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Romania through international eyes

Vivid Questionnaire - Alexandra Tinjala

November 2005

Romanian creativity is steadily making its presence felt in the world of advertising, with an increasing number of multinational agencies looking to Romanian copywriters and local agencies for ideas and inspiration. That creativity is encapsulated in Bucharest’s newest advertising agency, Sister, which was responsible for the promotion and ideas that made last month’s Halloween Ball such a phenomenal success. Its founder, Alexandra Tinjala, worked for eight years with Scala/J Walter Thompson, and now has her work cut out for her.

Vivid: So, how’s life?

Life is a great big piece of performance art, a play. I would just love to meet the director.

Do you, or have you, ever had a nickname, and if so, what?

Two have stood the test of time: Caisa (eng: apricot) – a nickname used since I was a baby, as all I had for hair was a light layer of fuzz. And Pitica (eng: short) – copyright of my friends, due to my height. What, 1.63m is not enough?

What is your earliest memory?

Exploring the yard of my new home at the age of four, with a long stick, singing to myself and pretending I wasn’t speaking the language. This was my way of saving myself the trouble of talking to strangers or being sociable.

What were you like at school?

Quiet, messy, dirty all the time, not a rule follower, a bit of a loner. I never met necessity enthusiastically. I was stubborn and always wanted to do things my way.

Are you a good dancer?

I was at ballet school for eight years. Dancing has been my chance to put on a new personality.

What is the last good book you read?

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, one of my favourite authors, who writes about the fantasy world of adulthood.

What was the last CD you bought?

I bought four: Later (a compilation), Hed Kandi/Winter Chill, Never, Never Land by Unkle, and Hotel Costes Volume 8.

Do you collect anything?

Not really, but I like having lots of unnecessary things, like too many pairs of sneakers and every imaginable flavour of lip balm.

Have you ever had a near death experience?

Yes, very recently actually, in a car accident on the Bucharest-Ploiesti Road. It very nearly could have been serious. It made me consider in a few seconds what usually dissolves in years.

Would you ever sunbathe naked?

Of course, on my own private, secure beach.

Would you bungee-jump?

Kind of – but then – kind of not.

Do you have any scars?

Quite a few. I’m really good at falling over. Down the stairs, walking the dog, getting out of the bus, carrying my luggage.

Any tattoos?

I’ve always flirted with the idea, but never had the guts to actually step inside a tattoo parlour.

If not, would you ever consider getting one?

I’m still considering it, and will probably end up doing just that for the rest of my life.

Where did you spend your most recent holiday?

In The Big Apple … to see my relatives; bad weather and falling down some stairs meant I had to stay in bed most of the time.

If you could holiday anywhere, where would it be?

An exotic island with just one other person, a canopy and many palm trees … oh, and my computer for playing music while the light dims.

If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

If I had been everywhere, I could probably answer this question.

What is your greatest personal sporting achievement?

Is ballet a sport? If so, playing one of the two birds in Snow White. If not, getting thrown down the slope from Cota 2000 in Sinaia on a snowboard (my first time) when the fog was as thick as five Webster dictionaries.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

I never try something that is close to being weird.

Describe an enjoyable meal.

Avocado, exotic fruits, rucola salad, parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, fresh orange juice and port wine. Though as a child my long-term dream was to be a princess in Australia and eat only chicken skin, one layer on top of another.

What is your most recent extravagance?

Seeing U2 live in Rome – the second sexiest city after Milan for shopping!

What is your favourite musical instrument?

The harp was the lover that I never had. The piano was a childhood dream and learning to play it was something that I did eventually achieve.

What are you best at doing?

Turning someone else’s mess into order and turning my order into a total mess.

Which five words best describe you?

Ambitious, genuine, stubborn, appreciative, driven.

What do you like least about yourself?

Losing my patience too easily.

What do you like least about yourself physically?

My height. I could use another few centimetres – like, ten.

What qualities do you most admire in a man?

Sensitivity, naivety, strength, intelligence, urge to change lives, dignity, courage, determination, humour, peacefulness, profundity, protectiveness, compassion.

What qualities do you most admire in a woman?

Sensitivity, naivety, strength, intelligence, urge to change lives, dignity, courage, determination, humour, peacefulness, profundity, compassion.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

It is just half, period.

If you were not doing your current job, what might you do?

I’d be a ‘Big Sister’ for abused children.

Who is your favourite character on Sex in the City?

Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoes.

Who is your favorite soprano?

I have never watched it.

Where were you on 31st December, 1999?

Home with my parents and my sister, in Bucharest.

Where were you on 22nd December, 1989?

On the streets, with my father and my sister. We stayed until they started shooting.

What do you do passionately?

Be useful.

What is your most prized possession?

A certificate I received after my first flying lesson.

What is your worst addiction?

Sometimes I feel overly responsible for people.

What might you be reincarnated as?

A leader of a revolutionary movement.

What was the most you have ever paid for a hairdresser?

A few million lei, considering I have four different colours of highlights.

What was your first car?

My current one, a red VW Polo bought on 9/11. One of my friends was trying to convince me that the third world war was starting so why would I bother buying a car?

What do you do in hotel rooms?

Test the mattress and check out the bathroom, and then take a long bath in the dark while listening to music from my computer.

What is your all-time favourite work of art?

Apollo and Daphne, the Bernini sculpture.

Who is your favourite James Bond?

Sean Connery. The original and always the best.

Have you got any pets?

Not at the moment, but I grew up with animals. We had a virtual zoo, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, monkeys, snakes, dears, crows and other animals too.

How much money have you got on you?

None, because I am in my gym clothes.

What is your favourite website?

Google.

Have you ever written a letter to a newspaper or magazine?

No, but I wrote a letter to all New Jersey’s senators asking them to allow me to continue my education in the United States.

Can you recite a line of poetry?

“My youth was nothing but a lowering storm, occasionally lanced by sudden suns / Torrential rains have done their work so well, that no fruit ripens in my garden now.” From Baudelaire’s Enemy.

Have you ever been arrested?

Three years ago, I went close once after a fight with the authorities at Moscow Airport, who insisted I pay a 360 euro fine when my baggage was only six kilos overweight.

Are you happy with your passport photograph?

Yes. My hair is the longest it’s ever been.

When was the last time you were in a fight?

This is like asking you, “When was the last time you ate?”

Who is the sexiest person in the world?

My mother.

Who is the sexiest person you know?

I already answered that question.

Describe your most recent dream.

Asking Andrew Begg to donate a mattress to Ovidiu Rom's Halloween Charity Ball. I have to say, there was a lot of debate involved.

What would Jung have said about that?

It probably involves our collective unconsciousness.

Do you talk in your sleep?

Apparently, yes.

When did you last have too much to drink?

In Cabaret, during the summer.

What was the best rock concert you were at?

U2 in Rome in July, and if I hadn’t fallen down the stairs in New York, I would have seen them there as well.

If you had three wishes, what would they be?

To be able to ask my father about the next question, for money to have never existed and for love to conquer pride.

If a film was made of your life, who would best play you??

Marlene Dietrich.

What is the best thing about living in Romania?

Everything. But then there’s a big discrepancy with its people.

What Romanian would you most like to meet?

I would have liked to meet Nichita Stanescu.

What question would you most like to answer?

“Would you like to handle an anti-corruption campaign?”