“go to work, send your kids to school
follow fashion, act normal
walk on the pavements, watch T.V.
save for your old age, obey the law
Repeat after me: I am free”

Graffiti in Bristol, UK via Flickr

It’s getting warmer, so I fled the library, joined some eager Puntians, steadied myself on the “Ferry” (a punting boat for 13 people) and to the tune of Gerry and the Pacemakers pushed the joyful gang - which was sipping champagne and eating strawberries - down the river.

This year I had the honour to play the role of Gordon Brown at the Model G8 Youth Summit in Japan. Before our delegation left, I sent a letter to Downing Street 10 and asking Gordon Brown to be the patron of our delegation. He replied now (he is probably very busy). Incidentally, he send off the letter on my birthday. Quite amazingly he also signed in person. Very nice.

Great concert last night of the Trinity Hall Music Society. Mostly undergraduates performing wonderful music.

First, a truly great clarinet concerto by Aaron Copland. Some people said that the soloist did a great job, but the orchestra had a hard time following the soloists. Below is a version by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Next, Chason de Matin from Edward Elgar

Beethovens Piano Concert No 3. (below the 3rd movement) with some great skills by the soloist and the orchestra being on the same level.

Finally, a bombastic English Folksong Suite by Vaughan Williams, who is also a Cambridge students. Somehow the theme sounds familiar.

Yesterday was a a very sunny day so I decided to leave email as it is, leave my studies as it is, cycle around Cambridge a little bit, buy the ingredients for the birthday cake and then waited for people to arrive at the party. I had a great time and want to thank everybody who came along.

Because of globalization and time zones, the first congratulations reached me already on April 15th and the last ones reached me this morning. Thanks to everybody who thought of me, I’ll try to respond very soon!

When I was 8 years old, I thought that by the time that I am 28, I will be a multi-trillion-zillionaire with a huge house on a cliff, my own rollercoaster and hundreds of cars. Right now, I have a bike, live in a graduate student accomodation and do not even own most of the books in my room (because they are from the library, of course). Well, what would I do with hundreds of cars, anyway?

However, when trying to look back, it seems I’ve done a lot of interesting things, but not always followed a very consistent course in life. But I got to know a lot of very interesting people, and I guess I have to be thankful for that.