KITCHEN CHRONICLES - vol 5

Category: Eat

Here are few quick and simple dishes I had a chance to prepare recently - enjoy watching, preparing or eating them :) 

-Palamida fish stakes (grilled stakes, olive oil, fresh pepper, rosemary) - SCORE 9/10

-Seafood risotto (seafood, brown rice, broad beans, red onions, curcuma, chilli...)  -SCORE 7/10

-Dry plumbs with crispy grilled bacon - SCORE 8/10

IS THERE LIFE BEFORE DEATH?

Category: Repeat 

According to one famous movie, each person loses exactly 21 grams in the time of his or her death. Metaphorically, this is considered to be the weight of our soul. Question here is whether you believe in the existence of an afterlife or you consider only the time you were given in this world. Ancient Egyptians and other cultures considered the afterlife to be at least equally important (if not more) as this life so they did their best to preserve the bodies of their loved ones and equip them with various artifacts they might need later on. Even many modern people are preoccupied with death and thinking what's gonna happen next. Actually, seems many of us worry both about the after-lives and other-lives so much that we simply forget to live our own life.

One of the most complex phobias of today is Thanatophobia - a paralyzing fear of death. Most people are uncomfortable with death and think of it from time to time, but here we talk about the phobia which prevents someone from conducting daily activities. Some of the most common reasons include fear of the unknown, loss of control or dignity, illness or pain. As we all have an expiration date on this world, in my opinion it's better not to bother with an afterlife too much. What counts is quality of your current life and your constant intentions to live it as honorably as possible.  But many of us forget to live in the PRESENT and tend to spend most of their time living either in the past or in the future. It surely doesn't mean you shouldn't plan for the FUTURE. If you still need to deal with the PAST, be sure to learn from it. 

Even if that's a serious topic, it's surely better not to take life so seriously. Since no one gets out alive anyway, it's better to have some fun along the way. And never forget that the choice is always yours. You have the freedom to live the way you like, not the way others expect you to. As long as it makes you happy and it doesn't harm anybody else, feel free to define and create the "time of your life". The fact is also that most of us are commonly instructed to stay within the "quadrant" and never question a true meaning behind the things outside of it. Bird that was raised in a cage forget to fly away when the door is left open, but that's not what the birds are made for. In my opinion, it should be other way around. Therefore, dare to draw outside the lines. Ask questions. Imagine dragons. Train your demons. Focus on adding additional dimensions to your life - turn your quadrant into a cube. Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life.     

The challenge usually arises when we need to decide to sacrifice parts of our freedom and allow others to make the choices for us in order to achieve some of our goals. It's tricky since sometimes same things could be seen both as "freedom enhancers" and "freedom dampers", depending on your perspective or timing. In a variety of our professional and personal relations we're required to step back from our own agenda in order to achieve mutually beneficial results. What's important there is to be ready to compromise, not to cross the line and retain your integrity. 

In case you live a fulfilled and honorable life it actually doesn't even matter if you believe the afterlife exists or not. If you live it right, once should be enough. Also, think about those who will outlive you and which word will first come to their mind when they think of you. On the other hand, if somebody out there sees and measures it all, you should be rewarded and live happily ever after. Or you could be reincarnated in form of your favorite animal - we simply can't be sure one way or another. Since several people who survived near death experience witness their whole life flying in front of their eyes in a form of chronological frames at the very last moment, better be sure your film will be well directed and worth watching!

  

KITCHEN CHRONICLES - vol 4

Category: Eat / Sleep 

Prolonged winter holidays this year enabled me to engage in various activities I commonly don't have so much time for. Experimenting in the kitchen is often being one of them; excessive eating and chilling are surely the other two :) Anyway, here are few of my more or less tasty cooking results so feel free to experiment for yourself.

 Octopus salad (boiled octopus, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, alfa sprouts, olive oil, vinegar, herbs)                                                                 Score: 10/10
                                     

                      Quiche with mozzarella, zucchini, ham, broccoli, etc. - Score: 7/10

              Beetroot juice (fresh beetroot, apple, honey, carrot, ginger) - Score: 9/10

As usual, this part of the year is being filled with quality time spent with some cool people. Hanging out with dear MBA students in Cheese bar in the center of Zagreb was great value-for-money gastro experience and that's why I'm including it in this post and recommend you to visit it. 

                                              Cheese bar, Zagreb - Score: 8/10

                                                       

Also, this winter our dear relatives from Dubrovnik visited us in Zagreb. It was great experience for all of us to visits interactive Neanderthal Museum and nearby archaeological park in Krapina. Deferentially a cool site worth visiting!

                                     The Neanderthal Museum, Krapina - Score: 9/10  

Last few vacation days were reserved for catching up on some great movies and visit to Sljeme mountain for some skiing thrills. Now fresh challenges in 2015 are already on the horizon - bring it!

