Radu Panciuc » Bulgaria

WRC – Rally Bulgaria

Radu Panciuc — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:41:12 +0000

With 5 days left till the start, the 41st Rally of Bulgaria is more than just a regular stage in the internal championship due to the fact that it has been included in the World Rally Championship. This can only mean world wide renown drivers, super powerful and fast world rally cars, beautiful Bulgarian scenery, and a great show for spectators.

The 41st Rally of Bulgaria will take place in the picturesque resort Borovets (it got a great mountain bike park), located in the Rila Mountain, in southern Bulgaria. The total length of the competition is 1068 km, the drivers having to race through 14 Special Stages – 353 km – on asphalt. The shakedown will take place on the 7th of July, the ceremonial start will be given in the evening of the following day, and the first day of competition will be Friday, July 9.

The rally will entertain the spectators for 3 days (9-10-11 July) and tickets are available online and in stores like Office 1 Superstore, Internity, and Piccadily. I already got my pass and I will be there on the 10th trying to spot Sebastian Loeb and former Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen. You can find more information about the competition on Rally Bulgaria’s official site. Hope to see you there!

Update: Sebastian Loeb and Dani Sordo put on a show today in Sofia, part of an event organized by Citroen. You can watch a couple of stunts they performed in the following video:

First Investment Bank Are Doing It Wrong

Radu Panciuc — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:32:05 +0000

My relationship with First Investment Bank goes back 1 year and a half. I first started using their services when I got a debit card and the respective current account. After a while, I decided to go for Online Banking, since I have monthly payments to make and, as I figured it out at that point, that would save me and FIB time and efforts. Apparently, I was wrong and I will tell you why.

First, the registration for online banking and issuance of a browser certificate took almost one week of efforts – had to go to the bank several times and called the Customer service 4-5 times in order to install the certificate on my computer. If you’re thinking that you go one time to the bank, fill out some documents, pay some fees, and then go back home and follow their instructions to install the certificate, then you’re dead wrong.

Second, at one point I had to reinstall the operation system and accidentally – my fault – lost the certificate. No worries, the history repeated itself exactly like in the first part, when I got my first browser certificate issued.

Throughout these times, I opened a couple of savings accounts and I was pretty much happy with them. One good thing about First Investment Bank is the fact that they have very good interest rates for deposits. With the help of the Online Banking system I could easily transfer money from one account to the other – I don’t have to go to the bank, the bank clerk doesn’t have to work with me; everyone is happy.

Two weeks ago I received an email where I was informed that my browser certificate is about to expire and I have to renew it. Nothing new so far since this happens every 6 months. So, last Friday I went to the bank to renew my certificate. Got there, told the guy my problem, and he started working on the issue. After a couple of minutes, he kindly informed me that I forgot to fill out the online form for requesting a new certificate. I guess I skipped that part when I received the email in Bulgarian (even though my Online Banking settings are in English) so it’s pretty much my fault. I headed back to my laptop where I diligently submitted the online form.

On Monday, I went back to the bank again. Got there, talked to another person (Why all those people that were there on Friday miraculously disappeared on Monday?!) and, again, the employee couldn’t find the request for the certificate in the database. I clearly explained to her that I did submit the online form (Thanks Svetla for helping me out) but the only thing I got was that I should go back, call the Customer Service, and fill out the form again on my own (for some reason filling in my name, id number, address, and phone number can’t be done by the bank employees – not in the job description or what?). So, I went back and repeated the procedure, this time assisted by the Customer Service on the phone. Thanks to God, we managed to fill it out and even the nice and helpful guy on the phone confirmed that the form has been successfully submitted.

I headed back to the bank hoping that renewing a simple certificate wouldn’t take the whole day. Got there again and, good news, they can see the request. The bad news came after 20 minutes when the guy came off the phone and told me that they can’t process the whole thing. I was recommended to go back and call the Customer Service and solve my problem with them. Yes, the same Customer Service that told me the form was successfully submitted and the only thing left is to take my Passport and get to the bank.

The Issue

Since I am not a Bulgarian citizen I was issued by the Bulgarian Police a personal identification number (ЛНЧ ≈ЕГН). I wasn’t issued a Serial Number for any kind of ID here – in this particular case Номер На Лична Карта. This is why I have to use my Passport number whenever it comes to that. The problem with this number is that it is one digit shorter than the Bulgarian one. But, of course, there is a solution for this problem: add one 0 (zero) at the end of the number so that the system can recognize it.

This process worked well for the last 1 year and a half, but today. The guy was trying to explain to me that I definitely have to put the Passport number for ЕГН, and my ЛНЧ for Номер На Лична Карта. I clearly stated to him that if I do it that way I would get a big fat error. That’s how I did it before and I saw the result, hence the call to the Customer Service which told me to switch that and add the zero for the passport number. His last sentence was that he can’t do anything about it and that I have to call Customer Service. No time during the discussion he offered to fill out the form and prove that he’s wrong.

