back in Istanbul

so I`m back ;)

will be here for another 10 days or so to sum up my work and finish transition with my succesor...

last month was completely crazy... expect an update about it these days, as soon as I get some time to write (maybe even tonight).

beginning of the end...

Things are getting more and more exciting...

Deadline for applications was last night, so now expecting a shortlist from AI...

People are getting pretty nervous about it and are asking millions of questions over MSN and e-mail...

And each question reminds me that I`m leaving soon...

Not that I`m not happy to be going home - I am! But I will miss this place... sooo much...

Abdi Ipekci arena, Partizan & Djordjevic

so I`ve been to Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul, which is something like Mecca for all fans of Partizan Basketball Club... It`s a place where the finals of Euroleague 1992 happened, when Partizan won it`s only Euroleague title with Djordjevic`s triple in the last second...

Yeah, that`s the place from where he made that famous shot... He repeated winning 3-point shots several times later while playing for various clubs, but this one, along with the one against Croatia in Barcelona `97, are the the most remembered ones.

Yeah, some will say that there are so many players in the world that have decided many important matches etc... And I agree... But this one was special... Special because this team was very very young (21 years old in average) and special because Serbia (Yugoslavia at that time) was under sanctions and Partizan couldn`t play its home matches in Belgrade, but in Spain... And noone really believed in these guys... Yeah, they were talented and strong team, but who would think that they can win any game in such conditions?

And then Istanbul happened... And these guys went into a legend even before they became some of the best European and World players of all time... Do some of these names ring a bell - Djordjevic, Danilovic, Rebraca, Nakic, Stevanovic, Koprivica, Silobad, Loncar...

Djordjevic is one of the ambassadors of good will, one of the founders of humanitarian organization Group Seven, and the president of the Belgrade Marathon.

Djordjevic - 1992 - Partizan-Joventut - last second 3-point shot for Partizan`s Euroleague title:

Djordjevic - 1997 - Yugoslavia-Croatia - last second 3-point shot for a great win:

Djordjevic`s farewell exhibition match - 2005 - he repeated the 3-point shot! :)

I had that luck to be one of the 7000 people to get the ticket for this event... It was amazing! Can you imagine all these people at one place? Kukoc, Divac, Radja, Djordjevic, Stojko Vrankovic, Danilovic, Bodiroga, Velimir Perasovic, Paspalj, Rebraca, Stojakovic, Gurovic, Drobnjak, Ivo Nakic, Zoran Cutura, Panagiotis Giannakis, Jofresa, Rodrigo de la Fuente, Zan Tabak and Roberto Brunamonti!? Or coaches: Ivkovic, Maljkovic, Obradovic, Pesic? This was certainly one of the events I will remember all my life... and tell my kids about it ;)

Huh, and I just wanted to post a photo from Abdi Ipekci arena... Ah, emotions got me I guess...

hahaha, what a chat!

so I had this chat tonight with one special person. That person was trying to convince me she is not such a good person I think she is... that she is a devil, that she is mean to everyone etc...

this is just the part of the chat... and I know that for most of the people it won`t be interesting since you don`t know who it is, but I had to document this somewhere :)

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Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

wow, you can actually be nice to poeple?

Someone says:

yes definitelly

Someone says:

i am gd in acting , role playing and sales

Someone says:

doesn't mean that i am exactly the person i act , but i can make people feel themselves in the play for a certain time

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

nope.. dn`t trust you... you are just one nice little baby-girl... not more then that

Someone says:

hah

Someone says:

you dont know the devil inside me

Someone says:

but again

Someone says:

if you think that i am a baby girl - then this is again just another prf of how successful i am

Someone says:

with acting

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

I`ll continue to believe then

Nino - peckopivo.nomadlife.org says:

I love you like that

Someone says:

that's how sales work

Someone says:

su pply and demand meet at some certain point

Someone says:

adam smith calls it "invisible hand " and the optimum point

Someone says:

but these therminology finds its reflection in real life with 3 simple words

Someone says:

“Someone” is great

Someone says:

and somehow ( invisible hand ) everybody seems to accept it

Someone says:

which is quite surprising but expectable at some extend

Someone says:

i understand your feelings babe, and i su pport you for loving me

Someone says:

it's not your fault

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Want the best CSR traineeship of the century?

*this is an AIESEC traineeship, so if you`re not an AIESEC SN don`t bother bugging me...

So I`m leaving Istanbul soon... and looking for a good candidate to replace me here in Istanbul...

for those who don`t know - it`s a CSR Coordinator position at the regional office of Microsoft for Middle East and Africa... An awesome job I wish I could have back in Belgrade...

