BasBasBas.com

Author: Bas

  • Off to Istanbul!

    I’m off to Istanbul today. It’s only been 6 months since I came back to Holland from Bulgaria where I lived for half a year. Now it’s time to get myself over to Istanbul for half a year of studying abroad. Since my girlfriend’s been in Holland with me for the last weeks and she’s from Sofia, we’re both flying to Sofia, Bulgaria tonight. I’ll be staying there a night and then I’m taking a 10-12 hour busride to Istanbul. Wednesdaymorning, I should be there.

    It looks like Wednesday’s going to be a bit crazy… Out of the bus, into the taxi. Out of the taxi, into the hostel. Out of the hostel, into the classroom for some intensive Turkish language courses. FIrst things first though, I’m leaving in a few hours and still haven’t completely packed yet, plus I need to get myself a new insurance for my stay abroad (but I know which to take, it’s just a matter of signing up). So I’m going to leave you like this. EntreCard users; I’ll try to drop back to the best of my ability, but the next days might be a bit chaotic, so I can’t promise anything. Keep dropping though!

    To all the people I know in Holland; I’ve had a great time… To the people I know in Istanbul; see you soon! 🙂

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  • Some “Thank You”s go out to…

    This month’s EC top droppers. These are the people who stopped by my blog the most to “drop” a card at the widget at the top right. Since a drop’s always well-appreciated, I make sure to drop back, but another sign of thanks is presenting the top droppers of this month publicly. 🙂

    1) Wonderful Pic Collection – About 2 funny pictures per day are posted on this site. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.

    2) iWalk, U2? – A travel blog & travel guide. Well-written and well-designed.

    2) Travel Asia – An Asian travel blog.

    2) From A Yellow House In England – The blog of an American ex-pat who lives in the English countryside.

    5) Chuvaness… Chakanesss… Eclavu… – One of the most popular ex-pat sites on Entrecard. This blog’s written by a ‘Pinay dreamer’.

    6) What a bald guy told me about technology! – A personal ‘technology’ blog about gadgets and software.

    6) Search Engine Panel – A blog by a Toronto Search Engine Optimization expert.

    6) Sonnie’s Porch – An Assistant Vice President’s take on life, from the Phillipines.

    6) PragueConnection – Travel stories from a guy based in Prague.

    6) The Traveling Pants – A blog covering a family’s travels, but often relating it to some historical background.

    As you notice, many people tied. Would like to be in this list? Start dropping.

    To all droppers: thanks a lot. 🙂

  • PhotoHunt: Wrinkled

    I took this shot during the Global Day of Action for Tibet on the Dam square in Amsterdam. Besides this being one of the few pictures that corresponded with the theme, I also feel quite strong about the Tibetan issue. If you haven’t already, check out the BBC documentary “Undercover in Tibet” (for free via the link).

    To see the whole album of pictures I took during the Global Day of Action, click here.

    If you have a wrinkled picture of your own to share and you’re a PhotoHunter, be sure to leave your name and a direct link to the post below! All PhotoHunt posts get Stumbled!

    Technorati: PhotoHunt

    Previous PhotoHunts.

  • PhotoHunt: Colourful

    I took this picture during my trip to Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria. I was having dinner on a terrace and this stray dog kept begging people for food, shoving its head through the fence and putting it on people’s tables. First time I really saw a stray dog like that, but during my five month stay in Bulgaria I saw many. It was also featured as photo of the day on the website of Radio Bulgaria (the international service of the Bulgarian National Radio).

    To see the whole album of the pictures I took in Veliko Turnovo, click here.

    Got a story to share about stray dogs? Your experiences in Bulgaria or Eastern Europe?

    If you have a colourful picture of your own to share and you’re a PhotoHunter, be sure to leave your name and link below! All PhotoHunt posts get Stumbled!

    Technorati: PhotoHunt

    Previous PhotoHunts.

  • Monkeys and grasshoppers!