So, I am at the bank the third time with the same problem, throughout my endeavor of renewing my certificate I did exactly what they told me so (bank and customer service), and now I am sent back home to solve a problem that is technically not mine, and come back when it’s done.

Well, dear buddies from the First Investment Bank, let me tell you a short story. We’re in the third month of 2010, 3 years after Bulgaria joined the magnificent European Union, and there is a kind of a global crisis out there, affecting Bulgaria as well. Having these factors in mind, I would think that an important bank like FIB would know by this time how to issue/renew a browser certificate for a foreigner (I really-really hope that this is not the case with Bulgarian natives), how to tackle the problems with their clients, and how to make things easy for both parties.

I spent too much time and energy dealing with your problem, the employees I had to talk to got frustrated, and the people waiting in line were not happy at all to wait almost 30 minutes for me to stand up. By the way, why do I get called and asked for my ЛНЧ by the bank employees just to eventually find out that they needed the number in order to cancel my certificate issuance that actually went through? Wasn’t that confidential information which, first, the bank should have about me and, second, they’re not allowed to call and ask for?

For your information, I wouldn’t have written this post if it wasn’t the third time I had to go through this. I got sick and tired of paying visits to the bank and talk to the customer service guys in order to keep my Online Banking running. Ironically, the whole purpose of using this system is to make things easier for your customers (I really liked the fact that I could pay all my monthly expenses online and transfer money whenever I wanted, locally and internationally), and to cut your costs (that’s really cool for you, especially during this period). More than that, your employees will be less frustrated having to deal with one less person.

Maybe you should think about it. As for me, I gave up my Online Banking and you’ll see me every month in your branches paying stuff and transferring money. I guess paying more employees and not cutting costs is not an issue for FIB. But, if you ask me, you’re doing it WRONG.

Losing my car’s virginity

Radu Panciuc — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:32:43 +0000

The incident happened around 100 meters after the exit of Zverino village towards Svoge. At the beginning, the road welcomes you with small holes. Even though the prelude is quite long, the intercourse comes fast, hard, and merciless. It is as fast as a split second and after that you’re disappointed. It feels like the whole prelude was worthless. The car is not a virgin anymore and the 2 right side tires are flat as a pancake. 10 more meters and you find a place where you can park your exhausted car. You get out of the car, you see the broken rims and tires, you put your hands on your head, and there is only one thing that you can think about: Lots of oral love to the people responsible for the road!

Leaving aside the feelings there are a couple of things I learned last night:

1. Even though your extra car insurance provides you with free Road Assistance they won’t come as long as you don’t call the police and report this as an accident. Police comes, investigates what happened, you do the paper work, and after that you can call the Road Assistance so they can come pick you up. They will tow your car free of charge till the next bigger city; after that point you pay for every extra kilometer your car is towed. (we didn’t go for this option – too much trouble for 2 wheels)

2. Always have a flashlight in your car (or a phone equipped with a flashlight – Nokia 1208 did the job for me)

3. It’s good to carry a pepper-spray in your car. While I was fixing the tires in the near-by village, 2 of our friends (girls) had to wait in the car. While it was dark and almost in the middle of nowhere, the pepper-spray gave them more confidence.

4. I recommend you carry a small pump or even a small air-compressor. If the rims are not totaled you can try fixing them by yourself.

5. When you drive on a road that looks like it hasn’t been repaired since the second world war, a good thing to do is to slow down. The hole I lost my car’s virginity into didn’t look deep at all. It proved to be different. The sad part is that while I was fixing my tires another car went through the same process. And apparently there was another one before us. The local guy that helped me fix the tires told us that during the weekend there are on average 6 cars going through the same hole. He was joking and saying that he could open a Tire center right next to it. I told him that would be a good business (the place is perfect, and as long as there is a hole in that place he shouldn’t worry about clients).

View Zverino, Bulgaria in a larger map

Conclusion: Bulgaria is a country where the state thinks of its people. The state encourages entrepreneurship. They won’t fix the village roads so that people in those villages have some extra income. Leaving the joke aside, I am grateful to the guy that stopped to help us (not too many people would do this) and to the owner of the tire service that opened the place on a Sunday night to fix our tires. I am pretty happy with the ones I use – Kumho Solis. Even though the rims were quite damaged and I was recommended to buy new ones, the tires can still be used.

Ride for Charity

Radu Panciuc — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:47:14 +0000

On October 3rd, One Life Charity is organizing its 6th annual charity bicycle ride in Bankya, Bulgaria. According to the information posted on the organization’s site, the route is an 80 km loop (Bankya – Bozhurishte – Breznik – Pernik – Bankya) that starts and finishes in the centre of Bankya. The ride starts at 9 am and its estimated finishing time is around 6:30 pm.

