A photo story of two days in a row

This is how Sofia looked like yesterday morning, at about 8 a.m...

...and this is how it looked like at about 2 p.m....today!


I took a day off to visit just once my university classes and then I had the chance to make a small walk on the yellow pavement in the centre. It is the 28th of February and tomorrow, of course, is the 1st of March, which means that baba Marta will finally come! The Bulgarian martenitza tradition is in full power. One day before D-DAY many trees in Sofia wake up with these red-and-white ribbons. It is also a fruitful day for photographers like the guy on the right and of course me. :)


Hmm, I've thought the idea of tourist information by the phone is an riginal idea, but the added announcement gives much more added value to the project. It says something like: "Programmed criminal culture. Honourable people wanted for stabilizing..." but the rest is unreadable from the photo and I don't remember the whole text by heart.


Just on the opposite side of "Tsar Osvoboditel" blvd. is situated my favourite coffee shop - ONDA (A commercial break:) )


The palace/National art gallery beautiful as usual. Some lonely benches were waiting for the tired walkers to rest on them

The view from one of the lonely benches.

Look, the Christmas and New Year's Eve decorations are still there! I guess the president still wants to watch them - during the whole year!!! And the prime minister as well. And the monument of St. Sofia!!!


The underground line between St. Nedelya sq. and the Sofia University is still in construction. This is the promise for finishing the project: November 2007. It is written there. We'll see in November.

Some creatures have decided to sleep on the sidewalks.

A place looking much nicer than before.

This is the subway next to the Central Hali. Some time ago from both sides there were small stands with jewellry, souvenirs, etc. Now the only remainds of these times are the towers of tiles which used to prevent the stands from falling.


The Central Hali were full of people. Sofians go shopping late in the evening. And today it's one day before the 1st of March - which means many people joining the martenitza shoping rush.

And here's the proof for the upper thory: it takes quite a long time to choose the perfect martenitza...or just to snap all prices at all stands (at least 10 only inside the building) and to choose the best one (understand the balance between quality and price). From 0.30 lv (0.15 Euro) to 20 leva (10 Euro) - all sizes, models...but the coulours are predominantly red and white (of course). Currently the modern martenitza is tied on the wrist like a bracelet and one can see people with both wrists covered with 20+ martenitzas :-D

Reconstruction in progress even in the early evening. The last rays of light from west reflect on the flat surface of the newly-placed windows. The crane's giraffe-looking figure makes a shady reflection in the same windows. Light spreads out of two of them. One is open wide. I wonder what it was like for the people who were there to stay upstairs and hear the dim sounds of the trams, the cars and the people murmur.

Just a reminder for something good

Angel
can you see the sunshine
of a new today
and do you feel this way


That's what can be heard in "Be Angeled" by Jam & Spoon feat. Reamonn. Quite an old one, just started on my playlist. Something good to remember and to feel. :)

Two drivers for a change

Two things happened just in 30 minutes which made me make an unusual decision. I was walking on the sidewalk near my block when I came up with an idea for a change. I know so many people and I haven't seen or even chatted online with some of them for such a long time! And from friends many became just acquaintances. I want to change that. I want to keep them. I was thinking of the idea every day to talk to someone who I haven't seen for a long time, and try to make them smile.
When I got back home and turned on my laptop I played a CD with relatively old mp3's from my collection. "Stagger" by Underworld started and it remineded me of times which I've thought had almost faded away.
It's decided. It might sound silly, but I take it quite seriously. I already did it once and it feels great to chat with people I haven't seen for ages.
Say hello! :)

The PAI

It took me some time to think over the news for the new PAI. I am not anymore an active part of the organization, it feels quite strange to look from the distance on things. But yet I feel the whole excitement withing AIESEC these days and I am excited as well. Every news about somebody who has continued his or her path, and especially people with strong vision and determination for the future has always made me admire them.
I saw and heard her, and I felt the determination and energy in her. That's why I'm sure: it will be an unforgettable year in someone's life and the positive development of AIESEC will continue.
Good luck, Gabitza!

Every end is a new beginning

History repeats itself, every similar moment reminds me of the past times when a period of my life changed with another one. After the end there should be something - just like behind a fence there is another garden or even a field. And when I see some people come and go out of my life I keep reminding myself of my own experiences.

The good memories remain. The bad ones fade away. The new things are learned and the old ones perhaps forgotten.

The storm of the excitement of something new and the satisfaction of the past memories.

The silence remains only in the ears of those who stay. Until it's time for them to go away...

Vasil Levski - one of the true leaders of Bulgaria

On the 19th of February Bulgaria commemorates the death of Vasil Levski - one of the biggest national heroes, a person who has made a huge impact on the destiny of our nation and country. Born in 1837, he spent his life during the times of the Revival - when the Bulgarian people were still under the Ottoman rule and still were looking for their national identity lost through the long centuries without independence. He fought for, as he himself had written, "pure and sacred republic", for the liberation of Bulgaria. With his passion he created the most complex committee network around the Bulgarian lands and inspired the people to fight for their freedom.

"If I win, a whole nation wins; if I lose, I lose only myself."

He was lost, hanged in Sofia in 1873 at exactly same place where the monument stands nowadays. But nevetheless he didn't lose. He sacrificed his life for the freedom of our nation. All of us have won when he was born. Thanks to his life-work and devotion ot it, the desire for freedom grew more and more and finally triumphed with the Liberation on the 3th of March, 1878.

