Posted by Tudor Bercea on Oct 13, 2015 in Freedom Addict Diary | 0 comments

Monday, 5th of October 2015 Since Robert and Annika haven’t yet arrived back from Istanbul, I worked from home. Saving 2 hours which I usually spend commuting from home to work and back might not seem much, but when I can use that time to get an extra hour of sleep, it’s magical. 🙂 I can’t say that my work is stressful or exhausting, but years of freelancing and waking up whenever I could damn please, have made their toll on me, so it takes a while to adjust to a schedule. Tuesday, 6th of October 2015 In the evening the internet went down. This is probably the worst thing that can happen. Someone has accurately updated Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs, and you’ve probably seen this before: Wednesday, 7th of October 2015 We ate at Cooko’s but I forgot to take a picture. 🙁 So I’m just going to show you a picture of some bruschettes I baked in the oven: They’re kinda like pizza, but less tasty. Remind me not to buy them again. Thursday, 8th of October 2015 When I told you I’m probably going to change this blog into a food review blog you didn’t believe me. Well, here’s another episode… Today we all had lunch together. And when I mean all, I am referring to me, Zarko, Annika, Elsa and Robert. And when I mean lunch, I am talking about potatoes at Kumpir. Anyway, it was really nice to see that the Breeze team is growing. We all knew it was, but you don’t really realize it until we all gather together like we did today. Of course, we couldn’t resist buying some cake from Rewe supermarket. Friday, 9th of October 2015 Every day I am passing by a very peculiar monument. I am not sure what it commemorates. It obviously has something to do with war, but I found it really interesting how they used real bomb shells to create something of artistic value. “Oh Tudor, tell us some more about food.” Okay okay, hold your appetite. I recently discovered that I am an excellent cook. I can bake any frozen pizza in under 13...

Posted by Tudor Bercea on Oct 5, 2015 in Freedom Addict Diary | 0 comments

Monday, 28th of September 2015 False alarm. I’m not going to Istanbul, but my colleague, Annika will. I am happy for her, but I wonder if I will get another opportunity like this until the end of my internship. Now that I think about it, I kinda wish I was the one appointed to accompany Robert at the startup fair in Turkey. However, I do feel happy for Annika and I hope she will have an awesome time there. Today was quite a productive day, which came as a surprise, since Robert was out of town. I had to rebuild the entire web app wireframe in UXPin,  as the previous version became corrupt for unknown reasons and wasn’t able to save it. Very disappointing, UXPin… very disappointing. Tuesday, 29th of September 2015 I wasn’t a coffee drinker at all before coming to Hamburg, but now it seems easier to be more energetic by starting the day with a nice, milky, hot cup of coffee. We usually drink the free coffee prepared by Primo Portal Hub (the building where we and other startups have their office), but this morning we were offered free coffee capsules for the coffee machine for which we would normally need an access card. Not a bad way to start the day. 🙂 My German is not very good, but once in a while I pick up fragments of conversation from people around me. Today I overheard Robert wishing “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag” to Annika on the phone. It means “Happy Birthday”. So later on I called Annika to wish her happy birthday, and she invited me and Zarko to the celebration party at her place in the evening. Of course, I accepted, but then I was faced with the dilemma of getting her a present. I knew she likes chocolate, so I went to the Alnatura supermarket to buy one, and I came across this tasting table: Why can’t we have nice things like this in Romania? I mean we do have tasting tables in supermarkets but there’s always someone there so that people won’t be greedy and eat everything. Here at Alnatura there wasn’t...

Posted by Tudor Bercea on Sep 28, 2015 in Freedom Addict Diary | 0 comments

Monday, 21st of September 2015 Today was a casual working day. Robert had to leave for a few days, so feedback came slower than usual due to the fact that he has scarce access to an internet connection. So while waiting for feedback, I read some more about design and user behavior. For instance, did you know that while you are reading this post, you are actually following the so-called “F-Pattern”? Here’s an example (the more reddish, the more your eyes are drawn to that particular area): To simplify the image above, take a look at the scheme below: When you first open a website / webpage, the first place your eyes look at is the upper-right corner. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that’s where the logo of that website is usually placed. Then, your eyes scan the first horizontal line, moving to the right. Usually this is when you take a look at the menu of the website, which is placed on the first line. As you begin to read this article, you search for keywords, moving your eyesight on a vertical line on the left, basically reading the beginning of each paragraph. When one paragraph catches your attention you begin to read it, thus completing the “F-Pattern”. The process continues until the end of the article, so in the end you get sort of a “F”-like pattern, or how I like to call it: “the F on steroids”. 🙂 This is a very empowering information. Designers take advantage of this pattern to design performing websites that ultimately get more views. But I don’t want to bore you with “fun facts”. So let’s talk about something we can all relate to. Today I was craving for some chicken so I went to KFC. I found it surprising that there are only 4 KFCs in the whole of Hamburg, but what was more surprising was that they don’t have that delicious garlic sauce. Nope. That awesome, mouth-watering garlic sauce which is probably one of the main reasons I eat at KFC is… missing. In fact, there is not one garlic sauce at KFC in the whole of Germany!...