P.S. As I recently received several remarks about not so user friendly writing style that may distract you from following the content with an ease, I decided to switch to regular wording in this and all future blog posts. 

P.S. 1 - For the future posts I also decided to put more emphasis on topics related to (un)conventional thinking, mainly found within "think" and "repeat" categories. This is why from now on joint categories may occur from time to time, usually including merged content for "eat" and "sleep" categories, as in this case.

P.S. 2 - Thanks again for sharing your constructive remarks and stay tuned for some new topics coming soon. All the best in 2015 !

(UN)COMFORTABLY NUMB

Category: Think

Inspiration 4 this post came as a result of watching 1 of d best mind-expanding movies I've encountered so far - Waking life. Among other stuff, movie is dealing with d phenomenon of lucid dreaming - state in which u're aware that u're dreaming & therefore able 2 control your dreams. This state is full of oxymorons - u're awake in your sleep, your body is numb but your mind is fully awake etc. Even if some ppl claim they know how 2 manipulate their dream world, I'd here rather focus on our attempts 2 influence d world of reality. As u probably already figured it out 4 yourself, life is also full of various morons & oxymorons :) 

 

In d world where balanced life is more & more challenging 2 obtain (& maintain), many of us choose 2 play "d comfortably numb" card. In my opinion, this powerful card could be played in 2 quite different ways, which r:

• as a defense mechanism 4 dealing with all d overwhelming buzz & stimuli from d outer world 

• as a sign of total indifference & reluctance 2 objectively face & try 2 change less favorable life circumstances 

In d 1st case, it might be considered a virtue as it should protect u from being caught in d mass hysteria of d 21st century or serve as a filter which selects amount & quality of information u're willing 2 digest on daily basis. On d other hand, if your common modus operandi is 2 numb your senses in order 2 escape d rough reality we all live in, u're probably taking d vicious road towards d UNcomfortable numbness. 

Our ability 2 fully comprehend & express various complex sensations is 1 of d key things that makes us humans & differentiates us from animals. That's d very essence of being who we r. If u ask me, be sure 2 know what's your "comfortably numb card" & be ready 2 play it smart in order 2 maximize your joy or prevent burn out. More importantly, be thankful 4 each & every emotion u experience - from variety of overwhelming positive emotions all d way 2 less favorable feelings that will also inevitably occur & shape d real u. 

Simply try 2 seek & enjoy euphoria, be open 2 new sensations, allow yourself 2 be WOWed & be ready 2 push yourself out of d comfort zone. Also, be sure 2 understand d cause & effect of your negative emotions & process them in a constructive manner. Never be ashamed of your feelings. Don't allow yourself 2 become an emotional cripple.  Never sleepwalk through your waking state. Although lucid dreaming seems cool, be sure 2 practice lucid feeling, or even better lucid living. 

KITCHEN CHRONICLES – vol 3

Category: Eat 

X-mas being just around d corner, tastes & smells of colder days r slowly taking over d gastro throne. But before we all indulge into typical winter delights, here r few other stuff I had a chance 2 recently taste or prepare. Hope it will get your creative juices flowing & senses tingling.  

                       Various cheese selection, roasted almonds & grapes - SCORE 9/10

Spaghetti carbonara with curcuma (SCORE 6/10), cold beetroot soup with apple, pepper & fresh basil (SCORE 7/10)

Recent visit 2 RougeMarin restaurant ended up in cool evening where we had a chance 2 taste various mini burgers (e.g. 1st one being veal burger with brie cheese & dark chocolate - SCORE 8/10 & 2nd being tuna burger in a squid black bun, filled with potato-chard polpette & grilled garlic sauce - SCORE 7/10)

                          

iShock society

Category: Think

Nowadays, in a world where most of us r overwhelmed with various more or less useful information from countless sources, our attention span has drastically decreased. On d other hand, more then ever everybody would like 2 draw d attention of potential buyers 2 their particular product or service. Consequently, advertisers use more & more shocking elements in their marketing affords in order 2 step out of d crowd, which inevitable rises our shock tolerance. This pattern evolves & repeats itself over time, resulting in creation of "iShock society", where shock became powerful sales or communication tool. Exponential technology development has only emphasized this phenomenon & contributed 2 making it widely spread.    

Even if there r surely earlier examples of using "shock sells" strategy, some of d 1st memorable examples I can remember r surely performances of Freddie Mercury, Madonna or famous Benetton campaigns, followed by extravagant outfits of Björk or Lady Gaga in more recent times. 

