Rediscovering a galaxy through music!
Last year, I had the same experience with a symphony orchestra during The Lord of the Rings, and last month I had another one, this time during Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, one of the best installments in the Star Wars franchise. In this post, I’ll share my Star
Rediscovering a galaxy through music!
Last year, I had the same experience with a symphony orchestra during The Lord of the Rings, and last month I had another one, this time during Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, one of the best installments in the Star Wars franchise. In this post, I’ll share my Star
Notes from the Eskişehir and Ayvalık Races
Over the past few weeks, I participated in two running events—first in Eskişehir, then in Ayvalık. I’d like to share my new experiences from these races, which I also ran last year. To start, you can find the technical details about the Eskişehir Half Marathon I ran on Sunday,
How Should Beauty Pageants Be Held?
On 11 September, the Miss Turkey beauty pageant crowned İdil Bilgen as the winner, prompting harsh criticism from a large group of people who didn’t find her beautiful. While public debate on the matter was ongoing, I watched a film built around aesthetic anxieties called Uglies, which inspired me to
We Are All Soldiers of Mustafa Kemal
I find it utterly senseless that the young lieutenants, whose actions after their swearing-in ceremony were worthy of praise, are instead being harshly criticized. While sitting in a café in Ayvalık, where I had come for a run, I suddenly found myself standing at attention and singing the national anthem
Djokovic Becomes the Greatest of All Time in Tennis
In the past, I wrote an article titled “Who Will Be the Greatest Tennis Player of All Time?” In that piece, I compared Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. At the time, my personal wish list for the “greatest” ranking was Federer first, Nadal second, and Djokovic last. But
2024 Paris Olympics
With its highs and lows, and the many headline-making moments, the 2024 Paris Olympics left their mark. In this piece, I’ll share my take on the Paris Olympics, which began on 24 July and wrapped up on 11 August. Paris won the right to host the Games on 13 September
Festival Time in Barbaros Village, Urla
The other day, after visiting my friends in Urla on Friday, we attended the famous Oyuk (Garden Scarecrow) Festival in Barbaros Village, which they had told me about before. It truly lived up to its reputation. Beyond just soaking in the positive vibe there, I observed that great ideas can
The Sounds of Chaos in Week 2 of the Super League!
The scenes we witnessed in the second week games of the Super League this past weekend were far from encouraging. Obvious refereeing mistakes consistently favoring or going against certain teams, some officials—especially club presidents—persistently provoking people, the constant creation of a hostile and confrontational atmosphere, and much more. Unfortunately, from
The spoiled meat scandal in 2010 and the ‘Know What You’re Eating!’ campaign in 2024
Lately, when I see Burger King’s “Know What You’re Eating!” campaign on billboards in many prominent neighborhoods of Istanbul, it inevitably brings back memories. I want to document for history how competitive we were with TAB Food during my time as CEO of KFC and Pizza Hut, and what happened
Listen to the Guides if You Want Tourism to Grow
Recently, a professional guide friend of mine gave us a private tour of Istanbul. As we visited some of the city’s highlights, we also discussed the challenges faced by the tourism industry. In this piece, I’ll share with you—in the words of a guide—what those difficulties look like in Istanbul.