molif | en

I just left my job as an editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian .net magazine (it’s a localized version under the license of the .net magazine, UK). And because I don’t want this text to misinterpreted in any way, let me say that Future Publishing are not involved in this story and all that happened is between me and my Bulgarian publisher.

I started this job (which was a big challenge for me) with eagerness and passion and I know I did my best.

The first issue was a crazy story; it was done in less than four weeks and with the possible minimum of resources. But it was accepted very well by its audience of Bulgarian designers & developers, and so started for me the period of ten months of sleepless nights.

Eleven issues. 5 of them made without the proper help of an assistant-editor and the first three made even without the help of a proof-reader. I constantly worked online with the print designer, who was a freelancer; we also had to work together personally many nights, just before going to print. For months I answered to all e-mails, sent to us by our readers, I took interviews and I was constantly searching (online and offline) for contributors for the magazine. And if you think that “editor-in-chief” is just some kind of a good business card decoration — it is not.

I will always remember many fun situations, like the one when in a frenzy just before going to print we realized that there’s an illustration we don’t have the right to use. Then I made a quick sketch and it went to print. The good side was that nobody complained about this particular illustration.

Every issue was a product of hard work, and I am very well aware that they are not perfect, but at least they were made with love. Lots of love!

It’s a long and painful story for me to tell, and I will spare you most of the details. The main reason for my sudden leaving could be generalized with these terms (usually associated with divorcing couples): “insurmountable differences of personalities”. In this case — differences between the editor-in-chief and the publisher.

Hundreds of times I tried to sit down and to write about it, but I just couldn’t find the right words.

There were many things that could probably turn out better, but they didn’t. I know it’s partly because of my naiveté.

Like I said once, if you do a job with all of your heart, you take the risk to have it broken, but anyhow, it’s the only way I know how to live and work.

When I give my word that I will do something, I am much too devoted to the achieving of the best possible results.
It’s fair to be said that I always keep my word.
The worst sin of mine is probably that I am over-credulous.

I gave a credit of trust to a person who showed me from the very beginning that it can’t be trusted.

What were the chances that one day it will let me down? Huuuge.

And when it happened, I couldn’t even believe it.

So, I am writing this as a warning to other people like me:

Please, don’t make the same mistake.

Don’t focus all your life on work, no matter how attractive it is and how much it seems to give you satisfaction.

Indeed, working as an editor for .net Bulgaria was in many ways a wonderful job.

It was high lath and I jumped it.

The amount of effort I have invested was not remunerated accordingly, but I took this job because I liked the magazine very much and so I worked hard 28 days every month for it to happen.
I had to read and re-read the magazine at least three times on screen before going to print, and this means reading and editing over 300 thousand characters, and it was more than enough strain for my eyes and for my back (which now troubles me seriously).
Despite this, everything concerning .net also gave me the very satisfying feeling that I can do bigger things than I have previously thought I am able to, and so I still feel it as a big personal success.

But as an employee, I failed. I admit that I failed mainly to defend my rights, relying very foolishly on false promises and beautiful words.

I wish a wonderful future to .net Bulgaria, because there is no parent who would wish ill to his child. But I also remind myself to be very, very careful next time, when I give my trust to someone.
Even if for a good cause.

The moral of this story is that you cannot be misused, unless you let yourself be.

A door is closed, but many others are waiting to be opened, and I am happy that I can step up on a new path in my life.

P.S. This job gave me the opportunity to meet and work with unique people.
I want to say thanks especially to Dan Oliver — my English counterpart, and to all of the people who helped .net Bulgaria without receiving anything in return.
Don’t want to mention all of you name by name, for I am afraid I can miss somebody.
I am most happy to know all of you and I will be always grateful for the chance to work with you.
I owe many of you more than one beer.
(Without forgetting my dear husband, who supported me all the time, even when part of the price for this was neglecting our personal life).

I don’t write lately, but not because I don’t have what to say.
It’s much more like I don’t know how to say it and also that I feel too tired of the computer.
Too many things happened, indeed, but I will post about them separately.
Holidays were absorbing at home during long cozy nights with family and friends.
I hid for to gather my thoughts better and for start making things, long postponed.
Now I am still accumulating energy for a fresh start.
I need some changes, nice changes, starting with this site.
The rest will come one by one.