As usual, things r not black or white; they usually fit into 1 of 50 shades of grey.  In other words, shock as 1 of d powerful attention grabbers can be used with various effectiveness or based on more or less justified reasons. Most of us r aware of d typical industries (e.g. entertainment business) that heavily rely on shock as a differentiation factor. Instead of emphasizing trivial examples like Miley Syrus 4 instance, I would hereby rather focus on some more worthy examples of utilizing elements of shock or surprise 2 communicate key messages or challenge some of our stereotypes. Here r few examples from various industries:

So, beauty industry recently starts using unconventional models (e.g. 85 year old woman, model with muscual dystrophy or cross-eyed model). In addition, this agency made a fortune by hiring only "ugly" models.

Animal protection & Eco friendly associations tend 2 challenge our taboos & often use shocking campaigns in order 2 raise awareness in their field. 

 

Cigarettes lobby slowly but safely looses d battle since more advertising restrictions on tobacco products r being introduced & awareness of d health risks smoking causes is being more & more aggressively advertised. 

We should all be aware that headline, not content sells newspapers- sad but true fact is that especially shockers & tragedies still do d trick among d mass audience. Actually, ability 2 trigger emotions among d readers is what sells @ d end & emotions like this seem 2 be easiest 2 manipulate.

What 2 conclude @ d end but that d shock could be a good source of differentiation in certain fields if used adequately. I believe d issue is when it becomes over-exploited 4 commercial purposes. If d "shocking story" is not followed by additional quality content 2 back it up, it only causes negative effects like information redundancy or sensationalism overload in a more benign case or disintegration of real values in some more serious cases. If only ppl of tomorrow would be more selective in requiring only quality content, world would surely be a nicer place. Till than, good luck in rising your awareness levels which should prevent u from drowning in this iShock ocean we all live in.

Swiss wedding & little extra

Category: Sleep

Recent visit 2 Switzerland & Germany 4 a wedding of Sonja & David was truly a memorable experience. Together with few other guests from Croatia, we were located in Rheinfelden (a small town on Swiss-Germany border), from where we headed towards Basel 4 a boat cruise along Rhine river. 

So, wedding ceremony was held on a nice boat that was slowly sailing 4 few hours from Basel back 2 Rheinfelden, followed by jazzy sounds, drinks & snacks. It was also a lot of fun 2 catch up with Ksenija & other great ppl that I haven't seen in years, as well as be around Croatian speaking captain who gave us a chance 2 navigate a boat 4 a while. In short, everything was so well planned & refined that it almost made me think of my own wedding (I repeat - almost :P) 

        

Next phase of d wedding was a dinner in a nice Italian restaurant, followed by several cool surprises prepared by d newly-weds, as well as their best man & d made of honor.

                    

   

D next day was reserved 4 visitng Basel's street fair 2 enjoy various local specialties, take a look @ d city from above & try out several other "crazy rides" there... deferentially d most extreme 1 we tried was so called "free fall" from 80+ meters. 

After this we had a great walk & chill near d banks of Rhine river. All together, it was short but great wknd trip - it was extra cool 2 meet some dear friends & family members once again 4 such a nice occasion & be able 2 experience Switzerland & Germany from a totally new angle this time.  

________________________________________________________________________

Btw, here is an interesting story that additionally spiced up d whole thing  - on my flight 2 Zurich I've accidentally met Marin Čilić & couple of ppl close 2 him. After getting an autograph 4 my father who's his big fan, I unintentionally ended up spending some cool time with them. What is most important 2 mention in this story is how normal & modest Marin is... such a great thing 2 see!

Believe it or not, on d flight back I've bumped into Borna Čorić, Croatian rising star tennis player who was just returning from a tournament in Basel after a "dream weak" & a huge win over Nadal. Newertheless, 1st impression about him & his attitude was not so impressive if u ask me so I decided not 2 take his autograph. Still, it might me just my first impression... @ d end, how can u blame a 17 year old 4 "flying a bit 2 high" after such impressive games he recently demonstrated. 

In any case, good luck 2 both of them in their future careers! 

EGO = 1 / KNOWLEDGE

Category: Think

This simple formula shows that d more knowledge some1 gains, lower his/her ego should become. More or less all of us have seen this equation, most of us r aware that 2 much ego is actually counterproductive & we usually know @ least 1 egomaniac from our surrounding that nobody likes. On d other hand, not all of us could clearly express why egoistic behavior is so repelling or couldn't perceive how dangerous "hobby" it can be. 

"Narcissism" as a term which describes "fixation with 1self" originates from d Ancient story where a beautiful boy called  Narcissus was lured 2 see his own reflection in d water & felt in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image.  Unable 2 leave d beauty of his reflection, he died. 

Nowadays, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is considered 2 be a serious mental condition where d patient commonly displays snobbish or patronizing attitudes, as well as long-standing patterns of grandiosity (either in fantasy or actual behavior). 

