Soul Surfer

She loves surfing as I love break dancing – Bethany Hamilton, the female surfer who wins the first place at the NSSA Nationals Surfing Championship despite having her left arm bitten off by a shark years ago.

What is that Bethany impressed me with? I was fascinated how Bethany continued not only to surf, but also to live like a normal person who could still be happy though missing an arm. Bethany admitted what happened to her, adapted to her new life and kept striving to get the most of it.

In addition, Bethany’s experience got me thinking about some aspects of the human psyche – why do we take some things for granted, like food and water available to us every day, and why can’t we realize how valuable some things actually are only when they’re taken away from us. Imagine you are an invalid who restores his ability to walk – I bet you will be the happiest person in the world. I wonder why I cannot be happy because I have four limbs, why I cannot feel the same as an invalid who restores his ability to walk; it seems I have to experience a recovery from a spinal cord injury in order to get the intense feelings I expect.

Betty’s experience also made think that the most reasonable actions to take when having the misfortune to become disabled in some way is to admit your condition, give in to your depression for no more than a week and then gather all your physical and mental strength to adapt to your new life and move on with your search for happiness. Just like Betty.

 

Soul Surfer is the movie dedicated to Bethany Hamilton's life-changing experience

Best Invigorator of All – Walking

“The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is best.”

Thomas Jefferson (US president)

I don’t know when Mr. Jefferson had the time to walk to realize the power of this physical activity, but his quotation is bloody true. [Notice that I am not talking about developing big muscles or strength through walking, but about the energizing aspect of walking]

It’s true that exercise provides energy unless we go beyond the limits of our bodies. How does it happen? When we are sitting, for instance, there is little movement of blood compared to when we exercise, say, run because the veins get squeezed and the blood in them gets transported to all parts of the body; the heart beats faster and pumps more blood as well. Oxygen, needed for the release of energy, is carried to every muscle by red blood cells present in the blood. Exercising stimulates the body to produce more energy and when it’s over, we feel invigorated.

How could walking be the best invigorator of all? Yes, the question here is why walking is considered best by Mr. Jefferson. I am sure many would disagree with Mr. Jefferson’s quote, but I am glad there was a person who shared the same thought for walking is really the best invigorator. Well, I would disagree with Mr. Jefferson if break dancing didn’t drain me at the end of each training; though, dancing is truly an invigorating activity [see the post named “My Love” for more information] and I give it a silver medal along with yoga practice and cycling. By the way, I would place listening to music on the first place if the topic wasn’t about physical activities only.

Walking is really the best of all invigorating physical activities [at least for me and Mr. Jefferson]. It’s probably because walking requires little effort, but engages nearly all body muscles in coordination and hence, is a type of movement which contributes to perfect blood flow. Walking affects all leg muscles (thighs and calves and many other ones I cannot name) as well as all muscles in the upper part of the body. Yes, we use our abdominal muscles while walking and move our hands, slightly bending the elbows to ease the directional motion; the muscles of our backs keep our backs erect and so on.

Most people do not find walking invigorating at all. One reason for this is that they do not perceive walking as an exercise. They do not believe in the power of walking and do not possess a special attitude towards walking. Goals are achieved with a proper attitude aren’t they? I cannot achieve a goal without intention. Another reason is that most people walk along with others and the invigorating effect is lost because of the conversation going on which serves as a distraction.

I got invigorated whenever I go on a solitary walk. In order to increase the invigorating effect, I combine walking with meditation [I recently discovered that walking meditation is a form of meditation]. I choose a long path with no curves and leave my subconscious regulate the pace while I focus entirely on my thoughts. I once noticed that stressful thoughts quickened my pace; whereas, thoughts of extreme positivity brought my walking nearly to a standstill.

I also recently discovered that walking helps me manage my thoughts better. When walking I can feel my thoughts flowing and coming up in my mind one after another with nearly no intrusions. My thoughts do not bump into each other to trouble my thinking; instead, they come in a structured way, wave by wave, and much easier to assimilate. Lovely.