And yeah, if you`re in doubt whether you`re good enough or not - do apply... When I was applying for it, I thought it`s "reserved" for hotshots from AI or ex-MCPs... Well, it wasn`t and it`s not... I got it, so can you!

If you need more motivation, then go ahead and read archives of my posts since March last year... and check out my photos at http://nino.ic2003.org/Photo

If you have questions, shoot! Contacts are below...

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TN Code: TN-In-TR-IS-2007-1852

This is an ideal AIESEC Internship for anyone who is interested to better understand CSR from a multinational and business perspective. It will also give you a good idea about how public-private partnerships work and the role different players have in its execution. You will also be able to better understand the role of ICT in development globally and in the Middle East and Africa region (MEA). You will be a part of a dynamic multicultural office environment and be able to enjoy independence and set your own routine and working style.

You will report to the Regional CSR Manager and will be based out of Istanbul.

Job role:

The trainee will be working as a Regional Community Affairs Coordinator.He/She will engage with national and international NGOs to create projects focussing on IT skills for employment in Middle East and Africa through public private partnership.

Some of the tasks and responsibilities include:

• Review grants application from national & international NGOs across 35 countries to bridge the digital divide.
• Work closely with CSR managers in Subsidiaries to develop sustainable projects and programs.
• Lead the software donations program in the region and be the power user in the region of the global grants management system (Like AIESEC XP).
• Organize a regional CSR capacity building workshop to train CSR country managers (April 2007 in Jordan) and be part of the EMEA Microsoft CSR meeting to be held in 2007.
• Participate in strategic meetings and reviews with senior management of the company dealing with CSR at a global level.
• Strategize on how the AIESEC & Microsoft relationship can be strengthened in the region. Work closely with AIESEC-MS Global Coordinator in creating national and sub-regional partnerships between MS and AIESEC. Lead a team of AIESEC trainees in the region.
• Manage all communications in the region related to CSR, namely the Community affairs portal, newsletter and presentations.

Who should apply?

Anyone who has held leadership positions in AIESEC and has a passion for CSR, NGOs, development, ICT4D etc. You should in your AIESEC XP have demonstrated it through action based learning. (Organizing conferences, PBOXes, Raising internships, attending conferences, creating networks etc.)

Applications due: January 31st

Start date: Ideally February 15^th, but not later then February 22^nd.

Duration: 12 months (with extension possibility)

Work Place:

State of the art Regional HQ of Microsoft Middle East and Africa located in the heart of Istanbul overlooking the Bosphorus. You will be provided with a laptop, your own office space with a dedicated telephone line, meal coupons and a stipend of USD 700.

For more info, please contact current trainee Nikola Jovanovic at:

e-mail: b-nikolj(at)microsoft.com or nikola.jovanovic(at)gmail.com

msn: nikolajovanovic(at)hotmail.com

HOW TO APPLY: 1. Log into Insight XP and look at the TN form for the full job description 2 . Prepare your Microsoft Application Kit: Resume: A 2-page (maximum) resume with picture. Cover Letter: A ONE page cover letter. SN form: Copied directly from Insight. 3. Create one word file with all the required documents. Name your Microsoft Application kit as follows: Name-Country.doc ( i.e.: Mary-Canada.doc) 4. Send your file to gep-microsoft(at)ai.aiesec.org with the subject "Application for Traineeship - XXXX", where "XXXX" is the TN ID of the traineeship. 5. Fill in the Survey in the Global Microsoft Community at aiesec.net. Deadline to apply: January 30^th, 2007.

January update :)

long time since I wrote anything about myself actually...

so I`m still in Istanbul... enjoying my last month here since I`m leaving end of February... more about it in next posts... this one is about last couple of months...

well, job-wise last couple of months were freakin` hectic... beginning of October brought the hype around the 2007 Grant Cycle, which means hundreds of conference calls, trainings, days and nights of working with our Subsidiaries to develop acceptable projects with NGOs in the region, then reviewing those projects with the review board and finally making sure that there is no problem with fulfillment (meaning that cheques and software requested gets in hands of NGO applicants). Wow, I`ve just put more then 2 months of non-stop work in one sentence! haha, can`t believe that is actually possible :)

Anyways, that process isn`t really complicated, but it certainly takes time until you develop these projects with NGOs... Thing is that most of them take it as granted that they will get the funds regardless of what they submit for approval... It`s like Microsoft is a rich company and they will give us money no matter if we just wrote that project is about youth empowerment and nothing else. :) it`s really annoying sometimes, really... I do understand that not all NGOs are strong and that they don`t really know how to write a decent project, and that`s fine - we can teach them that too! But at least put some efforts in it... Luckily, there`s lots of them that are actually willing to learn and are soooo passionate about their jobs and about helping their people... Especially CSR managers from our Subs... Some of them are inspiring me continously with the amount of energy they are putting in this... Amazing...