(photo of Vasil Levski - taken from http://www.vlevskimuseum-bg.org/)

All good things

Success is measured by the things we sacrifice to achieve it. What have I sacrificed and what I haven't? I lost me feeling of determination in my knowledge just in order to find it again. I lost my cosy microcommunity in order to find out that it's only me on whom depends what I lose and what I don't. "Loss" is a bad word because one can never now what expects us in the future and whether the lost will be regained. I have understood not only by words but this time by actions that it's all up to me to what extent I'll keep what I have. Interestingly, I haven't intended or made any specific efforts to do it, but I feel that what I've definitely kept are my values. I may not be the pefrect person, but I have always believed in goodness and honesty, in understanding and compassion. I feel I still have them. Then I'm definitely the person I have appeared to be, no matter the chaos that has been in my head for some time. Ironically, the player has just started "All Good Things" by Nelly Furtado. Why do all good things come to an end?... Flames to dust... ...because it's inevitable. But it's not a total loss. Even the memories of the good things are enough to keep us happy and far from any regrets. The good things are never lost when one remembers the lessons learnt. Life is not divided into separate periods, every moment is diffused into the next one, and so on, and on, and on...

The forgiveness day/Sirni Zagovezni

I have just understood that today...no, it's already yesterday...was Sirni Zagovezni, known also as the day of forgiveness ("Proshka"). In the Christian orthodox tradition it is the day after which starts the fasting before Easter. It is also a day connected with the pagan celebrations of the ending of the winter and beginning of the spring. Fires are lit and mummers dance in the streets to scare the devil.
It is also the day of forgiveness. Originally a custom for young members of the family to ask for forgiveness their parents and grandparents, nowadays it has turned into a day for everyone to ask their closest people to forgive them for anything they might have done wrong during the past year.
Although the day has passed, it is never late to ask for forgiveness. That's why I'm asking for forgiveness everyone who knows me and who feels that I have done a mistake or made them feel bad.
As I am a person who doesn't like anything which is done just because that's the tradition, and because I'm constantly trying to be a better person, I will make everything to fix anything I've done the wrong way.
So, please, forgive me, my family and friends. I'll do my best to deserve the forgiveness you'll hopefully give me.

:)

The inevitability of destiny

I keep my belief in a greater power above us or just something called destiny. I always try to find the reason for something to happen or not. But it's quite difficult. I believe in signs - when you meet someone or see something and you know they are connected somehow with you and you need to keep them close to you. Yes, but not all the time. I have met people who I've felt attached to - not romantically but spiritually. And so many times it has happened that I have lost them as friends. Or I have never made friends among such people.
What is wrong? Is it just because one has to meet people like these who would only make a huge impact on their personality and disappear just as they have appeared? To finish their mission of which they have no idea. Like characters who appear in only one epizode in order to make the plot complete and in the end of the epizode are gone, and in the next one they don't exist anymore?
The more I think the more I realize that it's not far from the truth. It's sad, isn't it? Isn't it unfair? Isn't it one of the inevitable conseqeuences of the happiness called life?...

Everything happens on purpose. But why do I have to reach this conclusion each time I do something wrong? Is it only a way of taking the blame off my shoulders?
I feel the emptiness of a person who has made a huge mistake.
I blamed you for my own imperfection. I've done it before - not to admit the truth about myself and find a "scapegoat" in somebody else's face.
You know me very well, I think. Compared to the past, despite my words remain hasty, it takes me much less time to figure out that it's me who's the guilty one. So you should have understood about this change in me.
I don't want to talk to you now. It's useless because I know that it won't change anything. I'd rather prove by actions that I'll do even better in future. And to think twice before speaking.
I hope that you'll understand why I said these things to you. Not because you'' know my excuses, but because you'll know the truth.

Dreams (Post #100)

Every person has got dreams of their own. The feeling of unhappiness because a dream hasn't come true remains until i s fulfilled.
No matter whether you do something or not in order to fulfill it, the feeling of emptiness and dissatisfaction is there.
And while most of the people believe that dreams don't ome true, that they are only part of our imagination, there are some people that act. They persist and make at least a pert of their dream a reality.
The constant feeling of dissatisfaction is he main driver through fulfillment of dreams.
History has shown that many people who believed that their dreams will come true and persisted to make them real suceeded. Such people have always been the driver of progress.

Each one of s has at least one dream in life. Some dreams are measurable, other are not. Some dreams can be seen, others - cannot.
But all dreams have one and the same characteristics: they are achievable. No matter to what extent and when...

Memories.

Early morning.
The rain is falling, making small puddles in the cracks between the yellow pavement in the Sofia centre.
Cars are making their way through the traffic jam while the traffic policeman navigates their movement.
The wind is blowing heavily and the umbrellas serve better for weather-vanes than for keeping the rain off people's heads.
Among these noises and chaos there is one place which is always silent at that time of the day. A place where so many decisive moments have passed that it is almost unbelievable why sounds of voices don't return as echoes from the corners of the room.
Time may pass but good memories never fade.

A return to the roots

Appreciation of beauty and excellence
Humor and playfulness
Kindness and generosity
Forgiveness and mercy
Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith

These are my 5 biggest strenghts according to the VIA Signature Test which was done exactly 1 year ago by the MCPs around the world and by the MCEBs some time later.

I've already done it. I don't remember all 5 strengths then, but the top one was again "Appreciation of beauty and excellence".


Life is dynamic but some things never change.

My goal could be to strenghten the areas with the lowest "score". One year from now I will have to have found the right people to help me improve and find the ways how to use my biggest strengths to help other people in return.
This is probably my first serious goal since a long time.
If I succeed, then the 4 years spent in AIESEC and the things I've learnt before that in my life wouldn't have passed in vain.
If I fail, these 4 years wouldn't be in vain yet, because this would be the starting point of evaluation: what have I missed to do?

1 year.