Thinking As a Conscious Process Leads to Constitutional Enrichment and More

It’s useful to be aware that our thoughts control our behavior, and that we can control them instead. The thoughts we nurture are accompanied by emotions which in turn affect our behavior. When we realize that negative thoughts make us angry, upset, fearful, etc instead of invoking them again and again inducing negative behavior, we must block the bad memories or expectations [by saying to ourselves, “Oh, no; I had better think of something else”] and bring forth some positive thoughts to energize us. Thus, we do not only preserve our psychological health and do not allow stress to disrupt the body’s internal processes (digestion, cell growth, cell repair, etc), but also develop our sense of emotional intelligence – an essential personal quality that can contribute largely to our health, well-being, successful career and relationships.

If we want to find the best solutions to our problems it’s useful to be aware of the true nature and source of our thoughts and feelings. For example, when I feel down because something went wrong during the day, I sit on my bed, close my eyes and ask my mind, “OK, why am I feeling unhappy? Why?”, and I soon succeed in realizing the reason I feel down [the reason is often not so obvious because of the many experience I’ve had during the day] and, sometimes when applicable, in breaking down my unhappiness [the given feeling] into small pieces to realize that I am not unhappy at all, but feel, say, a little guilt and frustration which when acting simultaneously make me feel unhappy. Another example: I get criticized by my girlfriend because I do not wish her to leave town alone for a while because I fear something bad happening to her when the truth beneath is that I am extremely jealous and fear losing her.

It’s useful to achieve a mindset in which not a single negative thought can emerge in our minds. For example, you see someone doing something and you, urged by your ego, somehow simultaneously wish he fails, but more than that you also wish he succeeds in his dead. When this happens it is imperative for us to thoroughly examine those negative thoughts we had for a moment without allowing them to escape from our consciousness. Like this:

Between me and the person –    

A: What do you think?

I: I totally support you. Good luck!

Between me and my mind –

[A: What do you think?]

I: I wish you fail.   

I: What the heck is wrong you? How could you come up with such a thought? I intend you never do this again; ever!

[I: I totally support you. Good luck!]

If you think it’s useless, imagine a world where people communicate by reading their minds. I bet you’d pray you had a clear mind devoid of negativity before going there if you would go there at all.

The three points are extremely useful because if acquired they will make you become more self-aware and altruistic as well as a better decision-maker and communicator with people. In short, greater awareness helps you be a better pilot of your life.

Belonging Makes Us More than Humans

Longman English Dictionary of Contemporary English defines belonging as “feeling happy and comfortable in a place or situation, because you have the same interests and ideas as other people”. There isn’t anything wrong with this definition; I am just going to dig into it and write about the spirituality of belonging.

Every single person belongs to one or more things either consciously or unconsciously. It can be all forms of union – a family, tribe, sports club, company, organization, etc; it also can be a place – a house, city, country and more. Even close friends, especially loved ones and people who dance together can be said to form some kind of bonds between one another which make them unconsciously bind in a sacred union.

Nature is one of the places I belong to. I really feel happy and comfortable when walking in a park, mountain or grove full of foliage. I’ve begun asking myself what in particular makes me feel so happy and comfortable when in nature and the answer I found satisfies me for now. When in nature I somehow feel part of every tree, bush, shadow and bird I pass as well as the sun and the sky; I walk barefoot to establish a better contact with the grassy ground. I feel close to every person sitting on a bench or walking towards me. I greet them all. While some look surprised, others do not wish to respond, but third see greeting the unknown person as pretty normal.  I sense that behind the act of conscious or unconscious belonging lies my strong desire to be part of something bigger alone or along with other people because when part of it, I feel I surpass my human nature to become something more, to leave the material world and seek some greater consciousness like God.

Could I be just a human- and nature-lover? I think the act of belonging isn’t just a thought which provides positive feelings; I sense in every act of belonging there is some transfer of energy between the belongers (especially loved ones) and what they belong to that really binds all in one to create a higher entity. I really hope the act of belonging can open a new world for existence and that it isn’t an illusion in the mind, a product of imagination.

I reached the conclusion that the biggest thing I can belong to, or feel part of, is the universe and the nature, the humans and the energy that lie within. I believe that there are energetic bonds between every single material and immaterial object within the universe, including humans, good and evil. The problem is that a great deal of these bonds are weakened and mostly disrupted because of our selfish free will and sense of complete independence. Therefore, if we want to be truly part of everything, we have to show love even to what we hate and what we desire to free our worlds from. Instead of desperately trying to avoid confronting something or someone, I think we had better intend to make corrections and get the suppressed good nature in that someone or something to prevail over the evil one.

