На Кафе с Гала
There is something very beautiful about waking up on Wednesday morning and knowing that it is really Friday because you are not going back to work this week. I swear coffee tastes better on a Friday. We have big plans for this weekend starting with hopefully a big dance marathon tonight. I am counting it as a cardio session in celebration of Ascension Thursday!
This being a short week my evenings have been less hectic with lots of time for extra curricular activities (mostly finishing tax returns…fun). I didn’t even have to cook because I prepared an enormous zucchini dish on Sunday night which I should be able to finish today for lunch. My work station:
One of my favourite things in the world these days seems to be cooking while watching Na Kafe with Gala. If you haven’t heard of her she is the Bulgarian Oprah (although I can’t be entirely sure as I have not seen even a single episode of Oprah’s show:) with a daily morning show which lasts a couple of hours. Thankfully it is available to watch online from Europe. Now, I realize that watching Na Kafe might not be a very popular activity for Bulgarian women my age. It might be that I like the show so much precisely because I am not in Bulgaria – nostalgia makes you look at things differently sometimes (Slavi Trifonov is the best!) But I really think it is a very relaxing, positive, sometimes silly show so I might have watched it even if I lived in Bulgaria, who knows?
Since Na Kafe runs for several hours every single workday they have a lot of regular segments – my favourite being the Monday’s morning session with Dr Papazova (a health guru). I am all about natural health so I absolutely support Dr Papazova’s general message. It is so important for people to be given the knowledge and constant reminders that it is not so difficult to be healthy – whole foods and exercise, that is all. I’ve learned a lot from these Monday morning sessions. They also provide a healthy dose of laughter because sometimes the message is a bit extreme in that “You will all DIE” way (I always give Na Kafe the benefit of the doubt thinking that they must be exaggerating to make a point). Dr Papazova might sound a bit crazy from time to time or she is the world’s best comedian – so good that she pretends to not find anything she does funny. Just the other day she was showing Gala her morning exercise routine which consists of heavy breathing as far as I could tell. She then warned that the exercise has an impact on her sexual energy which she is very keen to preserve strong and consistent. Gotta love that woman! No matter though, she has provided me with so much useful information over the months that I have no issue tolerating her delivery.
Then there is Judji’s news. What can be said about Judji. Well for starters Bugi knows her name which is a huge compliment to her since Na Kafe is really not targeted at men anyway. Judji’s personality is very bright and light. Her laughter is contagious and even though she rarely says anything substantial on the program (her segment is about recent celebrity news) her personality shines through. The rare moments when she speaks about serious issues, like the time she fell into a severe depression, have made me like her even more. Judji, if you ever get to read this – you are the best!
Na Kafe also has a cooking segment hosted by the wonderful Elitsa – a top chef that is always so grumpy that you just have to laugh. She has some mad cooking skills and I believe a very good restaurant in Sofia which I hope to visit one day. Elitsa is the exact opposite of Judji and yet her constant bickering with Gala is well natured and makes for entertaining TV. Let’s face it, cooking shows can be so boring and a grumpy chef just adds that spice to keep it fresh.
Na Kafe also always has a celebrity guest towards the end of the show that comes to have coffee with Gala. This segment obviously depends on who the guest is so some can be good and some I just fast forward through. I personally find that Chalga singers make for the most interesting guests. Chalga singers deserve a whole post of their own but if you are not familiar with them they generally look like Playboy bunnies and sing folk songs. Sometimes the songs can be very vulgar so Bulgarian society is divided into the ones that listen to Chalga and the ones that consider the genre an offence to their intelligence. Since I don’t live in the country I have been able to take a more detached look at this whole Chalga phenomenon. Na Kafe keeps me acquainted with all the singers and their love stories – I treat this as a social experiment. These girls are so popular in Bulgaria that I have to know a little bit about them to understand where my own society is going. Plus let’s face it – I love gossip and this is good drama. Some of these signers are quite entertaining in that “Oh my God I can’t believe she said that” way while others are “Oh my God I can’t believe you sound so normal and like a great person”. So with Gala’s help I’ve managed to classify Chalga and its singers as “grey territory”. Some of the songs are actually good and the video clips they produce are MTV quality (probably because there is a lot of money to be invested in the Chalga industry given its popularity).
Sometimes Gala’s guests are famous people in Bulgaria – actors, writers, main stream singers. These interviews are also very good for my education so I can be informed of who is doing what and why in Bulgaria. They also sometimes host some of the stars in Bulgaria that were famous and established back when I lived there. This brings a lot of nostalgia but I keep watching because of my clear masochistic tendencies.
