Real places, real years
I'm a web developer now, but I wasn't always one. Scroll down: this is where I lived and what I did there, in my own photos and videos.
1998
Moldova · until 2007
Unfortunately, I do not have any videos from my old tournaments. But here is a video of me doing bag work. In Moldova, the martial arts community always considered tae-kwon-do a bit like dancing, so why not combine both?
Bag work. In Moldova in the martial arts community, tae-kwon-do was always considered dancing, so why not combine both.
2005
Moldova · until 2006
Started performing on stage and began studying at the U.L.I.M. foreign languages faculty. Shot on an old camera, so the quality is low, the footage is real, and I was frightened to death :) Pictured here with my brother and our team right after the performance.
Early stage performance
Me, my brother, and our team after the performance.
2007
U.S.A. Long Island, New York · until 2007
Worked as a lifeguard first in Washington D.C.—a very boring job at a private pool with water barely below my neck :) Why did they even need a lifeguard? The Long Island, N.Y. job was much more intense with heavy responsibilities. We were constantly tested on our water scanning attention because young lifeguards not paying attention can lead to tragedies.
Me in Washington D.C.
Long Island, New York
Times Square, N.Y.
2007
Moldova · until 2008
Graduated from the U.L.I.M. foreign languages faculty. Danced at all major gigs and events in Chișinău, Rep. of Moldova, but got paid absolutely nothing :) This led me to start dancing in Chișinău nightclubs, where improvisation proved much easier than stage choreography, earning me my first money.
Early stage performance
First money earned from dancing was through club improvisation, way easier than stage dance.
I was very serious at my job :)
Yes, there were fun moments like this.
Our super serious troupe :)
Clubbing :)
2008
Changsha, China · until 2009
The Tian Han Grand Theatre was my first stage in China, working alongside a Moldovan team. Because we worked nights, seeing daylight was a rare event. The experience included my first exit on a Chinese stage, dancing with a singer from Beijing, and celebrating the New Year 2009 party and after-party.
My first exit on stage in a Chinese theatre
Dancing with a Beijing singer
The easiest dance ever
New Year 2009 eve
New Year after-party
Most of the Moldova team
Finally saw the daylight because we were mostly active at night.
One of my favorite dances because there was not a lot of dancing. Watch the video! :)
2009
Changsha, China · until 2012
I moved to a new theatre literally across the street with a better salary and stayed for almost three years. During one of those years, I studied Chinese at Hunan Normal University. Renting my own apartment, I rode an electric scooter about 10 km every weekday to be in class by 7 AM, with only one day off a month. After a year of exhaustion, I quit studies, and out of sheer boredom started teaching myself Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Adobe programs.
Memories: almost 3 years in one video
Todes dance troupe Chinese knock-off danced in our theater. Yes, China could care less about copyright, American or Russian.
My daily electric scooter route to university.
Check my hair. In my defense, I was young and stupid :)
The place now that used to be Qingdao.
2012
Quanzhou, China · until 2013
Club shows in Quanzhou, where I learned to do a backflip (a big deal for me!), started dating my wife, and learned to create my first choreography. Part of the club contract required us to launch new choreography every two weeks, so as team lead I had to design it—which turned out to be a lot of fun.
I gathered a team of 4 dancers and we found a contract in a club in Quanzhou
My first attempts at a backflip at 27 years old :)
Part of the deal with the club was dancing new choreography every two weeks, so as team lead I had to invent it. Turned out not to be that hard :)
2013
Shanghai, China · until 2018
Freelance dancing starting with a trip to Macao to switch to working Chinese visas—sleeping with rats in Macao because we had no money for a hotel until we bought one last coffee at Starbucks. Lots of shows, TV appearances, and brand-new scooters (and stolen ones). During this time, long before transitioning into my current career as a full-stack web developer, I built my own website to showcase our group work instead of awkwardly sending heavy video files over WeChat. This early project sits as a fun milestone looking back from my current portfolio!
