BasBasBas.com

Category: leisure

  • Ouch, my calves! (A lesson about barefoot running)

    Alright, lesson learned. If you’re going to start barefoot running, start slow. REALLY slow.

    If you’re following this blog, I bought them. Not just that, I even started a site dedicated to barefoot lifestyle. I’ve become convinced that going barefoot is a very interesting experiment (plus it feels great) and that it’s an upcoming trend. Why? Well, I ended up buying the Vibram Five Fingers. When I first saw them, I ridiculed them, more or less like everybody else. However, I bought these shoes for a great reason and my reasons make sense (you can read about this on my Squidoo lens). The product itself catches the attention of people, just before they start ridiculing it. I’m quite evangelical about my choice though (as with all my choices), so once I have their attention, I explain WHY I bought it, creating interest. Suddenly I find people quite open about  the shoes and suddenly not ridiculing them anymore. As a matter of fact, they’ll start asking questions instead.

    That’s the positive side of the experience. The other is a lesson. If you’re going to start barefoot running (or using minimalistic, barefoot simulating shoes, like the Vibram five fingers), then START SLOW. Imagine how slow you should start. Then HALF that. I normally do a 2 kilometer lap every two days or so. Just a 10 minute run, because I enjoy it. So when I went to try out the shoes, I loved the new way in which I was running. I ran about half and walked the other half, but I overdid it. Next day: terrible muscle ache. Day after that: STILL terrible muscle ache.

    Really, do yourself a favour and start slow! But not before doing yourself a bigger favour: go barefoot! 🙂

  • Ugly Shoes, an Ethiopian Hero, and a Mexican Tribe of Long Distance Runners

    I’m an information junkie. I don’t think I can say that I love reading, but I adore absorbing information. Today I read a great review of ugly shoes, which led me to look into a Mexican tribe and into the achievements of an Ethiopian athlete hero.

    It started with a review on CrunchGear. It’s basically about a type of shoe that wraps around every toe and why it’s so great for running. The article argued that we’re natural long distance runners and that before we had weapons, we’d chase animals for such lengths of time and distances that the animals would collapse after which we could kill them and eat them. This is no longer necessary for us in the west (both the running great distances to get food and the killing animals to use their meat for survival), but it doesn’t take away the fact that we have evolved as long distance runners.

    Five Fingers

    Next I looked at a book called Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen which is in part about athletes that run ultramarathons, which are 40 miles instead of 40 kilometers. One of these athletes joins a tribe of Native Americans in Mexico who are known for their long-distance running abilities.

    Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence.

    So the author trained with them and he learned a great deal. The Tarahumara Indians run barefoot, which apparently means less injuries and better running. Why? Modern shoes apparently cushion our heels so that we start running on our heels, sending shocks up our ankles, knees, hips and spines. Man is not supposed to run this way naturally, but instead we’re supposed to use the balls of our feet. We’re endurance runners by nature.

    Abebe BikilaSo I explored if there were any famous athletes that are barefoot runners and one story in particular amazed me. It’s the story of Abebe Bikila, an Ethiopian athlete who was the first black African to win an Olympic gold medal and the first athlete to winning the Olympic marathon twice. The first time he was a bit late with picking out his shoes and the pair he had were uncomfortable, so he couldn’t run a marathon with them. He decided to run barefoot, since that’s how he had practiced in Ethiopia anyway and he ended up breaking the world record. Four years later, just before the Olympics, Bikila had a case of acute appendicitis and was operated on. He then started practicing again almost immediately and won the marathon a second time.

    There’s surely something to be said for barefoot running. We are born as barefoot endurance runners, with tons of nerve endings in our foot to give us stimuli and instincts to help us interpret and act according to the stimuli. Now I want to start trying it out… I’m sure my neighbours must think I’m crazy running through their street on my bare feet, but not as crazy as if they’d see me in those shoes. I could always cycle a bit out of town of course. 🙂

    Love running? What do you think? Ever seriously tried barefoot running? What are your experiences? Will you consider barefoot running?

