Bosnia-Herzegovina football season begins!

FK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo seem to be the team
to beat for the upcoming season of the Premier
League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(Source: SportPortal.ba)

I am very excited this afternoon as, finally, the 2012-13 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina kicks off today.

Anyone that knows me personally knows just how passionate I am about football, therefore it is a relief to finally have some sport to watch that grabs my attention (unlike the majority of the current Olympic events, I must say).

FK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo must be the favourites for this season considering they are the champions of the previous two seasons, though they do face stiff opposition from other Bosnia-Herzegovina heavyweights in Borac Banja Luka, Siroki Brijeg and crosstown rivals FK Sarajevo.

One club which I really hope will perform well this season is Celik Zenica; the side which, since my visit here last year, I have assigned my local allegiances to.

After a promising first half to last year's season, Celik disappointingly dropped off to finish a mediocre ninth. No doubt the club's hardcore fans will be hoping for at least a top-four finish this season to place Celik back in European competition for the first time since 2008.

The season opens today with Travnik playing host to Zeljeznicar. Arguably, however, the match of the round must be the fixture taking place tomorrow evening between traditional rivals FK Sarajevo and Celik Zenica.

Though I was due to attend the fixture in Sarajevo, fate did not work in my favour. Regardless, I am very excited about getting my backside down to a number of games across all of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the next few months.

Game on!

Ramadan: Another update.

Posting this image of 'Ramazanije' to motivate myself
to fast for tomorrow. Hajde, help me, friends!
(Source: Klix.ba)

Hey guys, how are you all going this evening?

Just before I get started, I must admit it seems a little strange writing this message. In previous posts, I only expected to be reaching to an audience of dozens - at best - of my friends and family, but now, there are potentially thousands who could be reading this!

Anyway, it's time to get back down to business and not become caught up in it all, so here's an update on my Ramadan progress - or lack of progress :-( - in recent days.

Unfortunately, as I just told you, I haven't done a whole lot on the fasting front since my last Ramadan entry.

However, this in itself is worth writing about, because my Ramadan experience is just as much about the days I fast, as it is those days I fail to do so.

It really is difficult to describe the negative feeling when you know you could be fasting, but you don't. Especially worse is that, on these days, my girlfriend is fasting and I am leaving her to do that on her own.

Compare this to the days where we are fasting together, and it's something out of this world.

In ways that are difficult to neatly put into words, this experience has probably brought us even closer together.

Nonetheless, as we sit now around the halfway-mark of the Ramadan month, I have fasted six days thus far. This is not pleasing for me, as I wanted a few days to my name by now. My goal is to have no less than 14 days of fasting done by the end of the month, and I know this will require a lot of will and perseverance!

Tomorrow it restarts; my girlfriend has actually stated that she is feeling unwell at the moment, so probably she will not fast tomorrow, meaning I will be doing it alone.

Though, as I stated earlier, I would prefer to be doing it together with my partner, I am rather excited about the challenge of attempting to fast solo. It is definitely doing to test me.

Do you think I can do it?

Leave your hopes with me, "MOLIM TE!" :-)


PS. Here's a lovely descriptive comment I received on a previous blog entry of mine today. It was written by user 'ninichissima', who provides a good account of their own personal experience and thoughts throughout this period of fasting, and why he or she does it.
Thanks for the post, ninichissima!

"I really enjoy your descriptions of ramazan in your blog - from a perspective of a person who is new in all that. Yes, I believe that there are a lot of misconceptions going around about fasting (and islam in general), so that people minimize it to 'just starving and torturing yourself'. I am glad that you have "been experiencing emotions you did not expect." This is exactly the point of fasting (from my understanding) because then we all become nicer / calmer / better to each other etc and that is common in every religion. which is beautiful.

Living in this fast-paced world, i felt really like an emotion-empty person in the beginning of the month, totally detached from inner feelings and just focused on job/hobbies/plans/'things to do'/... First few days I was really looking forward to, to come 'back to myself', and they really shook me. Then somehow it sinked in that there is Someone up there who is watching us and taking care about us and who will forgive all bad things that we are not happy with ourselves - only if we ask for it. "

Thank-you to Klix and ZenicaBlog!

As a lot of you probably already know, I'm currently 'enjoying' the obligatory 15 seconds of fame that, perhaps, all of us go through at least once in our lifetime.

