Music Idol Is Here!

The exclamation mark in the title is not supposed to signal my excitement at the start of the Bulgarian version of American Idol... but rather my dismay at how U.S. reality/talent shows are suddenly gaining popularity in Bulgaria. Following Big Brother and Survivor, Music Idol (as it is known here) kicked off today.... not very exciting yet, as we were only introduced to the judges in this first "episode", who by the way happen to be: Slavi Trifonov (now known mainly as a talk show host), Gloria (one of the earliest chalga singers), Doni (I guess I would classify his music mostly as pop... and he has the most annoying voice), and Yordanka Hristova (a traditional singer from the older generation). An almost crazy amalgamation, as most Bulgarians will probably attest. I think Slavi is playing the role of Simon... although on a couple of occasions in the qualifying rounds he passed women because they were "sexy" and not necessarily because he thought they had musical talent. To quote him: "Sexy women is what Music Idol needs." I look forward to seeing some of those sexy but talentless ladies in action :)

А Work Week Outside of Sofia

I spent the past week at the AGRA Fair in Plovdiv (the second largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia). Among the many other things we do, every year our company works with the Dutch Embassy to organize and manage their stand at the fair. This year, 8 Dutch companies in the field of agriculture had sent representatives to the stand. All in all, it was a busy but interesting week and I was happy to get away from the office for a while. A few observations:

1. Dutch people can be really fun! What you most frequently hear about the Dutch is that they are a little cold and quite stingy. Well, the group at the fair were nothing like that--towards the end, it was almost hard for me to keep up with their level of drinking and wanting to go out every night!

2. Bulgarians are really surprised when you are nice and friendly to them and you answer their questions with patience and a smile. While at the stand, my colleague and I had to hand out brochures, translate for the Dutch representatives and potential customers, and answer all sorts of questions (from "Where do I hand in my lottery slip?"--we had nothing to do with the lottery, mind you--to "So what are you guys selling?"). However, doing so with a smile seemed to amaze people. They were even more amazed when we would offer them a plastic bag to keep all their brochures in. We got responses such as "Oh, you are sooo kind" and "Finally, someone friendly at this fair!" At the end of it all, one man even gave me a small booklet he had written (which he also signed for me) because apparently I had been really kind to him. I myself have always been put off by most Bulgarians' lack of client-orientedness, but the divide between client-friendly and -unfriendly seemed to really stand out at this fair.

3. I was a little sad to see so many people get extremely excited by the opportunity for freebies--pens, calendars, caps, keychains--at one point as we were handing pens and caps out people started getting almost aggressive and grabbing them out of our hands. For days after we had given everything we had away people would still stop by and ask if we had any pens or keychains left. It reminded me once again of how stark the difference in Bulgarians' economic wellbeing still is.

4. The fair seemed to attract a lot of retirees--who, having nothing to do all day, would wander around and stop to chat with people at every stand. We had one old man stop by our stand almost daily and reminisce about how things were back in the 50s and 60s. It was endearing (at least for me) to see.

5. Plovdiv is a really cool town. I have always been enamored by the Old Town... which I wandered through once again, but the new part also boasts some interesting restaurants and places to go out. We even happened upon a live appearance by Te (a Bulgarian band).

Smiling... and why

Things that make me smile today:
1. It is Friday.
2. No matter how crazy it gets at work I can always block out the sounds and part of the stress by listening to frisky radio.
3. I am going to see another play tonight--Sexx with Andrey Batashov.
4. It appears I received a comment to my post Beautiful Bodies from Laura Cunningham--the playwright of "Beautiful Bodies", the play I absolutely loved. Google never ceases to amaze me.
5. I am surrounded by friends and family--at the office, virtually, in Sofia, in the US... and in other parts of the world--from Spain to New Zealand... every time I remember that, the thought makes me smile.
6. I look forward to the John Digweed gig tomorrow at City Center Sofia Mall.

What puts a smile on your face today?