I wonder what would happen if we all established strong connections between ourselves, our planet and universe and everyone showed utmost love to everyone else? Well, heaven would certainly come down to Earth.

Source of images: Google 

The Day I Graduated Frоm High-School

May 20, 2011 – The day I graduated from high-school is a day I will never forget.

The celebration starts at 12 am when I and my class of 2011 arrive at the main entrance of High School of Mathematics and Science carried by two 12-seated minibuses. I have to say a few students arrive in a carriage pulled by a horse. As usual the school’s principle holds a lengthy speech, gives awards for achievements in different fields and salutes all high-school graduates. Each of the four classes of 2011 has the chance to present itself to the people attending the event (students and parents). All graduates shake hands with the faculty members who have been their teachers for the last four years. I remember the words of my philosophy teacher Mr. Todorov, “Vladi, I wish you luck on your way to success; I wish you fulfill the goals you have in mind and I am absolutely certain you can do that.” Then, we hear the school’s bells ringing and attend classes for the last time in our high-school education. The form teacher of my class invites us in a classroom where we see a presentation about our four happy years at HSMS “Ivan Vazov”.

What follows next is the thing I am writing this memory because of. I haven’t experienced anything like it before and I am thankful I had the chance to be part of it. I hope you have enough imagination and sense of sympathy to get a picture of what I am talking about. Listen.

My class gets out of the school to get on a big orange lorry with a carriage/container (I am not sure about the word) large enough for us (27 people) to move in. When all get on, the truck is ready to depart and I just hear yells, whistles blowing and “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, wooooooooooooooooooooow”, meaning we have completed the grades from one to twelve. I am excited and energized because I am bearing in mind that a new life is awaiting me, hopefully the one I dream of, and feel this the way I can celebrate the fact that I will continue my education abroad.

Class 12b in The Truck

The truck with its 27 students in the rear moves slowly through the two neighborhoods of Dimitrovgrad city. I understand how fascinating it is to catch a glimpse of the city’s streets, center and people from an elevated place in the open like that I am in now. I see many people while the truck follows its route. I mostly take notice of the way their react upon seeing a big lorry full of students waving hands in the rear. Some pretend not to see the truck and hear the yells; others get surprised at the view; third, smile and wave their hands as if remembering the time they were graduates; fourth, seem annoyed by our undertaking and frown; fifth, genuinely consider us crazy. A lot of drivers blow the horns of their cars while passing the lorry and many pedestrians make pictures or videos. While still in the truck I am certain this moment shouldn’t be forgotten and decide to write it down when I return home. And I do it.

At some point in our journey through the city a policeman stops the truck and orders every student to get off. The yells cease. Then I realize the danger of traveling at the back of a truck – if the truck changes its speed abruptly, someone might fall of the carriage. The officer’s face looks firm and slightly angry. I say to myself, “Well, if this is the end of it, OK! I am extremely happy of what I experienced so far.” The classmate of mine who arranged the lorry gets off to talk to the policeman. Ivan Zlatev, whose father is or used to be, I am not sure, a powerful figure in the city’s police station, explains to the officer that no one is drunk and that the carriage is too deep for one to fall off it and more.

Class 12b in The Truck (2)

What? The officer allows us to continue. For the first time in my life I feel happy I live in Bulgaria, because I assume that the officer made a compromise since Ivan Zlatev’s father is an authority with a lot of contacts and I am not sure if such compromises happen in other countries.

We continue our journey through Dimitrovgrad. My excitement reaches a new level. I start to feel like the Pope because of the way he travels in a special vehicle and waves to crowds of Catholics. I realize the difference between me and the Pope become even happier – I do not have to fear someone aiming a gun at me.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, WOOOW!”

At some point I begin to feel uneasiness in my cheeks. I realize I haven’t ceased bearing that broad smile for an hour; my mouth craves water, too. But the journey hasn’t concluded yet; I have to support my class’s euphoria with some more yells.

An Empty Drawer, a New Life

I am tidying up my drawer – useless old papers, scratch notes and notebooks redolent of the last four high-school years I prepare for recycling.

I have no desire to think of the school and educational system I see as more tradition than innovation oriented – a system more likely to perpetuate your mistakes than your small steps toward success.

