Sunday, January 29, 2012

Writing of books – escaping from reality or just using it?


As far as I know, the common opinion about being an actor, physician, writer is that you are not obliged to be at least a little crazy, peculiar and strange to be one, but it helps a lot… There are many evidences about this “rule”: while Miguel de Cervantes was writing his Don Quixote, he wasn’t interested in anything else but writing. He was so far away from reality that he wasn’t impressed a bit about his spoiled daughter’s behavior or his wife’s threats for divorce if he wouldn’t do anything for his family. As far as I remember, J. Adams used to get naked while writing some of his Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’s stories (probably that way his mood would be the right for his funny stories). While writing, Umberto Eco surrounds himself with all sorts of small figures of ancient people to feel better the spirit of the time he’s writing about…
There are many similar events of the kind I guess, which prove how important it is to use one’s imagination while writing, but when the matter at hand is ignoring the reality creating a story, I would say: Quite the contrary! Even the most abstract sci-fi and fantasy books require a lot of the real life’s wisdom, or its “boring”, “dull” and “meaningless” details, which with a little imagination could be turned into an inspiring, wise or even funny adventure, novel, etc. So, only the one who never wrote a story would claim writing has nothing to do with reality and to create a good manuscript every writer have to forget the every day’s events, mishaps, joys, etc. For example, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels was actually a parody of the political intrigues and stupidity and strivings for power at any cost of England’s high society from the author’s time, and because of this combining of fiction and reality I guess it’s still one of the classics. J. R. Tolkien also used some facts about animals, plants, which made his The Lord Of The Rings more real (remember that Frodo wasn’t killed by the giant spider Shelob’s sting but just paralyzed?).
Of course all these speculations are true for every writer, not only for the most famous (writing is a process that’s not much different, no matter how different the genre an author writes is). Thinking about that, I realized I used a lot of my biological knowledge to create many of my animal characters and their adventures, I used also some political debates, some philosophical thoughts/speculations from our time, etc…
I’m more than certain every writer could share similar experiences?
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Allan-Bard-Ivan-Stoikov-Fan-Page-Strategic-Book-Group/121092637984053,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUA8Avl7ew, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijJl-6Be88, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkixN9Nr2Q - pigeons, www.allanbard.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=263533&id=100000137216974#!/video/video.php?v=1297361605743,
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ivanstoikov.allanbard, http:// www.allanbard.blogspot.com, www.allanbard.wordpress.com

Friday, January 27, 2012

jokes/anecdotes to make your Friday/weekend, some not appropriate for kids...;)


Some funny jokes/anecdotes I found and I guess could make anyone's Friday/weekend ;):
Answers of a Brilliant student who obtained 0% Q. In which battle did Napoleon die? A. His last battle. Q. Where was the Declaration of Independence Signed? A. At the Bottom of the Page. Q. River Ganges flows in which state? A. Liquid. Q. What's the main reason for Divorce? A. Marriage. Q. What's the main reason for Failure? A. Examinations... Did the student Answer Anything Wrong?

In a sex shop: I want a sex-doll... White or black? White. Fat or slim? Slim. Tall or short? Tall. Christian or Muslim? What's the difference...? Well, the Muslim explodes at the end...;)

2 hookers are waiting in the street for customers, and 2 cats are making love on the roof above them. Suddenly, as the cats didn't pay attention to anything else, they fell down. And a gypsy boy who played on the other side of the street shouted out: Hey, ladies, your advertisment is gone... ;)

If you don't turn the light on during a date, you could save not only electricity but cosmetics too...
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Allan-Bard-Ivan-Stoikov-Fan-Page-Strategic-Book-Group/121092637984053,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUA8Avl7ew, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijJl-6Be88, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkixN9Nr2Q - pigeons, www.allanbard.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=263533&id=100000137216974#!/video/video.php?v=1297361605743,
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ivanstoikov.allanbard, http:// www.allanbard.blogspot.com, www.allanbard.wordpress.com

Monday, January 16, 2012

laughter could heal ;)


This post of a friend of mine at FB reminded me of my own pranks as a kid, when we threw eggs and tomatoes, or plastic bags filled with water, from the windows to hit people in the streets, or called strangers on the phone and turned a cassette player on close to the phone and spoke nonsense, or put lady's socks on our heads with 2 holes for the eyes and entered into a lift and waited for someone to call the lift, or nailed the shoes of a severe teacher of ours to the floor, etc...;). A post that proves again that laughter could be a good medicine, so I couldn't refrain from re-posting it...
via Allison Dohrman
WARNING...THIS IS LONG...BUT VERY FUNNY! THANKS =)

Why Women Shouldn't Take Men Shopping...

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target.

Dear Mrs. Samuel,

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Samuel, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1.June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.

2.July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3.July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.

4.July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5.August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6.August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7.August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.

8.August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called.

9.September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10.September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11.October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.

12.October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.