    Last Thursday we decided to go to a park near Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, called “Apenheul“. Literally, this means “Monkeyhill”, but I like to refer to it as Monkeyland. Before I continue and tell you about the monkeys, I’d like to direct your attention to the pictures above.

    Yes, it is what it looks like. I ate grasshoppers. Since they were fried they mostly tasted like… fried stuff, but I have to say it wasn’t bad. For €4.- we got a portion of about 6 grasshoppers so I suppose they’re supposed to be eaten as a delicacy. I expected a lot more and when I saw the plate with just 6 grasshoppers I felt disappointed and relieved at the same time, as you can imagine.

    Time for some monkeys now. I went to the park with Tsvety, my girlfriend, and Petar, a Bulgarian student and friend of mine who lives here in The Netherlands.

    One of the first types of monkeys we came across is this beauty at the left. The monkeys in this park are not in cages, but instead have their own areas or, if they’re dangerous (like gorillas), their own island. So most of the monkeys you see can be just a meter away from you (3 feet), or less!

    On the Monkeyland map they write down the feeding times, which is a particularly special time to go and have a look. You’re not allowed to touch or play with the monkeys, because they want them to be as ‘wild’ as possible instead of them being used to human contact. Yet the most fascinating time to see them is when they’re in contact with people.

    This doesn’t go for all the monkeys though. They have a group of bonobo apes, which are, I believe, the lifeform that’s closest to human beings and watching them is just fascinating. They are so man-like in their behaviour and movements. It’s almost like it’s people dressed up as apes.

    I think we as human beings are very arrogant to think we are much more than these apes. Go to this park and have a look at the human behaviour in there. We act like animals, pushing each other to be able to see more, cutting in line at the food places, mimicking our fellow Earthlings. 😀

    I’d like to leave you with some more ‘family pictures’. Enjoy!

    And finally our decapitated delicassy 😉

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  • Erasmus Intensive Language Course… To do or not to do?

    Since I’m going to study at a university in Istanbul through the EU’s Erasmus program, I was allowed to sign up for a (free) Turkish language course under the Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC) program. I immediately jumped on it, since it had many other advantages, such as free accommodation at the Istanbul University campus.

    Then I found out that my own university, Yeditepe University, would also be offering Turkish language courses. I found out that the EILC courses overlap with the courses I’m supposed to be following at Yeditepe. Plus, they decided to put us into hostels instead of the campus and we’d have to pay for it ourselves. If I’m going to be in a hostel, I’d like to pick it myself, besides… I’d have enough to do anyway, such as finding an apartment, people to live with and getting myself orientated. So I sent them an email.

    EILC Cancellation Email

    Hi,

    I’d like to inform you by this email that I won’t be able to attend the EILC courses starting this August. It’s a great service, but I’m afraid time won’t allow me to attend a considerable number of the classes, so I feel it’s better for me to withdraw.

    Kind regards,
    Bastiaan
    Student at INHOLLAND Amsterdam/Diemen
    The Netherlands

    Apparently they won’t take no for an answer. As you see I sent this email on July 28 and today I got an email back with an acceptance letter dated August 8.

    This got me thinking… Should or shouldn’t I do the EILC? It will offer me an opportunity to meet Erasmus students from all over the city, going to one out of many universities in Istanbul. Maybe I can team up with some people and find an apartment even. Having said that, I’m sure the hostel will evening clocks and things like that and I really enjoy my freedom.

    If any of you have experience with studying abroad, help me out. When I was living in Sofia, Bulgaria, quite a few of my friends were Erasmus students and they had gone through the EILC course… I must say, I wasn’t very impressed with the level of their Bulgarian. A few were ok, but most hadn’t really learned anything. Compared to most of them, my Bulgarian, that I learned on the street, was better. And learning a language on the street is of course much more exciting than learning it in a classroom or protected environment. 😉

    What are your thoughts on this? Should I remind them I cancelled, or just go to the courses?

  • EntreCard my way

    EC LogoWhile using EntreCard, I’m doing a couple of things to add even more value to my actions or drops. Since it’s rainy and grey outside (can’t wait to go to Turkey), it’s a perfect day to write about it.