That’s the common wish these days.
You can hear people saying it on the streets, in the shops, online… the same old sentence, but for sure the meaning it’s not the same for everybody.
Is it easy to make the people you love happy?
I like very much to make presents.
Always choosing very carefully, concerning the recipient.
But this Christmas for the first time I got one gift rejected (not a good feeling at all).
During the years I’ve received many stupid, not useful things – presents that I didn’t like or want.
But never I refused to take them.
I think that accepting things is as important as to give things. Maybe even more important.
For it is wonderful to give from yourself, but is more valuable to know how to accept from the others.
I am also still learning…

Truth is, for many, many people these days are neither happy or holidays.
For me, “holiday” and “feast” are words that mean to dance, to sing, to play games, to exchange gifts.
But in my country the “tradition” seems to be to spend the holidays at home, around the table and in front of the TV.
After them everybody is groaning and moaning and is feeling bad from too much food and drink, and I am sure that only a few people will do something different.
But there is one more thing – I believe, that the holiday spirit comes from the people, not from the date in the calendar.

So, Internet, that’s my greeting:

Have unforgettable holidays – let them be the way you want to make them!

Оh, and that’s what I did for my brother, wishing him own sweet home:

Here is one of the best surprises I’ve got for my birthday from a friend.

I love the books of Tove Jansson and these strange heroes.

The cake was not only perfectly made, but also very, very delicious piece of kitchen art.

My brother gave me this big pencil.
It’s a joke with the name of this website, which sounds like the word “pencil” in Bulgarian.

I guess he is just trying to tell me, that is time for me to give drawing more space in my life.

This is the best time of the year concerning colors.

Not, it’s not about me.
I am rebelling all the time for this and that, but today I just wanted to present you one guy, who stumbled me in my daily work for .net – Grzegorz Kozakiewicz, or just – pencilrebel.

He is very crazy. And awfully inventive. Skillful.
And for his imagination one could say nothing more than what his site is revealing – see by yourself.

Tha man has also a blog, very naturally. You can see there how he made this whole amazing site.

I am very fond of this particular and rare kind of people – for which there are no imagination limits in the work they love to do.

Recently, while I was busy to show off my little clay army here, my favorite illustrator Monica Calvo found the latest funny video from the sequel Simon’s Cat:

Distinguish animation, every time I watch in dismay and with great pleasure!
If you happen not to be familiar with the previous two videos, I can remind them to you easily:

1. ‘Cat Man Do’

2. ‘Let Me In!’

They are very indicative of the cat’s temper…
And also these days I read this joke:

“I am absolutely not able to understand why women love cats.
Cats are independent creatures, they don’t obey and perform, not coming when you call them, they love to linger outside in the night and to come home only to be fed and cuddled.
After that they only want to be left to sleep in peace.
In other word: in cats women love something that they terribly hate in men… “

There is some truth in this… but also there are people, who just don’t like cats at all.

After the mass Firefox download lately /fighting for a world record/, I decide that it is in fact a good moment to show you this:

I’ve made it about year and a half ago, but It was finished this January (and you can see it today, which is… yes, yes, I know the date, please, don’t remind me…)
There’s a magnet on the back, only… I didn’t weight very well the clay logo itself and now you can put it somewhere only if you use another magnet, bigger one. Next time – better try.

However, I am not so good as to invent it and design it like his author did, but still I believe it is not so bad.

The photographer Carl Warner evidently has a special attitude toward food, so he used his imagination to create these unbelievable landscapes from food.

One great woman showed me his masterpieces lately and I, delighted, decided to share them with as many people as I can.

Enjoy them, and if you feel hungry while watching – bon appetit!

Today, exactly at midnight, my blog (www.molif.com), as well as Michel’s blog (www.optimiced.com), are getting rid of their ‘clothes’.

Today is ‘CSS Naked Day‘ — the day which promotes Web Standards!

This ‘CSS Naked Day’ is 24 to 48 hours long, and will show, that a blog or website with well written HTML+CSS can look pretty well even without its clothes (without its CSS styles).

So, if you see my blog without CSS today or tomorrow (without its design), don’t be puzzled by this fact — we ‘stripped of’ our CSS styles for a good cause — and, as you can judge by the photo above (which we made together a few hours ago), not only of our CSS clothes, but also of our real clothes!

Long live Web Standards!

PS You may also read a story about CSS Naked Day in the Blogherald)