extraverted young man

I actually loved the photo, and this time was not so interested in the text in this post.
about media html microformat

But the photo, the photo brought the shiny day in my office, and made me smile a little...

Words and the City

Spent a long weekend at the sea, which I really enjoyed. Have been reading on Eat Pray Love there (I am a slow reader indeed), and came to a point that made me think. The book said each city had its own word. Like Rome's word was SEX. Then I asked myself which was the word of Plovdiv. AYLAK? The word aylak is of Turkish origin and means lazy (that's how a Turkish girl once explained it to me). We use it to define a state of idleness when you really enjoy doing nothing. To me it sounds pretty close to what the Italians call dolce far niente. Or that's what I imagine it is... Yes, I believe that's the word that describes Plovdiv. It is not so popular in the rest of the country. People here very often build a sentence with it in reply to the usual "How are you doing?" Hah, not very encouraging for someone eager to achieve...
Then I thought about the cities I'd lived in before. Which are their words? What should be the word of Sofia? For me Sofia was a lot about COMPETE. Is there someone else thinking the same or was it only my Sofia competing?
And which is the word of Leipzig? Ist schon lange her... It's been really a long time since I lived there, and I can't say now which word matched Leipzig then. But I am sure there is one.
And what are your words for your cities?

Home

Eat? Pray? Love?

I started reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. No wonder I got inspired to read the book after listening to a TED talk by the author of the book about her relationship to creativity. It sounded very personal, honest and intelligent. This happened some time ago and that's how the book ended in my to-read list but I somehow never felt it was the right moment to start reading it.
Until yesterday - I had a few minutes before my appointment in the bank and instead of waiting in the bank I decided to check what's new in the nearby book store. And then while going through the new books I heard myself saying, "Do you have the book by Elizabeth Gilbert..." "Eat Pray Love, you mean? Yes, we have it."
I spent the evening reading and now I know why the book landed in my hands right in this moment :)
And I will be also translating Nurturing Creativity...

Built To Last

I came upon this video through presentationzen. I found the book by Garr Reynolds very inspiring and since I've read it I follow also his blog. Always fresh ideas on how to use visuals to make your point.
If you want to know more about the video, read this.

My TED Updates

I managed to finish the Ben Zander translation within the recommended period of one month, and I was also assigned a reviewer of another translation - one of Al Gore's talks on climate change. So, they are now both available with Bulgarian subtitles. Meanwhile there are already ten talks translated into Bulgarian!
I found a new inspiring video to translate - Yann Arthus-Bertrand's talk accompanied by fascinating pictures of the Earth. It is quite new however and still not ready for translation. Maybe I should go for another one while waiting...

Customer 729

I was Customer Number 729 yesterday at the Tax Administration Office. A surreal experience, as usual when you have to deal with state officials here.
They are obviously trying to look more European and already have one of those machines that give you a ticket with your number and let you wait under a board with flashing red numbers. So, it is best when you take a seat that would allow you to stare directly at the board and jump immediately after seeing your number... you know, before the person behind the desk has changed their mind. (OK, I am exaggerating, of course).
The funny thing was that the flashing numbers were accompanied by a very beautiful tempting female voice saying, "Customer number 701 please come to desk number 46". I heard it many times until it was my turn (even though the text in the ticket said there were 0 people waiting in line before me). Only the numbers were changing. Customer number 736 going to desk number 28, 726 going to desk 40, 716 to 30...
Strange, I felt as if I was in Gattaka or Brazil. This female voice trying to make you a part of some perfect bureaucratic world. And make you feel grateful for that. And I could here the song in my head. Braaziiiiil...
Luckily everything changed when she called me to desk number 24. I expected that the lady would receive me with a beautiful steely smile, "Welcome on board of the National Revenue Agency. Have a nice stay!" (in fact meaning, "You will die trying to escape but there is no escape, you will spend all your life here trying to get that bloody tax declaration").
No, everything was quick and painful, and then they let you go. It was a guy - one of those you wish you never meet, wearing a fat golden necklace. Instead of saying, "Hello" he thoroughly explained to the other woman in the room how impossibly rude people like me were - people that didn't close the door when they entered a room, they (we) obviously lived like that in their flats, and didn't care that the people in the room were catching a cold because of the draught.
The only thing he said to me, full of suspicion, was, "Are you the manager of that company?" (using of course the informal 'you' in Bulgarian), and then, after studying my ID card, "Sign here".
Quick and painful, I told you. As it is supposed to be. How nice we are still not in "Brazil"...