My favourite segment by far is discontinued this season but I hope they bring it back. Last season they had this guy who one a week got to explain to Bulgaria the world’s conspiracies. This segment had very high entertainment value and Bugi joined me to watch each instalment. We laughed and our jaws dropped many times at the wisdoms uttered.
Last but not least I really like Gala. She is a gorgeous, intelligent, nice, down to earth, independent. If you have not been to Bulgaria before just remember that all Bulgarian women look just like her (present company included). I find her show relaxing and entertaining precisely because of the way she leads it – she is very intelligent so all of the things I make fun of and find a bit ridiculous she finds ridiculous too. Nothing is lost on her. But the show is a positive one, there is a lot of talk about babies, cooking, diets – it is meant to be relaxing. And so I laugh at the bits I find a tad more ridiculous and listen to the informative segments and in the end I learn a lot about my country.
Guten Morgen!
Ah what a beautiful day it is outside. One thing Bugi and I are learning to appreciate and love is that when the weather forecast says “rain” in Zurich that means “it will rain for 30 minutes at some point during the day but the rest will be sunny and beautiful”. In London “rain” means “you will not see the sun or the skies today…and tomorrow…and the day after tomorrow”. We are still living in fear that Zurich might turn out to resemble London in terms of weather (especially because people here complain about the weather aaaaall the time) but for now fingers crossed, knock on wood, everything is good (and to those people who complain – I pray that you never have to find out how much worse it can get).
I am feeling more and more settled here, I feel comfortable now. We have a routine people which means we have been around long enough now to start exploring the city in a bit more detail. We went to the Swiss history museum this weekend. The exhibition was very good and I can safely say that this is the first time I have seen a whole section dedicated to banks and bankers in a history museum:)
Zurich is a tiny tiny city (and I absolutely love that about it!) but it has an edge. Walking around some parts of town you would think that it is a bit boring….and rich….and old. But then you stumble upon the seedy sex shops in the old town and bham – you are almost in Amsterdam (so not true but I can dream). Still though, they do have this enormous funny sculpture in the middle of the central station:
It is apparently called ” Guardian Angel” and weighs over 1 tonne. Any city that has a statue like that hanging in such a prominent place deserves to be called hip!
Not convinced? Here is a view from behind which is bound to win your hearts!
Love it!
Hooked Up – Becoming a Runner
Friends,
I think today was the tipping point – today was the day when I enjoyed my run sooo much that I finally understood why “runners” exist. I was so confused when I went to the US and met people who defined themselves as “runners”. When a guy explained to me how once a week he runs for several hours and he drives along the route in advance to leave some food and water for himself on the way. And the guy was so skinny that he was clearly not doing these runs to gain muscle mass. Why then? I always found this obsession with running very very strange. For me it was always a chore – something you do for cardio exercise, to burn calories and to be able to eat ice cream in the evening.
Today I discovered the secret of becoming a runner. My running route might have had something to do with it:
I have run outside before but that was in London. And no, running in heavy traffic and rain/fog is not that fun. Frankly, it is also very dangerous. Plus London is so crowded that even in parks you can never be alone and I am a very self conscious runner (especially given my current pace…..veeeery slow!)
Running in Zurich is a very different story. The city is so beautiful what with the lake and the snow covered Alps in the distance. Traffic is a joke compared to London. And if you don’t want any traffic well you can always head left or right and in about 5 minutes you will reach a path like this one:
I ran for about 30 minutes on this route that follows a little creak. I saw about 10 people in total – either on bicycles or walking their dogs. Peace, quiet, nature. I was actually running uphill during the entire time and I honestly did not feel tired or bored and not once did I think to myself that I should stop and walk (in contrast I constantly have to convince myself that I should not walk when I am on the treadmill). Maybe I was distracted by my new playlist. But who can get bored when in real nature?
Do you see the enormous bird in the water? Beautiful.
When I finished my 34 minutes of the Couch 2 5K today I turned around and walked down the same route. Within 5 minutes I started singing. And then I started skipping. And I was smiling. I am smiling now actually just thinking about it.
I am so going back tomorrow!
