GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 35 - June 2016

For some reason, I also can’t knock the hab- it of posting all my previews on Google+. What’s the most difficult thing about running your sites? I hate encountering time-consuming problems that are not my fault. For example, having to disavow rubbish links, changing servers for some reason, or dealing with the mobile frenzy. Down months are also demoralizing. What’s the best thing about running your sites? Obviously, being your own boss and doing something you love is a fantastic mix. I wouldn’t trade it for triple the money — though I have to admit that a future family to support might change that view. Seeing people winning on my picks is a great bonus. What do you do to stay in shape — both physically and mentally? I love going to the gym, skiing, playing tennis and swim- ming, but I’m not doing them as often as I should — I’m a bit bipolar in this regard. Mentally, I enjoy blocking everything out and just thinking, a form of meditation, I  guess. What do you do with your spare time? Having a beer with my mates is definitely a favorite pastime. What did you dream of doing, both pro- fessionally and personally, when you were a kid? I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid, and in my teenage years I wanted to play sports professionally. I was pretty good at water polo, but eventu- ally chose school instead. I always wanted to be successful on my own. You’ve lived your whole life in Romania, correct? What should people who have never been to Romania know about your country? We’re actually not bad at all. The land is beautiful and we are very hospi- table people. Cheap beer and beautiful women are a highlight among tourists. What are the defining characteristics of Bucharest? If you could live anywhere in the world, would you stay where you are now? Great nightlife and horrible traffic. I would like to live somewhere with a cold- er climate; the heat in Bucharest is killing me and I hope to move at some point be- cause of it. But, otherwise, I love it here. If someone from out of town were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definite- ly take them to see? A Dinamo Bucharest match, followed by a trip downtown. When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go? I can’t get too far away fromwork, as my website needs hourly maintenance. Working out and playing sports is my best chance to forget about work completely. What’s your all-time favorite movie? Man, this is a difficult question, but I will say The Sting with Paul Newman, just to keep it gambling-related. Definitely one of my all-time favorites! If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? I should really take my parents out into town, and I would bring my grandpar- ents as well. But, more to your point, the names Mark Cuban, Leonardo da Vinci, Axl Rose, Angelina Jolie and Christina Symanski come to mind. Name three things that people reading this magazine don’t know about you. 1. I have a poetry volume I hope to pub- lish one day. 2. I love rock ‘n’ roll music. 3. I secretly hate football (aside from my Dinamo Bucharest), even though I’m writing about it every day. GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES GPWA Affiliate Interview Series