Score reports and unsuccessful admission letters catch my eye to send me back in the past. I suppress memories of failure to invoke the ones of great life-changing learning.

And smile.

It mightn’t be LA education in the USA.

It mightn’t be Career-Preparation education in the UK.

But the fact I have an empty drawer is enough for me to realize that I have won the battle for true knowledge, experienced rites of passage and taken a path straight to success, to happiness, to God.

A path of fearlessness of failure and of death,

A path of no surrender,

A brand-new path of realization of dreams.

A completely new life is awaiting me and I’m ready to turn over the leaf.

Lyd, Joro,

Thank you for helping me discover my true path in life.

6 Verses of Break Dancing

Music in the darkness,

Bass and lights in the background,

Emotions so profound

That I start to feel dance-bound.

I become wired to the beat

And start moving my feet –

Top rock, six-step, three-step,

Windmill on my back,

Freeze,

The music doesn’t cease its pleasant tease.

I become mesmerized,

Fully hypnotized,

And perform moves

In accordance with the beat’s rules.

DJ changes the disk,

But keeps swaying the mix

As I show some new tricks

In an attempt to energize the crowd

And make others step on the dance floor

To continue the show.

Drugged by music and intense emotions

Which invade even my subconscious

To extend the drug’s effect

Long after the dancing’s set,

I gain energy and strength

To write, shoot and break

Through miserable times of great length.

Even when my life’s at stake,

I shall continue to break,

Forever and ever,

To survive in the world of fake.

Purposes of Watching Films and of Films Themselves

This writing is an analysis of my thoughts regarding my purposes of watching films and the meaning of films themselves. I strongly believe it will be much more beneficial to the reader to take some time, a few hours or a complete day, to ruminate on the questions in the opening paragraph before continuing to read.

I can say I am a moviegoer. It has been quite a long time, however, since I watched a movie I really liked. For this reason, I have started to ask myself why I often cannot stand watching the whole film after seeing half an hour from it. I have also started to ask myself why I watch movies and what the characteristics of a good movie are.

I watch movies because I want to become involved in the story being told and to sympathize with [both support and feel sorry for] the characters. I want to be taken into the realm of the movie I am watching and to become an active participant in the action. I asked myself if people watch movies for the same reasons as the aforementioned – “probably”. When I analyzed my thoughts on a deeper level I realized I have much more reasons to watch films; I will discuss them in a few moments.

I think that every person has his own reasons to watch movies. For example, I watched “TRON: Legacy” mainly for the movie’s special effects and theme related to a virtual world. I have heard some people go to the cinema just to see the stars acting.

I must also say that the main reasons you watch a movies depend on its genre. For example:

You watch a comedy, because I want to see funny scenes, experience joy and laugh consequently.

You watch a thriller or a horror movie, because you want to have cliffhanger experiences during it.

You watch an action movie, because you want to witness action scenes full of dynamics.

You watch a sci-fi movie, because you want to see worlds and creatures you have never imagined.

You watch a musical, because you want to experience joy by seeing people dancing and singing.

You watch mysteries, because you want to get your mind actively thinking and interpreting the events in your own way, with your own imagination.

You watch a trailer and decide if you want to go see the movie. But what knowledge exactly gives you a minute trailer about the whole movie? The movie trailer gives you small pieces of information about the movie’s theme, genre, dynamics, personalities of characters, or aesthetics. Then, your mind forms expectations or conclusions about the film’s worth according to the hints of the trailer. Those quickly formed conclusions, however, are often bloody wrong. At least I can exemplify this by saying that when I saw the trailer of the movie “The King’s Speech” I concluded the movie was lacking an interesting plot and dynamics. I decided to see the whole movie a month later and you know what – “The King’s Speech” turned out to be a very very good movie to be honest. One of the many things the movie proved to me was that dynamics is always different for individuals and that dynamics can exist not only in an action involving explosions, fights and stunts, but also in ostensibly normal conversations.

I have asked myself if a movie meets your expectations does that render it good. No, and I will try to prove it. For example, you watch a movie expecting to see love affairs and sex scenes, and your expectations are met – “I liked it”; however, someone else is looking for good acting, or cinematography, or costume design, or art direction, or a reasonable screenplay etc from the same movie and he doesn’t find it – “I didn’t like it”. Secondly, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards aspects of a film like acting, direction, visual effects etc it does not say the whole movie is good for the film’s single but outstanding aspect.