So, the process was stressfull, but it really felt good when it was over... Not because it was over, but because I knew that projects are really good and that lots of underserved people in Middle East and Africa will be empowered and that all that work was not worthless!

Then December brought the hype around the Mid-year reviews (our fiscal year starts at July 1st)... Now this is the period of the year when everything is about numbers... and I hate it! It`s basically updating all the systems that we use for different things so that they are in the end combined in our Citizenship tool called Collage. This is supposedly a simple process since this system is fetching the data from all those different systems automatically and then generates reports... Yeah, simple if all those systems and tools are up to date... but they`re not, of course... :) and since our team (CSR managers in the region) is quite new and growing, we have so many new people onboard that don`t really know how to use these systems, so everything is being done half-manually and last minute... so when they update the tool, then I have to check the data and compare it to data that I have offline, which means generating tons of excel sheets, going through them and making corrections... one boooooooring thing, but has to be done... anyhow, results in the end were very very positive and we`re on a good way to fulfil the goal that we have set globally - to reach 250 million underserved people with technology and literacy until 2010. it`s really exciting to see how our work is touching people`s lives every day...

During these couple of months I barely had a private life... It was mostly working, coming home to order pizza and eventually watch a movie with roommates and then sleep or work again from home... Managed only to visit Belgrade couple of times and that`s all...

January brought Belgrade again... went home for new years and christmas and it was really good to be home for longer then 3 days :). And since it was January, it brought lots of drinking exercises (can`t really call them parties :))... Everyone should try to survive Serbia during winter.... seriously... so many Slava`s, then New Years and Christmas, then another New Years (Orthodox church uses Julian calendar) and generally family and friends gatherings... all include lots of heavy drinking and partying, with no excuses accepted... so if you survive that, you can survive anything... apart from drinking, it was really nice to start getting used to living home again, since I`m coming back soon... for good...

enough for now... will write more later about finishing my traineeship and my plans for the future...

Andrew the Arab

Heard tonight and couldn`t believe my ears... and he confirmed it to me tonight...

My US mate Andrew was selected to be the first MCP of AIESEC in Oman... When I heard I was speechless (not in a bad way, just speechless, surprised), but when I thought about it, it just sounded right... sounded like something Andrew would do :)

Cheers mate and good luck! (and don`t forget to polish your shoes before you go... or bring enough money hehe)

am not saying good bye...

so Charlotte left... her 6 months traineeship is over and she went back to France...

one of the best persons I met in my life... and eventhough I promised to my self not to connect so much with other trainees (because I hate goodbyes and losing friends), she managed to get under my skin and we before I knew it we became really really close... started with ordering food together and watching a movie to relax after a hard day at work and ended up with some deep conversations and trust and understanding that we`ve built over time... she is the one I could turn to anytime to listen to me whining about anything and bitching about everything... to hug me everytime I`m down and miss Sandra and help me out with my countdowns `till my next trip to Belgrade, to hug me actually everyday I come back from work... in short to be there for me... 

And even if I told her so, I think she will never know how much I appreciate that and how important it was for me...

so, I`m not saying goodbye... I know that people lose contact over time and tend to forget, but this was so special that I simply don`t want to and won`t do it...

and I know that we will be singing this song whenever we meet, and remember The days...

Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours,
And dreamed of all the great things we would do

Those were the days my friend
We thought theyd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we chose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way

Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance Id see you in the tavern
Wed smile at one another and wed say

Those were the days...

Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me?

Those were the days...

Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friends were older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same

Those were the days...

Download it here

See you soon mommy...

Been that in Belgrade to show you real places for going out and getting drunk :) or in Bretagne to see famous highways... ah, yeah, you don`t have tghem there :P

Love,
Daddy

Microsoft Citizenship Report 2006

From Steve Ballmer`s MS internal intro letter:

Did you know, for example, that we recycle 141 tons of material every month? That employees volunteered more than 76,000 hours last year? That we donated more than $2.5 billion to communities in the past 20 years?

The data and the human stories in the Citizenship Report show how our creativity and our spirit of innovation are making a difference – through our contributions to communities, our responsible business practices and our product innovations. For instance, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 System include many enhancements that will make positive impacts economically and socially – on children’s online safety, data protection and privacy, accessibility for people with disabilities, energy conservation, interoperability and consumer choice. Our products also build on a strong platform that creates opportunities for innovation around the world, creating new jobs and driving local economic growth.