The main purpose of the event is to raise funds that will be used to help disadvantaged children in Bulgaria. The participation fee is 25 BGN but everyone is encouraged to raise additional sponsorship. I already registered for the event and I am trying to persuade other people to do the same.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday ready for action.

For further details, please contact: Mrs Rossy Vassileva
Telephone: 866 9237, mobile: 0887 310 290
e-mail: rossy@onelifebulgaria.org

Additional information: The route has been coordinated with the relevant municipalities and police departments. The group will have a police and ambulance escort.

All participants take part at their own risk. All participants are reminded of the need to wear helmet, guard against heat exhaustion, over-exertion, ensure regular fluid and food intake and to carry the correct clothing in case of possible inclement weather.

Bike photo shoot

Radu Panciuc — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:08:08 +0000

Short bike photo shoot in Sofia. Credits go to Madalin.

Click on the sides to see other photos.

Bankya

Radu Panciuc — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:19:58 +0000

Nothing compares to a Sunday morning to afternoon bike ride. Today I decided to get out of Sofia and check a bit the small city of Bankya. The town is famous for the mineral springs (saw many people going by car next to the Bankya mineral water plant and taking water) but also for the baths that have been used for their medicinal properties for hundreds of years, according to wikipedia.

This was the first time I went there by bike and I realized that there are many places that I didn’t see before while driving there. Downtown, I found the main park which was clean and newly “rehabilitated”. I had breakfast there and I’ve noticed that the park was mostly inhabited by old people – I have the feeling that the younger ones moved to Sofia (correct me if I am wrong). The purpose of today’s ride was to get to the Sveta Petka Monastery, which is outside Bankya. I managed to get to one of the road signs, a couple of kilometers outside the town, and I gave up when I saw the steep hills that were waiting for me to climb. I was already tired after riding the bike for 30 km and I had to head back to Sofia. The good news is that I found a nice place where you can lie down on the grass and watch the planes descending towards the Sofia airport. I plan to go there again, hopefully make it to the monastery.

Till then, you can check my bike map where you can see the pictures I took today. Ride safely!

Bike route 325051 – powered by Bikemap

Sofia – Borisova Gradina

Radu Panciuc — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:18:15 +0000

The outcome of a Sunday morning bike ride:

Bike route 313007 – powered by Bikemap

Bulgarians are hypocrites?

Radu Panciuc — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:38:29 +0000

Hidden messages in the capital city of Bulgaria – Sofia. More precisely, the intersection of 2 boulevards – Gotse Delchev and Bulgaria.

Second word reads: CRIT (КРИТ)

Result: HYPO + CRIT = Hypocrite I wonder who’s behind this. The Talibans? Or maybe the BG secret services?

Extinct Species – Cop of Sofia

Radu Panciuc — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:19:43 +0000

In most of the regions of the planet fauna and flora are being threatened with extinction, major factors being pollution, destruction of natural habitat, and other man-driven-factors.

The Cop of Sofia is part of the Bulgarian fauna and it is today’s topic in the “Extinct Species” series. Also known as Streetus Homoretardus, the Cop of Sofia prefers to live in a closed environment by hiding in either a dirty shrub, behind trees/polls, or just by pretending to be invisible behind the steering wheel.

Its habitat is misleading for the human beings. Streetus Homoretardus prefers both heavy traffic streets and deserted/low traffic places, where one would never expect to see such specimen. The most interesting part about the Cop of Sofia is the fact that it is very unusual for it to be seen either without a radar detector in its right upper limb, or without the truncheon placed somewhere on the right lower limb. In most of the cases, the Streetus Homoretardus is accompanied by at least one more member of this species. Usually they hunt in groups of 2-3, and their main capture is the Bulgarian Lev, the American Dollar, and the Euro.

Years ago, when this species was first discovered, the Streetus Homoretardus had very different traits: it used to protect the people around, to take care of the car traffic flow, to offer security during nighttime, and even to help humans when they needed it. Unfortunately, this initial behavior has changed drastically over time: the Cop of Sofia doesn’t come out during nighttime anymore (unless hunger strikes them and they go out hunt), it feels threatened by traffic jams, it gets claustrophobic in intersections, and it is badly affected by the climate change (it seeks shelter whenever it is sunny/windy/rainy).

As we could see, today’s environment seriously threatens Streetus Homoretardus to become one of the extinct species within the Bulgarian fauna. Important measures should be taken in order to bring the Cop of Sofia back to its initial behavior. Fortunately, this morning I managed to catch one specimen which was clearly showing one of the old traits.

Intersection – downtown Sofia

My new Secretary

Radu Panciuc — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:57:43 +0000

After 2 months of paper work, I managed to hire a secretary today. Everything is legal now and starting today – 17 April 2009 – she will be the one in charge with all the office duties on my desk and around it as well. Let’s all welcome Zaiche (Codita) in the favit office – she is a bit nervous now but I am pretty sure she’ll do just fine.

Radu Panciuc » Bulgaria

WRC – Rally Bulgaria

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