Fitness... BG Style

A couple of weeks ago I started going to an aerobics-type class to get back into shape... it's basically a mixture of different things like step and exercises with weights. It kicked my butt the first time but I am getting into the swing of things. Tonight, however, I noticed some interesting things about my "classmates". There are those really obsessive ones. Dead set on losing weight, they wear as many layers as possible in order to sweat more and often even wear weird tight velcro-type wraps around their butts, thighs, or stomachs... again, in order to sweat more in those places. It cracks me up! Then there is the other extreme... those who aren't really interested in the class, are there probably because a friend coerced them to go, and who when following along with the instructor, actually don't seem to be putting any effort into it, but rather, seem to be dancing. Tonight, I was especially amused by this one girl who honestly looked like she was at a rave, waving her arms in a trance-like motion. I know I am not supposed to be making fun, but I just couldn't help but notice how bizarre that looked. Granted, I probably look silly too, but that is for someone else to judge.

Beautiful Bodies

I have been to the theatre quite often lately. As I've mentioned previously, it is one of the things I love about Sofia.

Last night, I went to see "Beautiful Bodies" by Laura Cunningham (directed by Vladimir Liutskanov) in Театър Сълза и Смях (translates as Tears and Laughter Theatre). I wasn't really in the mood for theatre... but given that the performance had been postponed from January (and I had bought the tickets in December), it was high time I saw this very in-demand play. I was very pleasantly suprised... I had heard it was good, but I have started taking such comments with a grain of salt not to build up my expectations too much. It left me feeling pensive, wistful, happy, and nostalgic at the same time... and I appreciate any play, film, book that can cause such a spectrum of emotions... it was funny, yet sad; depressing, yet hopeful; far-fetched and yet so realistic. I also won't hide the fact that its themes and cast reminded me of Sex and the City... my all-time favorite TV series. I leave you with a brief synopsis (below) in Bulgarian as well as a link to The NY Times' review of the book .

If you spot this play somewhere--whether in Sofia or abroad (especially if you are of the female sex :) ), go check it out... it's definitely worth it in my opinion.

Красиви тела

премиера, НДТ "Сълза и смях"

по Лора Кънингам

участват: Стефания Колева, Нона Йотова, Искра Ангелова, Нети, Кристина Янева, Силвия Лулчева.

Шест приятелки на възраст между 30 и 36 години се събират на купон, за да отпразнуват забременяването на една от тях. Джеси е разведена писателка, имаща нещастието да се влюбва в мъже, които винаги заминават. Прекрасна домакиня, тя прекарва времето си в очакване на телефонен звън и в мечти за уютен дом и семейство. Нина е цапната в устата, леко цинична, непрекъснато е на диети. Има салон за маникюр. Малко прибързано ляга с мъжете, последната й авантюра е с дзен будиски монах. Елизабет е модел. Слаба, красива, отнесена, сълзлива, глуповата в наивността си, тя е изоставена от любовника си и вече цяла година чака той да преодолее кризата си. Има проблем с наркотиците. Марта е най-преуспялата - има агенция за недвижими имоти. Прагматична, еснафка, нетактична, досадна, има импотентен годеник, когото търпи, за да не даде повод за клюки. Сю Карол е нереализирана актриса, която работи като сервитьорка. Без деца, стисната, фригидна, прекаляваща с алкохола, но общо взето трогателна. Току що е направила важна крачка в живота си - напуснала е мъжа, който й изневерява. Виновницата за партито Клер е музикантка, авантюристка и бунтарка по природа. Въпреки незавидното финансово положение, в което се намира, тя е решила да остави детето, появило се след една единствена романтична нощ с почти непознат мъж - едно от онези емоционални избухвания, които нямат обяснение.
Очарователната женска компания заплита трагикомичен разказ за пропуснати възможности, изгубено време, безсмислени компромиси, ограбващи връзки, самотност, лъжи, любовни авантюри...

Spread the Chalga Word

Only a few days after Petya complained about having a certain chalga song stuck in her head (which by the way is mentioned in the article to follow)... my sister came across the following article. So it seems that now even the rest of Europe will learn of the "monster" that is chalga. A few excerpts (бисери) from it that made me laugh:

1. Throngs of visitors descend on the venue from every angle; from young people to young families, soldiers to students, all united in one aim: to lose themselves in the thrill of a Chalga concert. (Оh, yes, the thrill....)
2. Forget Berlin's ultra-minimalist techno scene or Paris's fanfare-musette; the ethnic pop genre is tailored to Sofia's younger generation. You'll find a typical Chalga fan immersing themselves in the music of choice after a hard day’s work, often wearing themselves out on a weekend in one of the numerous 'folkotheques.' (Apparently, this is the new European cool music genre...)
3. Critics are solely in the ranks of rock singers and music researchers (hmmm, what about the rest of the chalga-hating population... or is the author implying that we are all chalga lovers at heart, but just don't know it yet? i.e., that we need to come out of the chalga-phobic closet, so to speak?)