Last week, we took our citizenship commitment one step further through our endorsement of the United Nations Global Compact, an international public-private initiative to promote responsible corporate citizenship and help realize a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. We’re proud to stand behind the ten principles of this compact, which support universal social issues ranging from human rights to protection of the environment.

Amazing, isn`t it?

Yeah, I know - MS could and should do more... And I agree with that... But let`s forget about that for a moment and just think about how this world would be a much better place if all companies were thinking like this...

Click on a link below and find me on the picture on 5th page (that`s from MS Global CSR Summit 2006) :)

Microsoft (MSFT) Citizenship Report 2006

 

Will write more these days about my job in Microsoft and projects that we do in Middle East and Africa...

Hand-made condoms!?!?!?

when you are coming from a small eastern european country, and especially from one that is not perceived so well in the world like Serbia is (so basically that little that people usually know about us is crap), then you are not surprised about different steretypes and prejudices people might have about you or your people.

- Some of them think that Serbs still live in communism (most of them don`t know that even when we were a communist country, we were in far better situation then other countries from the "eastern bloc");

- Some of them think that Serbia is still completely destroyed from bombing and that we still (!?) have occasional gunfights in Belgrade (I wonder whom did we try to shoot at in Belgrade - unless they think about WW2);

- Some of them think that we hate everything and everyone, especially muslims (a guy from the dorm where I live here in Istanbul actually asked me why I came to Turkey if we hate Muslims so much that we hunted them in Bosnia and Kosovo!!! - I laughed and told him to watch not to turn his back to me, or else... :));

- At the airport in San Francisco they checked me thoroughly and even used those little papers (which are used to determine trails of gun-powder in your luggage - usually by rubbing your suitcase) on my hands!!! - it`s ok if they think that we are a terrorist threat to the US, but do they really think we make bombs with bare hands? we have technology, dude! :D

anyways, I could go on listing all the stupid things I heard about my country and my people, but I guess you get the idea already... What this post is really about is what I heard last night from one german trainee here in Istanbul...

So, her friend was traveliing Eastern Europe and he told her about this weird thing Serbs have - old ladies in the streets are selling "hand-made, self-knitted" CONDOMS! And not only that he heard about it - he actually saw it! Well, WOW! I was trying whole last night to imagine how "hand-made, self-knitted" (whatever this means) condom looks like, and no luck... (can you imagine coming to an old lady in the street, taking off your underwear for measuring, then choosing the model from the catalogue etc. :D)

But good to know that my country is not only famous by Milosevic, Karadzic and Mladic, but condoms too... Durex, beware of the Serbian Grand-moms!

Uhhhhhhhh

My friends sent me this pic today... My favourite pizza... I hate them... and I miss home...

Photos

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*Update: Apparently, the link was wrong :) Now it should be OK...
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Since flickr allows only 200 photos with free subscription and I`m not willing to pay any money to them (at least not yet :P), I created my own gallery with all my photos at http://www.ic2003.org/~nino/Photo.

In a couple of days I`ll add some interesting plug-ins onto it, like saving photos to your phone, comments, counters etc...

Have fun while admiring my looks (just don`t fall in love with me, for I`m taken already) :P

Working birthday...

damn... it`s my birthday and here I am, working at 00:22... what have I become? :)
worst thing is - I don`t mind... grrrr, hate myself sometimes...

Back from vacation...

So I`m back in Istanbul...
10 days in Belgrade and another 5 in Cairo and I`m finally back... And to be honest, don`t know if that`s good or not... I love this city and people I live with and my job especially, but still... In next couple of weeks we`ll see if it`s just another trip of mine or do I really want to go back home...

Other then that, I`m pissed off, but really pissed off that I`m not in Poland now...

Home at last!

... and it feels gooooooooooooooood :)

Home sweet home...

Going home tomorrow for vacation... Can`t wait...

Nino the Bellydancer :)

Photos from Cappadocia Tour are at http://photos.yahoo.com/fadil_jusufi

CSR Traineeship in Pakistan

If you happen to know someone with strong AIESEC experience that might be interested in long-term CSR traineeship in Microsoft Pakistan, with good employment opportunity after the traineeship, please let me know (b-nikolj(@)microsoft.com or nikola.jovanovic(@)gmail.com)...

Cheers from Istanbul!

travel plans

I simply love my traineeship... Just when you think it can`t get any better then this, you receive a funny call and an invitation to travel to Egypt :D
Anyways, these are my travel plans for the near future:

Next weekend - Cappadocia Tour (http://www.aiesec.org.tr/cappadociatour)
Next week - Cairo, Egypt
beginning of August - Belgrade, Home
end of August - International Congress in Poland and maybe Yasmin Hammamet, Tunisia

Did I say already how much I love my traineeship? :)

Tolga

Tolga the Goofy in action :P