by Gábor Bihari
31 March 2008

Some days ago Pestcentric.com, which looked like a blog, but was actually more than that, has totally disappeared off the face of the net.

Not only do I miss reading some of the free-spirited observations and comments it made on both the enticing and frustrating elements of life in Budapest, I actually owe Pestcentric. How much I owe is subject to negotiation.

Established and kept up by a fellow Angeleno expat, it was a unique and inspiring spot on the net, which I often visited if I wanted to read something different than what was offered by mainstream media. So much so, that I actually started feeling like publishing some articles on it too. Its owner was more than open to my offer, and even provided me with an editor's access code. Which then I never ended up using, not just because of procrastination, but partly because he soon also began telling me that he wants to shut it all down. His reason was that since his attention is now focused elsewhere, through which he can make money even, he was getting burned out under the burden of updating it all. At that time, toward the end of 2007, I actually talked him into not shutting it down completely, just going on hiatus. (Although I certainly wasn't the only one suggesting this to him.) However, I still didn't manage to get anything posted on it, mainly because by this time I was already focusing my thoughts on putting a regular news publication together myself, and I wanted to be finished with those preparations first, then write stuff for both.

But of course, this parallel writing scheme never materialised, due to his final shutdown coming a bit sooner, and Greenmedia.hu starting a bit later than I anticipated.

However, I must still admit that my primary source of inspiration – at least for the English version of Greenmedia.hu – came from Pestcentric. A place where you can share your observations, news you happen to have come across, and where you can invite others to share theirs.

So how much do I owe for this? Lunch? Drinks? Cash? We'll see. And will tell you all about it...