    By the way, in case you didn’t check out the link to the book I mentioned, you really should. Read the description and the interview with the author, it’s so fascinating. This will be the next book I buy! 🙂

  • How I’ve Lived Part 3 – My Flat in Sofia (Video)

    After part 1 and part 2, we’ve moved 4 years through time and we’ve reached the present moment!

    So, for all the friends and family around the world… This is how I’m living now. 😎

    Also available on Vimeo.

    And to my fellow expat bloggers who are reading/viewing this… please do something similar! I’m very curious to see how you’re living! 🙂

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • Vibrasphere at OUIM 5 Years in Sofia, Bulgaria (VIDEO!)

    A few weeks ago the Bulgarian psychedelic trance community, OUIM.org, celebrated its 5th birthday. They invited a bunch of great progressive psytrance DJs like Vibrasphere, Sandal Wood, Kalumet, Kliment and there were also some harder sounds from Bulgaria and Macedonia (see it here). Well, I went there and made a video… so without further ado, I present to you………. ME! :mrgreen:


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHLH31PKNvY

    Like it? Are you in Bulgaria also? Then come out to the Astral Projection party on the 4th of April!

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • Bulgaria’s inferiority complex?

    I’m sure I’ll offend someone with this; good. This needs to be said and people have to start becoming aware of this. The following is possibly the biggest hurdle for the Bulgarian people and it needs to be discussed.

    A few months ago I was on Bulgarian English-language news website Novinite.net, where I often got into discussions with other readers through their commenting system. One day one of the people argued that foreigners that come to live in Bulgaria must be the lowest of the low in their country. Why else would someone move to Bulgaria? Most of the commenters on the newsportal are Bulgarians that have moved abroad, mostly the USA. They are very hateful and find reason to despise just about everything. They point: the corruption is the fault of them, they hate parties on both sides of the political spectrum, except for the extreme right-wing party Ataka. It’s like they’re reading the news just to get an affirmation that their move abroad was a good choice. These people are among the most negative Bulgarians I’ve come across and  they mask their own insecurity and feelings of inferiority by pointing, pointing and pointing.

    Many people I meet have trouble understanding why someone from Holland would ever move to a country like this (twice!) and even bother to pick up a few words and sentences. To me, Holland is organized, linear, and everyone stays in their own bubble. To some that might sound appealing, but to me that sounds boring – and on top of that, the weather’s always shit. I went to Bulgaria to taste a little more of life. The food is better and more authentic, the people are not emotionless robots when they’re working, and they worry a bit less about their time. Whereas in Holland people look up the exact times of the bus and try to be at the busstop the minute before the bus comes, here people are more likely to simply go to the busstop and wait. That’s what I like, that’s why I’m here.

    But why I really believe there’s some type of underlying inferiority complex in the Bulgarian society is the expressions of powerlessness people give. They feel their vote won’t change a thing, they feel it doesn’t matter who they vote for, they feel corruption can’t be solved….. They feel completely powerless to change anything about Bulgaria. That’s why I believe this is a more important thing to handle than fixing corruption, the justice system, or anything else. People have to believe they can make a difference; and then they will. The state of Bulgaria is improving, but slowly and with a determination to make a difference, from person to person, this process could speed up ten-fold.

    People need to stop pointing at politicians, politicians need to stop pointing at each other, companies should stop pointing at politicians and politicians should stop pointing at companies. We ALL live in this country and we ALL want to have the best we can get; every time you point a finger, you can also pick up some of the litter on the streets and make a real difference.

    Life’s not perfect people, nor will it ever be. Stop expecting to get something great, while you don’t believe other people deserve something great to happen to them. You are part of those other people, we are one society. Now stop pointing or holding out your hand and DO something. Anything at all. Make a difference today.

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • My Fukkk Offf in Istanbul report – short version

    I posted about this before, but they wanted me to make a shorter version, so I did. It’s a lot better I think. Have a look and get to see a more vivid version of me (compared to the ‘writer’).