I have reached the conclusion that there are no good and bad movies, because of the different expectations of people. Attempting to assess movies is like attempting to discover the meaning of life which is both true and different for every single person. It is doubtless, however, that there are films which target the whole world and are made to be easily understood and appreciated, whereas few skillfully directed films full of aesthetics, impeccable acting etc receive appraisal from a small array of people – those who love and understand the true art of filmmaking.

Now the second part of my reasons to watch movies. I see movies not only because I want to laugh at comedies, get agitated by thrillers, interpret a mystery and show sympathy for characters, but I also expect to gain motivation and inspiration from the film’s unique theme, sensible screenplay and captivating acting and sound. I also expect to be pleased by watching aesthetically captured scenes involving good-looking characters. I want to observe good-looking actors and actresses because their appearances ascribe professional look to the film, contribute to the film’s aesthetics and from psychological viewpoint, something aesthetical pleases the  eyes and relaxes the mind and body. Be mindful that beauty isn’t equal for everyone. From the actors and actresses of a film I expect to see good acting and, if possible, positive role model manifestations both of which are again subject to a person’s opinion. Finally, I watch films also looking for the message behind the film’s theme that might have the potential to change my life is some way.

If you, folks, expect to see what or most of what I expect and you aren’t experiencing it, neither worry, nor get frustrated. Be patient. I am coming, in a perfect world.

My Love

I have done many sports in my life – football, basketball, volleyball, cycling, running, parkour, street fitness and badminton – but I haven’t enjoyed myself more than when break dancing. Break dancing has given me more than happiness, because it was through this activity that I learnt valuable lessons and acquired qualities essential for a happy successful life.

August 2006 I saw break dancing in a few movies and video clips. I was extremely motivated to learn break dancing and my interest grew bigger with time.

Breakers have always appeared to me as some funky people doing amazing things with their bodies that the audience enjoys watching. Break dancing has turned out to be an absolutely extraordinary type of dance. For example, you see breakers not only in music videos and ads, but also in musicals and even in action, comedies and sci-fi movies. Nowadays, you can see that a great deal of choreographers allow breakers to perform along with ballet dancers and the combination is deadly successful. Break dancing is a revolution in dance; I mean ballet dancers have been doing moves known for centuries, regardless of how perfectly they do it; whereas, a breaker gets on stage without bearing any choreography in mind and doing some innovative and inhuman moves showing physical strength and agility which makes viewers’ mouths drop open.

“A lot of dancers stay exactly the way they are; they are not allowed to evolve or use anything else. Breaking is unique the way it’s all fit together; it’s just like the ultimate dance since you can take from everywhere but you just have to put bboy flavor on it” – Ken Swift [Planet Bboy] said.

Why break dancing’s my favorite? The dance is a combination of sport and music.

The sport, like all the ones I have done, gave me the opportunity to be part of an imaginary world I have enjoyed most so far. When I found my place in the break dance world I began to realize how good I felt in it. When break dancing I forget about all the worrying thoughts that have been haunting me during the day; thus, I reduce the stress in me, refresh my thoughts, reboot my mind and thus give my brain the chance to have a little rest. Also, break dancing makes my mind start thinking of feelings; I mean that when break dancing I think of joy, confidence, fulfillment, of mental and physical strength, of motivation with such intensity that in the end I capture these positive feelings in my mind and move on striving for the realization of my dreams, especially those related to filmmaking and education. Faith in me and my capabilities becomes greater.

Break dancing as a sport is very difficult for me to learn, because I am a tall boy who has to use much effort to move through space and time, especially when trying to defy gravity by doing somersaults. I get exhausted faster when dancing than when doing other sports. Becoming a great breaker is a challenge for me, but it’s pleasant and fulfilling since it helps me replace fear and doubts with strength and confidence. Every new move or somersault [I see parkour as part of break dancing] I learn makes me feel extraordinary and influences me in an extraordinary way. The very first moment I realize my goal (for example, to land perfectly on my feet while doing a new somersault), I enter, what athletes call “the Zone” or feel what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “Flow”. I feel a flow of energy that spreads throughout my body along with immense fulfillment and mental strength. I receive all this as if from the mother Earth which has been with me all the time and has seen how hard-working and dedicated I am. After hundreds of moments dedicated to learning a certain move I feel winged and my psyche changes dramatically – from a state of believing that “few things are possible in this complicated world” to “nothing’s impossible in this wondrous magical world”. I feel strong enough to be alive and crush all that will befall me in the future.