Kids (2)
Recently I went to visit my sister and got to spend some time with my lovely nieces. I am clearly biased but these two are seriously the two cutest little girls that I have ever seen! And since I can’t show you pictures to convince you I will have to tell you a few things I learned that day and you can judge for yourself:
1. Always Always And Forever Wear Pink Tights!
I really shouldn’t be explaining this one to you but if you are a bit confused you will understand why this is the most important rule to remember in a second – keep reading.
2. Running is Cool
The Couch 2 5K plan that Auntie is doing is not cool. After all where is the fun in running so you can finish 30 minutes of slow but uninterrupted jogging? That’s boring and of course you need great music or some other distraction to get you through the dullness. Nope, that is no way to enjoy running because you see, running is only fun if you 1) are running away from someone (preferably while at the same time giggling uncontrollably) or 2) are running to catch butterflies (or as my bilingual nieces call them – papillons). Butterflies are fast and change direction fast thereby making you train on uneven terrain (providing extra training for various wiggly areas of our midsections). And since you are running to catch the butterfly you have to give it your all, run as quick as the wind!
And then when you get bored or distracted (much more common) in 15 seconds and a total of 2 metres down the road … well, just stop. No guilt, after all you were not running to complete a silly plan – no, you were running to catch a butterfly. The minute you see a pretty flower you absolutely have to stop and pick it. Butterflies are pretty but everyone knows that flowers are better.
3. Be Kind
Now obviously all flowers are pretty and if there is only one around then you should probably keep it for yourself. But since it is spring and flowers are everywhere just be kind. Pick some and give them to the people you love – like Auntie. She will love the flower so much but since you know that she is careless and might accidentally drop it a few minutes later just keep an eye on it and remind her every 2 minutes that you gave her this flower and will she take it with her to Zurich?
4. Be Explicit in What You Love (PINK) and People Will Bring You Presents You Love
A pink puppy covered in real diamonds!
And a pink diamond ring! Good, you have been explicit about what you like and what you don’t like and people deliver. The only issue is that you now have to make sure others don’t steal your gifts (like for example your mother who seems to love the pink diamond ring as much as you and is trying to convince you to lend it to her for her next work meeting). If others like and want your stuff tell them politely that they cannot have it and then make sure you tell their husband to buy them a huge pink diamond ring. If that doesn’t work and people are still trying to take your stuff just take it and run (preferably while giggling uncontrollably).
5. Always Introduce Your New Friends To Your Old Friends
Think about it – it would be so much more fun if you could all hang out together. Plus, bears and pandas must get along well – they are both bears, right? And if for some reason they don’t hit it off … well you can all just stare and admire the pink sparkly puppy.
6. Be A Good Hostess
When someone comes to visit you in your home make sure you prepare a meal from scratch. No need to go crazy and cook for hours in advance. In fact, remember that cooking is a great social activity so you can prepare the meal while your friend is enjoying a coffee. That way you can catch up and they can help you in the preparation. Everybody wins!
If your guests insist that they are not hungry when you share the recipe, politely assure them that they will love the meal, ignore their protests and proceed with cooking.
A SALAD (raw, vegan and gluten free)
Recipe:
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Note: You will NEED a plastic knife to be able to prepare this one. If you don’t have one in your house (preferably a pink one) shame on you!
Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1 red pepper
1 carrot
Instructions:
1. Cut the cucumber into small pieces using your pink plastic knife.
2. Cut the pepper into small pieces. If the pink plastic knife doesn’t cut very well then just rip the pepper into chunks.
3. Find someone with access to an actual knife to cut the carrot into small chunks for you because as beautiful as the pink plastic knife is it will just not work here. While they are cutting you can sing
for them.
Phew, ok by now probably 45 minutes have passed but you are almost ready!
4. Soak the veggies into water for about an hour so they can “cook” properly.
5. Add a splash of oil and stir well. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
For Kids (1) Click There —-> CLICKETY CLICK
Star Trek Should Be Mandatory For Children (Part 2)
For Part 1 Click There —-> CLICKETY CLICK
Bugi had told me about the utopian future reality that Star Trek was famous for but I never really thought that it would be such a strong theme of the series. For those of you still living in ignorance (probably two of you so I will spend 2 sentences on this) the Star Trek series takes place sometime far into the future where the human race has evolved so much not only in technological terms but also in terms of morality. All the things that we care about today are casually referred to as “outdated rituals when humans cared too much about this or that”. The New Enterprise series follows the crew of the enterprise headed by Jean Luc Picard in their explorations of space.