I danced so many events that I even forgot this one
We were bought tickets all over China, danced one night, and flew back to Shanghai. This is in Xi'an (西安市).
Mini car show in Shanghai after which we got hate from local dancers for copying a Russian team's choreography :)
My first website to promote our team in Shanghai, convenient because I didn’t have to upload large pictures into WeChat :)
First job was a male stripping gig, sort of :)
Converted our visas in Macao, spent all our money, tried sleeping on the beach, saw rats crawling, and ordered a single coffee at Starbucks just to spend the night.
First brand-new electric scooter in Shanghai :) (after about 3 stolen in Changsha and 4 in Shanghai—3 stolen, 1 confiscated by police due to strict backseat rules).
First TV show performance in Shanghai.
A show in Sanya, the most memorable one with a 7-day stay in a 5-star hotel with a pool and high pay.
Traveled home for a wedding; almost broke up due to family tensions.
Last gig in Shanghai: opening of the Bellagio Hotel Shanghai Bund.
2018
London, UK · until 2018
Washing dishes in London for a month to afford my first diesel scooter and sort out documents as the UK prepared for Brexit.
A month of washing dishes allowed me to buy my first scooter in London. Very different from China—I had to pass a strict test here :)
At least I lived near this place.
My first diesel scooter ever (after about 7 electric ones in China).
First foreign provisional driving license for a scooter.
2018
Bucharest, RO · until 2018
The birth of our son in Romania, moving there right after my UK trip one week before he was born. Bought our first car with help from my youngest brother (essential with a newborn in Bucharest). Tried to launch a glowing tablet business for kids with my wife, but failed terribly as the market quickly flooded with cheap fakes.
Tried to open a business and failed terribly, but I still don't give up. We tried selling glowing tablets for children, but the market soon flooded with cheap fakes.
Soon to be parents, shot in Moldova before our move to Romania.
Moved to Bucharest immediately after my trip to the UK, 1 week before she gave birth.
My first ever owned car, bought in Romania with my youngest brother's help. Having a child in Bucharest without a car is tough.
Things became serious—I became a dad, stressed from lack of sleep and unstable income.
2018
Brighton, UK · until 2019
Working for Uber Eats and Deliveroo 6 days a week, aiming for £110 daily. Highlights included memorable orders, family beach downtime, park walks, and watching our son grow. A bad car crash caused by other drivers sidelined me for two unpaid weeks.
On the beach with family while waiting for orders.
Out-of-the-ordinary orders made the target of £110 a day (6 days a week) memorable.
Brought a camera to work on rare sunny days, but never dared swim in the cold English Channel.
A bad car crash where a car hit me (not my fault). I missed 2 weeks of work, which is rough in the UK.
Watching our son get older :)
A peaceful walk in the park.
2019
Moldova · until 2020
Returning to Moldova via a vacation in Italy brought severe challenges: our son experienced an emergency intussusception (invagination) leading to surgery where a Meckel's diverticulum was discovered, followed by a second planned surgery during the COVID-19 lockdown. Meanwhile, I worked as a truck driver dispatcher, survived a second car crash in a borrowed car, and managed our move into my mother-in-law's house after she was diagnosed with cancer and left for Italy for treatment.
Our son woke up crying uncontrollably after returning from the UK via Italy; rushed for emergency surgery for invagination (intussusception), discovering a Meckel's diverticulum.
Working as a truck driver dispatcher for a friend while living with my parents.
A brief autumn moment of relief between shocks.
My second car crash, this time in Moldova driving a borrowed family car.
Quit my dispatch job ahead of our son's planned second surgery for the Meckel's diverticulum, which coincided with the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Moved to my mother-in-law's house after she was diagnosed with cancer and traveled to Italy for treatment.
2020
Moldova · until 2021
The year everything stopped. This is when I switched to web development.
Footage for this chapter is coming.
2021
Chișinău · until 2027
Full-time web developer since 2021. Same habits as the stage: show up, finish the thing.
Footage for this chapter is coming.
And now I build websites.
Let's talk about your project