Dancing necessitates music, and music is also a part of break dancing that pulled me out the crowd to hit the dance floor. Music plays an important role in my life, because it, like break dancing, makes me think of positive feelings and contributes to my spiritual growth [the latter relates to New-age music, or relaxation, meditation, chill-out, ambient music]. A nice beat, for example, stretches out a wire from the speakers; the wire passes nearby me as if allowing me to decide whether to become wired or stand still. Of course, I choose to wire myself with the magical wire and realize that the magical wire consists of energy which spreads throughout my body inducing me to dance in order to continue being wired and receiving the warm energy and the positive feelings which flow into my body. When I jump on the dance floor and start dancing, I began feeling the aforementioned feelings break dancing makes me and when the combination of music and dance is on, a new feeling adds to the rest – harmony. With the last feeling’s manifestation, I am ready to feel am in, what you call, Heaven or closer to God.

What about break dance battles? I have two things to say. Firstly, I am willing to battle with novice breakers as well as advanced ones. I am not afraid of any opponent because I am not afraid of having my ass kicked since I perceive dance battles not as a punch-free emotional fights, as they normally are, but as a way to have great fun with someone else. Secondly, I am oversatisfied to have battles with my own self meaning to try and learn new moves, improve old ones and show some creativity in all my sets; I care about personal and physical development when breaking.

Because of break dancing I am fearless of falling down in both a physical and mental state. I have learnt to get back on my feet after falling down on the ground. Because of the 3 severe injuries I have had thanks to break dancing I have acquired the traits of resilience and self-motivation. Because of the dance moves and somersaults and much time, effort, willpower and faith dedication, and consequent experience of the flow of energy, I have learnt to think that impossible is NOTHING; my attitude towards new activities has begun to be always positive – I remain confident enough that I will eventually be successful in the new sphere (whether a new type of sport or job) by rising to the challenges it presents.

One more thing about breaking that I shouldn’t miss mentioning is that I have a strong desire for dancing because breaking cannot be mastered. I mean that a breaker develops and improves his abilities constantly. A breaker never reaches a point when he has learnt everything and cannot go further. This is great because the mind is never fully satisfied with past achievements, and is always looking for new goals and challenges to pursue. Flares and air flares aren’t the final stage of development in break dancing; there is and always will be more to learn and invent as long as you invoke your creativity. These characteristics of break dancing, life-long learning and development, I expect to find in my life and career as a filmmaker, and I certainly will.

Regardless of the material possessions you will offer to me in return for my giving up break dancing, I will never accept the deal. I don’t want your money or whatever else, because I want my self-made stress-free imaginary reality, my fountain of invigorating feelings. For break dancing is part of my psychological wealth, and I mostly care about the positive energy inside my body, along with my healthy evolving soul.

BREAK

DANCE

FOREVER

A Case in Which Ignorance is Bliss

I like listening to hip-hip and rap music, because I enjoy the rhythm very much. I have listened to these types of music since I was 13. When I was young I knew too little English to understand the songs I listened to; now the picture is different – I understand the explicit language most rappers use in their songs along with their songs’ ideas and that kills my motivation to enjoy the type of music. Most rappers sing about money, power, sex, the offensive word for woman (plural), drugs, etc. Also, some rappers create songs which are intended to offend certain gangs or members of gangs. Thus, most rap songs I pretty much enjoyed listening and dancing to have become revolting and meaningless for me now when I get the lyrics. Since I am proponent of the idea that you are not only what you eat, but also what you think, I cannot bear repeating the lyrics.

I know a few artists, fortunately, who have created both meaningful and amazing songs for life, discrimination, politics and more. Now I am looking for such meaning hip-hop and rap music that’s difficult to find.

I came up with an idea of how to continue listening and making moves with my head and breaking to hip-hop and rap music – Listen to music in a language different from Bulgarian and English. It really works; I now listen to French hip-hop artists whose songs I don’t get at all, but really enjoy the rhythm and the way they pronounce words unknown to me.

Yeah, I know – I won’t dare turning the volume up too much if in France.

; )