Earlier this evening, Bosnian news portal Klix, along with local news portal ZenicaBlog, posted articles which promoted this very blog that I am writing!

I'm not one to seek fame, or anything like that, so I will leave it at that.

Hopefully, though, I will receive a number of potential long-term readers after this evening! The views for this blog have sky-rocketed in the last couple of hours; I may need to employ staff, hehe!

Seriously now, thanks guys, again. I really appreciate it.

Click here for the ZENICABLOG link!

Click here for the KLIX link!

(Apologies, my Aussie friends, you will need to stick the link in GoogleTranslate; hey, at least they're pretty good at accurate translations these days!)

Off to see 'The Dark Knight Rises' tonight!

The Dark Knight Rises. (Source: iDownloadBlog.com)

OK, as you're probably guessing from the title, this post will deviate a little from my usual topics of discussion.

Tonight, in around two hours time, I will finally be heading down to the cinemas to see Christopher Nolan's highly-anticipated new instalment to the Batman series; The Dark Knight Rises.

My excitement has been multiplied by the fact I've seen the movie rated a whopping 9.0 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Data Base.

Perhaps I should reserve my judgement for after I've actually seen the film myself, but usually the quality of follow-up movies to classics (such as was The Dark Knight) drops off considerably.

Anyway, to keep a local theme prominent in my writings; guess just how much a ticket to the cinemas costs here?

Whilst back home in Melbourne a day at the movies might set you back around $16 (AUD), the most you will pay here in Zenica for a standard flick is less than $2.50! On Wednesday's, prices are even further reduced.

Meanwhile, a large popcorn - quality isn't as great as in Oz - and drink will cost you no more than $4.

Ahh, are you thinking what I am thinking?

Maybe the reason I am so excited for this evening is because of how ridiculously cheap it is compared to the exorbitant prices back home!

Viva la Bosna.

Ramadan: Day 6

In Mostar, so many worshippers were present at a local
 mosque the other day that they had to set up 'serdzada', or 
praying mats, outside on the street! (Source: Rijaset.ba)

Today marks my sixth day of fasting during the Ramadan period.

In case you haven't been following my progress; I took a six-or-seven day break following the first three days of fasting due to the fact I was away from home in Sarajevo (I know, I know, bad excuse), but now, I'm back into the thick of things, and feeling superb!

In the last few days I've been writing about how high my spirits are - and my morale just keeps growing as each day of fasting passes.

It must be said, however, that it's difficult to ascertain whether this positive energy is a result of 'cleansing' my body, or because I feel as though I am achieving my goals.

Who knows - maybe it is a combination of both.

At the time I write this, Aksam is only 15 minutes away, and tonight for our Iftar dinner my partner has prepared what is locally called 'sirnica', meaning cheese pie! It will be accompanied with 'ramazanije' (traditional bread made specially for Ramadan); soup; and to keep mum happy, there will also be some salads.

Guys, I have to be honest, I can't wait any longer for that food!
Therefore it's time to go to the kitchen and prepare the table!

Prijatno / Bon Appetit :)


PS. Before I go ... Did you know?

Around 2.5 million people flocked to Mecca on the first day of this year's Ramadan to pray. In addition, there were up to 28,000 security officers in and around the Grand Mosque and Kabaa to move the crowds and ensure safety for the worshippers.

Incredible.

Hamish and Andy in Mostar!

Last month, Hamish and Andy's Euro Gap Year program featured the pair visiting Mostar's famous Old Bridge.

Here is footage from the program in case, like me, you didn't get the chance to see it (boy, just how magnificent does Mostar look, huh!):

Zenica man becomes Internet hit.

Something a bit light-hearted for this afternoon . . .

News footage of a Zenica man providing some, well, perplexing answers to a journalist over the weekend has since gone viral.

The man, who was being interviewed following the earthquakes which struck Zenica and surrounding areas on Saturday morning, claimed to be present at the epicentre of the original quake.

There's not much that needs to be said, just take a look at the video below, along with the translated text.

"I was at the school, and that's where the epicentre hit. I was surprised that it was a red-brown colour .. It was like thunder, it was like thunder struck, and then ... it started to shake."


How one can see an earthquake and its 'colours' - we're all not quite sure.