    Firstly, I’ll explain what EntreCard is. Secondly, I’ll go through some of the basics for all the readers who are not members yet. Thirdly, I’ll explain what I do in the form of some tips and pointers, so hopefully the whole EntreCard experience will become better for all of us. 🙂

    I find it extraordinarily hard to explain what EntreCard actually is. It’s a blogging community, it’s an advertising system, it’s a way to network with other blogs… On the main page Entrecard talks about themselves as “your businesscard 2.0”. The most essential thing about Entrecard is surfing to other community members’ blogs and “dropping” a card on their Entrecard widget (see top right sidebar). By dropping cards, you earn credits, which you then can spend to advertise on sites that are on Entrecard.

    Entrecard partnered with SezWho, a comment tracking system, so that it can give you credits every time you comment on another person’s blog. Great way to stimulate community-forming on members’ blogs! So as you’re going through your daily dropping, be sure to leave comments! Maybe you get tons of comments nowadays and they don’t mean much to you, but remember that time when one or two comments did matter. Comment on other blogs and experience the gratitude and reciprocation.

    Something else I do regarding comments on my own blog is I generally give them 5 stars through SezWho. What can I say? I love every one of them. This helps people to build their rep on the net.

    If you like a certain post on someone’s site, or like the whole overall site… Stumble it! Digg it! Whatever you use… Just do it! Write a Tweet about it, it doesn’t matter. When using Entrecard, many people are so wrapped up in it, that they forget to give a “thumbs up” for content they like. Start Stumbling content you like of other Entrecard users and you’ll notice that the next time people you stumbled visit your blog, they might leave a stumble before leaving.

    If you place an ad on a site… Stumble or Digg the site! Either when you apply for it, or on the day it’s actually running. Increase your chances of visitors in any way you can.

    Reciprocate drops. Check your inbox and reciprocate. That’s the easiest way to get a basic reader community on your site via Entrecard.

    Put some statistics on your website. I generally check for three things:

    • Number of subscribers to the site.
    • FEEDJIT. Since my blog’s about Istanbul, Turkey, it helps me to assess where most people’s visitors are from. I find that Europeans are generally more interested in my site than people from Indonesia or the Philippines.
    • BlogCatalog. It allows me to see how often the blog gets visitors. It shows the names of BlogCatalog community members and shows how long ago they visited the site. It gives me an indication of the traffic the site gets.

    When none of these are present, I can be a bit wary about spending my EC credits, but not always of course. A lot of Entrecard is about experimenting! After all, it’s just credits you’re spending, so spend away.

    Monitor your EC statistics, award your top ten droppers publically (giving an incentive for others to drop on your site regularly), and make friends! Because EC offers such a friendly environment, if you’re the least bit active, it’s impossible not to make friends. 😉
    If you liked this post, consider subscribing by RSS or email.

  • PhotoHunt: Dark


    .

    This is the first instalment of , so let me just explain to you what it is. Every Saturday a theme is announced and on Sunday you post a picture from your personal collection that goes with that theme. Without further ado… here is my photo for this week’s theme: dark.


    .

    I took this picture in November last year when I was living in Sofia, Bulgaria. As I was walking home from work one evening, the city was very dark and extremely foggy. This created a rather eerie atmosphere and I decided to capture it. Check out the entire collection.

    Have a look at the other entries at http://tnchick.com/archives/1166.

  • One World, One Dream?

    Even though they haven’t caught the spotlight of the big media, there’s quite a bit of ‘Tibetan’ protesting going on in Beijing. One of the protests was on Tiananmen square and lasted for ten minutes before the participants were detained and deported. Have a look at this video:




    Students for a Free Tibet sent the following statements:

    As China kicked off the 2008 Beijing Olympics yesterday, Tibetans and supporters in every part of the world staged hunger strikes, protest marches, solidarity vigils, and other direct actions to highlight China’s oppression in Tibet.