Anyway, I think it's all around quite amusing (and somewhat informative for those who know nothing of chalga)... so, enjoy.

Friday News from Sofia

A few pieces of news:

1) It is an extremely sunny and warm day today (13 degrees C, 55 F)... no need for a jacket... guess it really is too much to hope for snow in Sofia.

2) Traffic has been blocked in the city center by taxi drivers since this morning. The reason? A 51-year old taxi driver from the cab company OK Supertrans was stabbed to death at 3 am this morning :(. Taxi drivers are making demands for their safety, as well as a thorough investigation of this and previous taxi driver murders (sadly, this is not the first time that this has happened). More information, including photos of the protests, on dnes.bg. Yes, they have a point to protest... but at the same time it made getting to work this morning a nightmare for most. Orlov most (a big intersection in Sofia) was completely deserted...and people had resorted to walking instead of using public transportation. All of this reminded me of the protests against the government in 1996-97 and the many public transportation strikes at the time, which forced me to walk the 7-8 kms home from school quite a few times....

3) A big walking demonstration/protest against the death sentences of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya will be held this evening starting at 18h from the National Palace of Culture. Finally, the public is waking up to this tragedy. More and more companies (including all Bulgarian airlines) and people are posting/wearing the "You Are Not Alone" ribbons.

**Apologies that the linked information is only in Bulgarian... I couldn't find English versions anywhere.

Magic on Ice

One of the things that all Bulgarians are proud of are our ice dance skaters Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski (who is originally from Russia). They are simply amazing! Last year was a big year for them--they became World Champions as well as gold medalists at several Grand Prix ice skating events. Well, tonight I had the luck and privilege to watch them live... at the Winter Palace in Sofia. They authored the first ice gala-type show in Bulgaria with the participation of several other world-renowned skaters. The show was purely magical... and I will have to repeat again that Albena and Maxim are amazing. I am so excited by what I saw tonight that I will share with you one of their performances--of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is one of their best. Enjoy!

The Man with the Toys

This post is directed mostly at people who live in Sofia. Have any of you noticed the man walking around with a tray of toys (mostly stuffed toys) in the city center? He most frequently walks around the Grafa, Slaveikov, Rakovski area. Does he sell them? It's not like he is shouting out prices or anything that would signal he is selling them. I guess I have to make a note of what toys are on his tray next and compare them to the following time I spot him--to determine whether some of them are different and might have been sold.

Anyways, I have spotted him quite a few times, including once in McDonald's when he simply came in to rearrange his toys on the tray and warm up a little bit. Just something peculiar from my everyday commute to and from work. Maybe I should approach him next time I see him?

The Art of Planning

There are many differences between people in the U.S. (even Bulgarians living there) and people in Bulgaria. One of them is how they plan or don't plan things. What do I mean specifically?

Well, for example, in the U.S. if you wanted to hang out with someone, you have to pick a date at least 2 weeks in advance; otherwise, the person most likely won't be free. In Bulgaria, sometimes even if you talk to someone the day of (trying to figure something out for the same evening), they might still tell you, "Let's talk a little bit later. Can't make a plan right now." Having gotten used to the former, it was a little bit hard for me at first to switch to the latter. But what I have come to realize is that most frequently with the BG-way of planning (if I can call it that), you actually do get to see the person... whereas with the US-style, people have quite a lot of time to back out (and often do)...that is, plans are not taken that seriously. Here, I feel like if you definitely say you will meet up with someone, it's a commitment broken only if you are sick or something really out-of-the-ordinary happens. And I think I prefer it this way.

Ridding the world of poverty... with no socks on

This interesting piece of news was displayed on the front page of the BBC News Web site yesterday.

I am not sure exactly what to think of it. If the man who heads one of the most powerful organizations in the world can't afford to buy (or care to buy) new socks.... well, what does that bode for the "developing countries" he is focused on saving? Just a curiosity I thought I would pass on.

thanks again to ahsan.m--my partner on the lookout for curious news :)