So, now is d good time 4 some self evaluation. Therefore, simply take a look @ d following list & in case u recognize yourself in 5 or more claims, u most probably suffer from NPD. Here's d list:

• preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
• grandiose sense of self-importance
• excessive admiration required
• very strong sense of entitlement 
• expected favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his/her expectations
• taking advantage of others 2 achieve own ends
• lack of empathy (unwillingness 2 recognize or identify with d feelings & needs of others)
• frequently being envious of others
• regularly shows arrogant, cocky behaviors or attitudes

D challenge here is that all of us r prone 2 slip 2 d dark side @ some points of our lives, especially when u achieve some significant success or breakthrough. Why? I believe answer 2 this question could be best described metaphorically - whenever u climb, u're followed by a dog called 'Ego'. Beware of the dog! 

Even if "d patient" may see it differently, excessive ego is actually working against him/her. How? Simply because big ego makes u vulnerable & weak, it makes u dependent on opinions of others, which then subsequently define & control u. Ego simply makes u a slave- it gives away your power 2 others, limits your freedom 2 think, react or conclude adequately. As a result u end up making wrong choices. We all witnessed some examples of destructive force of ego power on various levels. Btw, be sure never 2 mistake someones healthy confidence, self-worth awareness or "zero bullshit" tolerance with ego problems. There might be a thin line between d 2 but d difference is actually quite big. From 1st hand I can say that some of d most successful & genuinely happy ppl I've met have managed 2 control their ego or even managed 2 successfully destroy it completely. What is also interesting, none of them have an urge 2 brag or explain themselves 2 much. In other words, whenever u need 2 emphasize your own greatness 2 some1, u actually diminish your power/worth. 

This leads us 2 d topic of EGO DESTRUCTION & why it might be a good thing 2 practice 4 all of us. Even if d full transformation usually takes lots of time & efforts, end results should include development of your own impenetrable armor that protects u from ego driven attacks. It should then enable u 2 protect your confidence & dignity levels @ all times, simultaneously serving as a correction mechanism 2 remind u about d things u know, don't know or still need 2 learn. As a result, u should better comprehend your own self-worth, realize u're not that special or irreplaceable after all & adequately understand your place in "d puzzle".

ZAGREB tak imam te rad

Category: Sleep

Idea 4 this post was born during recent relaxing hangs outs with few friends in d center of Zagreb. Even if I always tough of my hometown as a solid place 2 live in, I never perceived it as extra cool tourist destination. Until this summer when my default view of Zagreb has changed significantly.

Recently I realized Zagreb actually turned out 2 be quite popular tourist destination, packed with ppl from all over d world. Walking down d Tkalča street & hearing all d foreign languages or seeing packed restaurants in d center felt somehow different. Accidentally, I realized Zagreb slowly become true European capital, which started 2 attract more & more visitors each year. Official statistics also confirm that - this year we again have ~10 % increase in total number of tourists in Zagreb. So far I somehow perceived other neighboring capitals being more appealing than Zagreb from various perspectives. 4 example, Belgrade being d best party destination, Budapest being d most beautiful 1 etc, but finally I realized Zagreb can compete with all of them.

Together with my ppl, I recently had a chance 2 experience few things from d following list so here r some more or less know cool things about Zagreb that makes me love it so much on various levels: 

• more than 300 street lanterns in d Old town r manually lit each night by a dedicated person responsible 4 that
• international fireworks or air ballon completion is comonly being held on 1 of 2 ZG's lakes
• "Pimp my pump" artists decorate old pumps around ZG in various unexpected forms
• special tours r being organized abound ZG's Old town focusing on its medieval legends & customs
• ZG's famous disc-thrower statue ends up with his balls painted in different color each year @ Eastern time (if that's not cool I don't know what is :)
• with its various fine dining & wining festivals or different street food events, ZG is becoming prominent gastronomical destination 4 numerous foodies & wine lovers 
• our "Museum of broken relationships" has become global phenomenon with travelling exhibitions full of funky broken-hart memorabilia from all over d world
• parts of our cathedral r built from famous Croatian white stone that was also exported 2 US & used 4 constructing d White House 
• in an independent study, ZG was recently pronounced 2nd best town in Europe 2 live in (after Porto I think) based on d overall quality of life index

   

                                 "Pimp my pump"                                     ZG's disc-thrower statue

Btw, I hope that nobody will mistake this affirmative claims about ZG with my general approval of our governments policy or glorification of their "brilliant moves" - that's actually far away from d truth but don't won't 2 contaminate this post with such toughs (that might be a separate topic). 

In any case, wherever u travel or move be sure 2 know where your true home is. Also, next time u start complaining about your living conditions or "geographical cards" u were dealt with, just watch d following video & think again. Related 2 this, recently I've read somewhere that in case u have a steady job, can regularly afford food, clothes & occasional vacation trip, that actually means u belong among 10 % of d wealthiest ppl in d world. Suprised? I know I was.