whatsoever
- Insert your name at the beginning of the cover letter 

What would also be very welcome(, I swear, and might actually give you an opportunity to a proper interview)is:
- use the same font for your cover letter
- write a cover letter ( at least as long as it is asked in the opening!(sic))
- put your cover letter separately from the email text (for the cv you should do the same)
- check the spelling
- stick to the deadline for submission ( if not, at least acknowledge that you are late).

Good luck (you very much need it)

#nograndinavi

Via Garibaldi vinerized

The day after my birthday at work

Correspondence July 3rd

There are loads of friends meeting up every couple of years over a drink and chatting about life, trivia and stuff: since we have been doing so in the past decade or so, I guess it'd be better to keep that way. I am happy to know you are happy and do not intend to mess anything up. That is why I think name of the city can and should wait. Take care, enjoy your holidays, which I think are starting soon, and good luck.

Trouble will find me

I am hunted by the last album by The National. I rarely look into lyrics of songs I like, this is one of those cases. So go there and buy one yourself! I have been also listening to a lot of Joy Division, Primal Scream and John Prine. They have not so much to do with each other. The main reason is that I did not know them that well so far.

Montalbano

Mist

I feel like one of those Central European cities, mostly interesting and possibly charming but covered with a veil of unremovable, melancholic and sad reminder of the past. Good for a weekend trip, they are otherwise dull and become boring quite soon. There was that one Czech word Kundera wrote once an essay about...

Rabat

Not about discounts. It does look like indeed that I am going to Morocco next week.

Jochi is not in town

The 4th by Bruckner, its 1st movement in particular The speed you can download via torrent any new issue, always faster than anything else My favourite Single Malt from Scotland The green of this one tree in front of my room, which the wind shakes constantly The time I spent to get the flat tied up The days I long to be here while simply doing nothing " I should live in Salt" by The National

Calligraphy

Id rather be able to say good bye to Europe

Rainy Saturday Morning playlist: The Ashes of Piamonte

Suggested by P.A.Howe

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust on Rdio

I have been invited today by Rdio to join and so did I.
It looks like as good or bad as MOG was two years ago, which does not sound so tempting, right?
Plus: NPR, Soundcloud or any other major music portal offers more new releases than Rdio apparently does here in Europe. Subscription seems necessary but also quite pricey.
Right now I am listening to the only Sigur Ros album I dont have in digital.
Is that enough? hhhhhnop.
If you want to try it yourself, just drop a line and I ll invite you.
Peace

Digital Zoo

Snow at the seaside, Floods in the city. 11.2.2013

Wishlist reviewed

After listening to "Carpe" by Russian Circles, I realize I wish I was with my buddies Paul and Adam on our way to a gig of this band. Would turn awesome for sure.

NCATBSs

AAA Tandem Danish Italian/German in Venice

http://venice.it.craigslist.it/grp/3581417209.html

My work on this Saturday has been mostly like

Musicians and Musicians

There are those artists like Phosphorescent or the Afghan Whigs, an example, who write the same song all over again.
And people listen to that, me included, and like them. Fair.

Then there are those few ones, less than a dozen I guess, who are not able to write the same kind of song twice. And we fall in love with them.
David Bowie is a full fledged member of this latter category.

Lonleytude: (med.) feeling lonely while being alone a.k.a. willing to be alone in order to feel lonely.

Possible symptoms: seriousness, monotone and/or dull looks; Twitter dependancy; pour diet; laziness.

Therapy: sun, sex (possibly with sentimental involvement), good sleep, vegetables, vodka ginger beer on the rocks, internet restrictions.

Mourning together, 54 years apart

Nico Duvinage´s Video

Dave Grohl turns Director: Sound City Preview

Phosphorescent´s new single

2013 Resolutions (italian)

Imparare il danese seriamente

Imparare a vogare alla veneta

Non arrabbiarsi troppo spesso

Non parlare di politica italiana fino al 2014

Fare più volontariato

Tornare agli 82 chili

Fare una vacanza di mare con mamma

Vedere Zoe, Fratz e Luc

Risparmiare

Comprare una bicicletta nuova (da Martin o qualcun altro)