    Just hours ago, five Tibet supporters held a dramatic protest in Tiananmen Square, calling for an end to the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet. Four of the activists, lying down and draped in Tibetan national flags, staged a mock die-in with the famous portrait of Chairman Mao in the background. A fifth activist spoke about their reason for protesting there today. They were detained by security ten minutes after the protest began.

    Yesterday, three Tibet supporters, including SFT’s Grassroots Coordinator Kalaya’an Mendoza, protested near the entrance of the Bird’s Nest stadium, wearing Team Tibet t-shirts and holding up Tibetan flags in the air. Within 40 seconds, security guards tackled them to the ground. They were detained for several hours before they were deported. We are also happy to inform you that Iain, Lucy, Phil and Tirian – the four activists who were part of the banner hang action outside the Olympic stadium – are safely home after receiving a warm welcome from their friends, family and local Tibetans in their respective home countries.

    Meanwhile, Chemi Dolkar, a Tibetan-American who traveled to Beijing to speak out for Tibetan freedom, was detained at Beijing Airport for 15 hours and eventually deported. Chemi arrived in her hometown Minneapolis last night, and right now she is speaking with the media to keep the Tibetan plight in the spotlight. Many dozens of Tibetans planning to go to Beijing to protest against the Chinese government have been denied entry into China.

    The world is watching China today as the Olympics begin, and with the hundreds of actions taking place around the world – from Delhi to Kathmandu, Brussels to London, New York to San Francisco, Hong Kong to Toronto, and many more – the voices of the Tibetan people will be heard loud and clear despite the attempts of the Chinese authorities to silence them.

    Continue to check out www.freetibet2008.org for further updates on the global uprising for Tibet and to find out how you can join actions in areas near you.

    To support SFT’s continued efforts for Tibetan freedom, please make a donation today.

    Tibet will be free,

    Lhadon, Tendor, Kate, Heather, Han, Amy and the whole SFT HQ crew

    Great message I’d say.

    Meanwhile, during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, some Burmese people were commemorating the 08/08/’88 events.

    The demonstrations of 1988 culminated in a massive nation-wide show of People Power on August 8 in which hundreds of thousands of people marched to demand a change in government. These peaceful demonstrations were violently crushed by army troops who fired relentlessly on the unarmed crowds in Rangoon and other cities killing more than 10,000 student, civilian and Buddhist monk protesters throughout the country. Thousands were arrested. (Burmawatch)

    It’s a shame that we seem to have forgotten about Burma and I’m taking this opportunity to put another spotlight on the situation there. Burma Global Action Network just released an exclusive video from the International Burmese Monks Organisation containing a plea to the international community.



    Visit the sites mentioned and find out what you can do.

  • I’ve Got My Visa!

    There we go. Last thing I definitely needed to arrange before going to Istanbul for half a year. Looks like it’s a single entry visa though, meaning I can only visit the country once during these 6 months. I wonder if that means that if I leave the country, I have to get a new one. It wouldn’t be a problem, if it wasn’t for the residence permit I’m supposed to have.

    I checked the form I handed in to the embassy (I made a copy of it) and I requested multiple entry, so I’ll call in Monday to see if I can get things fixed. After all, I’ve got a lot of people in Bulgaria that I want to visit if I’m living that close to them, I might want to visit some other of Turkey’s neighbouring countries, and maybe I’d like to go home for Christmas or any other reason, who knows.

    Feel a lot more relaxed having handled this though. Especially since I probably won’t have to go to that dreadful place called Rotterdam anymore. Unless, of course, I get a multiple entry visa. Besides all of that… I’m so ready to get out of this rainy weather and head over to Istanbul for some serious adventures 😉

    The Turkish consulate was quite the place also… It’s like you step out of Holland and into Turkey just through one door. You enter a small security booth and then walk into a room with 95% Turkish people, Turkish signs only, and a few lost Dutch faces. Thankfully most employees speak Dutch and else they speak English.

    Istanbul here I come!

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