13.October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

14.October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'

And last, but certainly not least:

15.October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out.
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Allan-Bard-Ivan-Stoikov-Fan-Page-Strategic-Book-Group/121092637984053,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUA8Avl7ew, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijJl-6Be88, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkixN9Nr2Q - pigeons, www.allanbard.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=263533&id=100000137216974#!/video/video.php?v=1297361605743,
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ivanstoikov.allanbard, http:// www.allanbard.blogspot.com, www.allanbard.wordpress.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

some funny jokes/anecdotes to make one's day ;) , no too appropriate for children, though


They say that laughter is the best medicine and I support such an opinion 100 %, as in the past I've experienced what it means to be saved by books and the good mood inspired by them... That was why I decided to post some anecdotes/jokes from time to time, which I guess many people could appreciate? I guess many of my friends will be glad to read them here, actually many of them encouraged me to do that regularly, that way more people could enjoy them and will deal better with every day stress, mishaps, etc. Not all of them are mine, and some of them are not too appropriate for children, so I'll mention this in the beggining and in the title...
3 surgeons were talking to one another: "They brought me a miner cut in 3 pieces, said the American. I did my job well and now he's working again."
"Well, they brought me a driver cut in 5 pieces, said the Russian. i did my job and now he's driving again."
"And they brought me an ass and a pair of ears, said the Bulgarian. I did my job very well and now he's the chief of our hospital... ;)"

A young man and a lady were travelling with a train in the night, the youngster wanted to make sex with the lady but was too shy to ask her. But when they went to their beds, he tied a long thread on his penis, dropped it from his bed to the bed of the lady and on the other end he had tied a note: 'Unknown beauty, I like you very much, if you want to make love pull the thread once, if not, pull it 40 times, and let the last 10 times be very fast...' ;).
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Allan-Bard-Ivan-Stoikov-Fan-Page-Strategic-Book-Group/121092637984053,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, www.allanbard.wordpress.com

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The funniest/craziest/most amazing/incredible, etc Christmas/New Year’s Eve’s events.


As far as I know, in most countries Christmas is more important feast than New Year’s Eve. Yet, I couldn’t refrain from pointing out New Year’s celebration too, as in the past Christmas was forbidden in all ex-communist countries, so many people, including me, have good memories only from the next feast after Jesus’ birthday.
Well, it doesn’t mean we didn’t have wonderful Christmas trees and nice presents, only that they were decorated and given at New Year’s Eve. And of course, we had some good, crazy, funny moments despite the many taboos of the system (though I guess they were less by a feast, as we didn’t have presents for Christmas). Like the vague now memory how as a five-six year old kid I usually broke all the Christmas toys/decorations on our tree just for five minutes (back then, here they were made of a very fragile kind of glass ;). My parents had to keep an eye on me all the time until the feast was over. I didn’t mean to be a bad boy, actually, I was just curious to play with the toys/decorations and have a better look at them ;). Or that I was convinced that it would be much better if not Santa Claus but a dragon with three heads would be the best choice for the job presents giving. And I even tried to convince the other kids that I saw her a couple of times (I thought a girl dragon would be better in this job ;).
I’ll never forget also what tremendous preparations we made with a friend of mine to use our first piece of fireworks (of the kind that beside the loud bang and colorful sparkles threw out many confetti). We tied it on a long wooden stick, to be away from the “dangerous” fire of the sparkles, and wound a couple of thick blouses around our heads, so that to be better protected from the loud bang…
This Christmas a colleague of mine told us that her five year old daughter decided to drink a lot of water the day before Christmas, so she would wake up at least a few times at night to go to the toilet, but that way she would meet Santa Claus exactly when he “delivered” the presents… 
I’m sure anyone could share similar experiences? Whenever and wherever kids are involved, there are always laughter, joy and funny events ! Events that could be more crazy and funny than any imaginary adventures in books or movies?
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Allan-Bard-Ivan-Stoikov-Fan-Page-Strategic-Book-Group/121092637984053,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUA8Avl7ew, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijJl-6Be88, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkixN9Nr2Q - pigeons, www.allanbard.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=263533&id=100000137216974#!/video/video.php?v=1297361605743,
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ivanstoikov.allanbard

Saturday, December 24, 2011

What was/is/could/will be the best Christmas present?


First, let's wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New 2012 Year!!! Well, many people would say the best present they would get could be world peace, joy, happiness everywhere on Earth... And they all will be right, of course! But that would be for many other people, not only for them, though I support such a wish/present 100, no 1000 %!
Yet, I mean the best personal present... And I guess many people would agree that one of the best presents could be a book? I had a very good one this year, the complete, full edition of Arabian Nights! Can't wait to read it though it's quite a volume - about 900 pages and written with very small font! Actually, it seems it has almost nothing in common with all the other versions I’ve read as a kid, or with any interpretations I’ve seen as movies, though there were some really good ones! It’s not for kids at all, as it seems….
Well, I couldn’t say I haven’t had some other good presents over the years: an original Colmar jacket, chemical set for many experiments I received as a kid, some exotic fishes for my aquariums, a couple of parrots, etc… I guess anyone could point out some good ones too, even much better than mine? And much better than the gift from my greeting card on top of the post? Let it be my gift for all the readers! 
Best wishes to all! Let the wonderful noise of the sea always sounds in your ears! (a greeting of the water dragons' hunters - my Tale Of The Rock Pieces).

http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Allan-Bard-Ivan-Stoikov-Fan-Page-Strategic-Book-Group/121092637984053,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUA8Avl7ew, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ivanstoikov.allanbard

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Magical worlds or the magic in the modern world.