Posted by Tudor Bercea on Sep 21, 2015 in Freedom Addict Diary | 0 comments

Monday, 14th of September 2015 This morning at the subway two guys with saxophones and a boombox begun entertaining people. I think one of them was Romanian, although that’s not very important. What is important is that these guys, who didn’t seem to have higher education, managed to find a way to earn their living, in a quite original manner. I mean, how many times do you hear sax music on your way to work? Getting his saxophone out… …and playing like he was on a stage. Today, while waiting for Robert I read some more about flat design. I weighed the pros and the cons, and the conclusion was quite balanced: even though flat design is the new hype, sqeuomorphic and realistic design may still be appropriate, depending on the situation. I liked the analogy one author made by comparing a classical curved sink with a modern, almost minimalistic, flat-bottom one. The flat-bottom sink may look new and modern, but when the water from the faucet runs, it splashes all over the place, while the classical curved sink, although looking rather old and outdated, is more practical since it redirects the stream of water inwards. You can read the whole article here. Tonight I had a skype call with my dear executive board members from JCI Târgu-Mureș. It was nice to see them after more than a month, and talk about what has changed in the past period. I feel so sorry I can’t be there with them during such memorable times when we are about to obtain national membership. It is the culmination of more than a year’s work, and I am proud of what we have achieved so far. Oh, before I go, I need to tell you that today a new record number of unique users has been recorded. Almost 220 people have viewed my website today alone. I don’t know if that sounds a lot to you, but I’m not stopping here, and I’m aiming for the next goal: 500 unique visitors per day. 🙂 Tuesday, 15th of September 2015 In Robert’s absence, today I read more about design trends from an e-book I got from...

Posted by Tudor Bercea on Sep 14, 2015 in Freedom Addict Diary | 0 comments

Monday, 7th of September 2015 As I was riding the bus to work, something unexpected happened. A blonde lady made a U-turn right in the intersection, cutting the bus driver’s way. Can you guess what happened next? You guessed wrong! The driver didn’t say absolutely anything, didn’t lose his temper, didn’t honk, didn’t even sketch a grimace. He just waited patiently for the lady to finish the U-turn and go about her way, after which he continued driving calmly to the next station. I can only imagine how many curses the blonde lady would have received if she was in Bucharest. We should all learn from this, a true example of driving fair-play. At lunch, Zarko and I went to an Asian restaurant called Wild Rice. The food was excellent and plenty, probably the best way I could spend 7,50 EURO today. I had some crispy duck with sweet-sour sauce, while Zarko had chicken with curry: Every day I take the subway to and from work. And every day I pass by miles and miles of graffiti painstakingly drawn on the walls flanking the railroad. I probably wouldn’t appreciate a graffiti if it was placed on a monument or a nice building. But it’s all about context, and this time I can say the graffiti on the walls in the subway break the monotony and give them their own unique style. Tuesday, 8th of September 2015 Another day, another restaurant. 🙂 This time Robert and I went to “Otto’s Burger” and had a big juicy burger. That’s right, vegans and vegetarians – I ate meat and I liked it. I know that a cow had to die so that I would enjoy my lunch, but if you think about it… that cow probably wouldn’t have been born at all if it wasn’t for meat eaters like me. So before you call me a killer, just think that a cow actually lived for a while. Maybe not for long, but still, it lived and loved, and had happy cow dreams. Thanks to me. Food for thought… Wednesday, 9th of September 2015 Last night after taking a shower I came across a HUGE freakin’ spier in...

Posted by Tudor Bercea on Sep 7, 2015 in Freedom Addict Diary | 0 comments

Monday, 31st of August 2015 It was quite a normal start of the week. Robert left for Berlin until Friday, and I have quite a lot of tasks to resolve until he returns. When I left the office I came across a bizarre appearance on the streets of Hamburg – a tractor in the center of the city, driving alongside Volkswagens and BMWs: I arrived home and checked my mailbox… and surprise: I have received my brand new debit card from Haspa bank. Although it looks a bit weird without the 16-digit card number and I wonder how I am going to use it for online shopping. Tuesday, 1st of September 2015 While Robert is gone I have quite a lot of work to do, and unfortunately I still depend on him giving me prompt feedback. Things are not going very smooth because of this and I have to work at least 3 tasks in parallel. After work I went to the bank machine to withdraw some money. I managed to accomplish this task from the first trial, even though the interface was in German. While I was doing it, a thought crossed my mind, thinking this is how people playing at slot machines must feel like. Pushing random buttons and hoping for money to come out. 🙂 I also managed to make a monthly transportation subscription in the morning, but in the evening I wasn’t so happy with the acquisition as I learned that for just 10 EURO extra, I could have made a monthly subscription not only for 3 areas in Hamburg but for the whole Greater Area of Hamburg (rings A and B), which comprises pretty much all the important areas of this big city. So I went to Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and I changed it, paying only the 10 EURO difference. Wednesday, 2nd of September 2015 I’m not sure how a coffee addict feels like, that is if he feels any different at all, but although I don’t fancy its taste, I do need that extra energy boost that only a cup of coffee can give. I didn’t drink any coffee before coming to Hamburg, and now...