So, without further ado 5 reasons why I wish I watched Star Trek as a child, why this series will be mandatory viewing for our kids and why Star Trek Should be mandatory for all children:
1. Curiosity is important:
The Enterprise is the best ship in the fleet of the federation and it is dedicated to exploration. May I just point out how weird this set up actually is? Basically these guys built an enormous beautiful ship, filled it with the best of the best in terms of technology and they just use it for exploration! Sure, the Enterprise has great weapons and shields but these are only used for defensive purposes. Never to invade, never to interfere. This lust for conquering other nations/planets is referred to as a long gone silly passion that humans used to have but thankfully it has disappeared. People are better in the future. They don’t need more of everything. And that is why the best ship does not fight wars but instead goes from one corner of the universe to the other out of curiosity. The aim is to discover new things, to understand better, to learn. Curiosity and a passion for exploration are the highest virtues in the future.
2. Diversity is no big deal:
The crew of the Enterprise is mostly human but it still has a few members that are aliens. They are different and accepted. Everyone is aware of their different heritage and respects their traditions. The crew also meets different aliens along their travels and though each new people is observed with curiosity, there is also respect for the different. Still, when they meet a society that is say blatantly sexist (with either the men or the women in a weaker position) the crew recognizes that this particular tradition is similar to the ancient human sexist thinking which has long been abandoned. They do not interfere, they do not preach. They try to learn as much as possible about the society/planet and then let it be. The theme of how different each one of us is irrespective of whether we are alien or human is reenforced in each episode. It is cool to be different, to see things differently, to take insults at things that might seem silly to me and to worship a God that I do not believe exists. This diversity is the very fabric of the universe and is therefore to be awarded the utmost respect.
3. Say NO to Drama:
The humans aboard the Enterprise do not exhibit a lot of strong emotions. There is no drama, no sex, no huge love stories, no greed or jealousy. And so sometimes these characters might appear a bit boring, stagnant, too controlled. After all to feel is to be human, isn’t it? And to make mistakes driven by our human passions is the prerogative of humans, isn’t it? Well, in Star Trek this is not what makes humans humans. The big question of humanity is explored at length through Data’s struggle to understand and be more human (himself being an android). Instead of constantly being preached about love and pitied for the fact that he will never be able to experience this most human of human emotions, in the future humanity is more about having a sense of humour, truly understanding what funny is. I love this subtle way of making a huge point. No, being so passionate about something that you become irrational is not a defining human characteristic anymore. Instead, it is considered a flaw, one that humanity outgrew a long, long time ago.
4. Being Competitive With Others Is Not A Virtue
There is no competitiveness – you do not have to beat others to win. Everyone on the Enterprise is satisfied with exactly what their job is and they don’t all want to be the captain. There is one captain and he does his job well. If for some reason he cannot perform anymore he can be replaced but there is no constant plotting against him. Nobody is lusting after his job and the respect that he gets for his position. Can you imagine this ever happening in today’s world? We are all so competitive with each other all the time. It is so tiring and so pointless and yet I am guilty of this perhaps more often than the average person. The truth is of course that we are all in competition with ourselves – to be better, to learn more, to do more with each day that passes. To be the very best people we can be. There are no comparisons to the others. It is just me and whether the others are more powerful, more respected, more this and more that is simply irrelevant.
5. Learn About Art and Philosophy
Jean Luc Picard (aka my new found hero) is an idealistic character – he is smart, wise, patient, always knows what to do, responsible, compassionate, and the list goes on and on. He is pretty much a celebrity in this future world because he is the captain of the star ship in the fleet. Despite the fact that he appears to be French (otherwise the name would be a bit misleading) he seems to be what I would call the perfect kind of snobbish European (and very British as well which I can’t quite reconcile yet but I guess the writers couldn’t really distinguish between British and French posh habits:) For example – he drinks Earl Grey tea with sandwiches. Money is somehow extinct in the future but Earl Grey and the tea ritual has clearly transcended time! He rides horses and enjoys fencing. And best of all he considers the study of art and philosophy one of the most important educations a man can have. I really really love that about Mr Picard. In a future where TV does not exist (apparently it was a hobby that lost its appeal to the masses in 2040) the man spends all of his free time reading about the softer arts. Well, I would like my children to grow up admiring someone like that (their mother included obviously….so I will have to kick that People magazine habit when we decide to have children:)
To be continued….
NATALCHO
magical. time traveller. poet enthusiast. living abroad. very fond of compliments.
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