    Shot at Club Dirty, 13-Dec-2008 for SPIN Earth.

    Music by Fukkk Offf (Rave Is King): myspace.com/fukkkofff

    Here’s the old Fukkk Offf in Istanbul video. What do you think, is this one better?

    Do you live in Istanbul and are you interested in getting into music shows for free, in exchange for making similar 2-4 minute videos? Email me at and I’ll get you in touch with the right people.

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • The Snowman

    Snowman

    Sofia is covered in snow once again, so Tsvety and I decided to make a small snowman on my balcony. I’m looking forward to the spring though… Enough of this snow, I want to be able to sit on my balcony and chill out properly. 😎

    How’s the weather over at your side of the world?

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • I Really Love Comments (Subtitling Fun)

    Someone sent me a, rather strange, video using a service that lets you subtitle clips from Bollywood movies… Which can be quite hilarious. Have a look at the clip below… And leave a comment. 😉

    Go make your own and leave the link in the comments! 🙂

  • Happy Birthday To Me!

    Happy BirthdayIt’s my 23rd birthday today! Over the last few years I’ve started to care less and less about my birthday, maybe partly due to be away from my family. I remember last year I hardly cared about my birthday, but due to the fact that it coincided with my last day of my internship in the Bulgarian National Radio, I had a great day.

    This year I felt the same apathy towards my birthday, partly because I’ve just been very busy arranging things and getting myself settled here in Sofia. Bulgarians are great when it comes to birthdays. In Holland you might get a call or a text message saying happy birthday from a few close friends and your family, but that’s about it (in my experience). In Bulgaria however, you can expect almost everybody who has your number to give you a call to wish you a happy birthday, a great life, great health, great love, luck with any new plans or projects, great friendships et cetera.

    Probably the best thing about Facebook, besides the fact that it’s really useful to keep in touch with your networks of friends, is the birthday reminders. I’ve had a lot of great birthday greetings from my friends today and would like to thank them all. Dutch, Russian, Bulgarian, Turkish, Spanish, German, English… Dankjewel, спасибо, благодаря, teşekkürler, gracias, danke, thanks!

    Oh, and I was just sent this Bulgarian popfolk/chalga happy birthday music video. The video’s probably not supposed to be funny, but it’s making me laugh a lot.

    Photo above by enggul.

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • Groove Armada’s New Mini-Album… For Free!

    Groove Armadas new EP... for free!Groove Armada, the famous big beat, electronica and trip-hop producers, are sharing their newest EP freely with their fans through a nifty downloading scheme. One of the guys from Groove Armada recently stated about filesharing that “it’s utterly futile to try and stop people, just like it was stopping people creating mix tapes once they had two decks and a tape recorder”.

    You can download Groove Armada’s newest mini-album by clicking here or on the picture (provided by aeter). All you need to do is enter your age, since the deal is sponsored by Bacardi rum and you have to be above the legal drinking age in your country, and your email address to receive the first song of the album immediately and to acquire the rest later.

    This is very interesting to me, since I’ll be doing my final thesis of my bachelor degree very soon and it will be about the future of music distribution. It is very obvious that labels need to adopt new business models and that the old models simply don’t work anymore, since music is going back to being a service, instead of a product, so access is the most important thing. Groove Armada have realized this very well and have started this music distribution campaign which is bound to go viral (it already is).

    Apparently Groove Armada spoke about this deal with Bacardi at the MIDEM Conference  in Cannes, France where the music business meets every year. Below is an example of one of their chillout songs, for two more famous songs, check out Superstylin (big beat) or My Friend (lounge/electronica) on YouTube.


    Groove Armada – Fly Me To The Moon from Giul Viera & Fabia Oliveira on Vimeo.

    For Groove Armada’s new mini-EP, click here. If you’re a music lover like me, also have a look at The MiX-Files where I post my DJ sets as Spartz (for drum ‘n bass), spacescape (experimental & psychedelic), and EvilAngle (house/eclectro/breakbeat).

    BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.

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