If you are a fantasy/sci-fy fan, you probably regretted many times that you were not born somewhere else or at least in a different time? Most of my friends who like these genres shared the same opinion too. Yet, it seems I was the one who hated reality so much, that all the people around me thought I should visit a mental specialist. Everything in my everyday life seemed so boring and senseless that I used every moment to dream and search for magical events, creatures, adventures, etc in books and movies.
As years went by, I even began to create my own stories as an asylum to “escape” from the dull, boring reality. My frame of mind was so crazy that I couldn’t bear the sight of modern cars (as they couldn’t fly in the air), I couldn’t listen to all the dull talk about finding a boring (but profitable) job, good marriages, raising children, or about divorces at the appropriate moment. Many of my acquaintances and friends were at one I had probably jumped over the fence of a mental hospital from the inside, as I couldn’t watch any football, baseball, basketball, etc games (the only sport which still can attract my attention for hours on end is surfing), or I felt talking about the qualities of different cars and bikes was equal to suicide… Most of the people couldn’t believe instead of that I preferred to watch shows like Star Trek, documentaries about dinosaurs, interesting facts about history and science, movies about fairy-tales or space, etc.
Yet, later on I realized that such a frame of mind is a certain evidence of a narrow mind (the same as watching and being interested only in soap operas or cars, or sport). After reading some manuals about the mechanism of modern cars (and seeing what was written there was true), I was convinced all these vehicles were as interesting as the coolest space ships and other imaginary machines from the future. When I learned a thing or two about what was inside TV sets and computers (and all the amazing things one could do with these great devices), I realized the famous Terry Pratchett’s words were true: “There is much more Magic in a modern computer than in any gathering of witches.” As to the opinion that the people of today think only about money, power, or more money and power, and are incapable of strong feeling one could find only in fairy-tales like everlasting love, I remember a few events of today that prove the opposite:
A young woman loved her HIV+ boyfriend so much that she infected herself too with AIDS virus, so that they could be together forever. Or the sad story of two youngsters from my native country Bulgaria who suicided themselves jumping under the wheels of a train (as their parents were against their relationship as the boy was a gipsy). Besides, the many wise quotes and thoughts of many writers, philosophers or even politicians of today show wisdom is present in reality too, no only in some imaginary worlds and societies from fantasy, sci-fi genres: Arthur C. Clarke's "Third Law": Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be ~ Thomas à Kempis
The one who asks is stupid 5 minutes, the one who doesn't is stupid for life. Chinesse saying.
A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force of the universe. Wayne Dyer
One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things ~Henry Miller
Always when judging Who people are, Remember to footnote The words "So far." ~ Robert Brault
A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. Albert Einstein
Love blinds us to faults, hatred to virtues." - Moses Ibn Ezra
It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui."[Helen Keller]
You don't need superpowers to be a hero."- via Jeremy Smith FB
The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self. - Whitney Young
."Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling."-- Vincent Van Gogh
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward ~ Chinese Proverb
"To go against human nature is the most human thing a human can do." Larry Niven
Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people."
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." -Albert Einstein
If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like. - natalie portman in garden state
'Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted' - John Lennon
it's okay when we fear the dark, but not when we are afraid of light.
“The greatest wisdom is to realize one's lack of it” Konstantin Stanislavsky
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter ~ E E Cummings
DO NOT RISK GOING THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT TAKING A RISK. Jimmy KoMet FB
"A loan can be repaid, but for a gift one is always beholden."~ unknown source
."You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." -Albert Einstein.
"Every society honours its live conformists and its dead troublemakers" Zvonimir Tosic via Linda Goodwin
SENSITIVITY is a strength and it's a mad world that turns it into a weakness.
You know you're an asshole when the voices in your head refuse to talk to you. Author Luke Romyn
Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. - Mark Twain
Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom. -Death, To Suzie in 'The Hogfather',
There are many kinds of joy, but they all lead to one – the joy to be loved. Michael Ende,
All the problems in the world leadto one - narrow-minded people, from my future Incredible Fututue. etc…
The list could be so long that anyone would find it really difficult to read it all… I guess we are just too accustomed to our present world and forget to see the wonderful magical things that surround us? No one could oppose to that, right?
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TaleOfTheRockPieces.html, http://allanbard.hit.bg, http://allanbard.hpage.com,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yw3a5n00FI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qUA8Avl7ew, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ivanstoikov.allanbard