A weekend shouldn't "end" part 2

as per previous post..

A weekend shouldn't "end" part 1

A short but much needed weekend getaway!

Not much to say as images speak louder than words!

I’m now back in the capital but not for too long as I’m planning to return to that exact location to spend my complete vacation later in August. Can’t wait!

Blood on the concert hall?

Yet another little entertaining break in Athens.

Before yesterday, I’ve had the opportunity to attend another great concert. Held in the open theatre on Lycabettus hill, the event was in honor of the Hellenic association of volunteer blood donors. The artist of the night: Despina Vandi. A Greek pop singer who I admit, had previously underestimated. A truly powerful performance from Despina, who threw together a 3 hour show (non stop), singing both her Greek and international hits. And all this, for an important cause which was also sided with several mobile units located outside the theatre, on standby for anyone who wished to contribute in donating blood on that same evening. (combine that with the heat of the evening, with the crowded theatre and the fatigue of the uphill walk all the way to the top of Lycabettus and I assure you, you’re in for a ride)

Back or not?

I’ve been encountering some unusual net problems these last couple of days. I’ve checked with my ISP and I’ve also checked my pc for any malicious software but everything was clean.. Don’t know what’s going on but I’m hoping everything’s fixed now and that I’ll be able to continue my posting. I guess I'm back for the time being.

For the moment, here are a few interesting links i've come across.
Some have even some documentaries for download.

http://www.redpillorbluepill.com
http://www.antiwar.com
http://representativepress.blogspot.com
http://www.antiwar.com
http://representativepress.blogspot.com

"Do you believe they put a man on the moon"

Consider this just a little break from the madness that's going on in the middle east. A friend of mine came up with the idea of this beautiful artwork so I thought I'd share it here. I've only had the chance to engrave my name on the beach so far, but never thought I'd see it on the surface of the moon. :) I guess I got my own little spot now. Perhaps things would be much better up there anyway.

oh and in case u have no clue of what I'm talking about, look closer on the moon's surface :)

Noam Chomsky reveals

Here are some interesting statements/facts from Noam Chomsky on the current situation in the middle east. So much for the free press. Spread the word.

Lebanon Israeli Crisis

This is by far the best blog that I've read regarding the current crisis in the middle east.
Please read and follow but most importantly spread the word to end the ignorence.

Lebanon Israeli Crisis

Danced with Shakira

What a night and what a show! I’m still recuperating from last night’s concert.

After an adventurous journey getting there we finally got to OAKA stadium, only a few minutes after the opening of the gates. To my surprise, the arena was already getting crowded as early as 4 hours prior to the concert. Luckily, we were able to find a good spot very close to the stage with the only inconvenient being that we were held captive by the raging fans that showed no mercy whatsoever and were capable of even walking on us just to get closer. Preserving our territory also meant being deprived of water or other refreshments, therefore a total dehydration until the end of the concert.

The first opening act was singer debutant Ralia Christidou (a Fame Story contestant and runner up) who did a nice job warming up the crowd with her new songs, considering that this must have been her first big venue appearance. Ralia was followed by C-Real, another respectable Greek band, who added a very pleasant prelude to the main act with both their English and Greek songs. Their beautiful female lead singer proved that her powerful voice can really come across just as well live on stage as it does in the studio. All in all, an excellent stage appearance for C-Real.

It was now time for the main act. Many technicians on stage making the final stage setup and testing spotlights.. until finally the lights dim, the crowd cheers like crazy and the band takes the stage.

An electrifying crowd was literally shaking the Olympic stadium.

Music starts and at last.. Shakira on stage.

Simply dressed, as in something she’d wear to go jogging with, she waves at the crowd and starts her singing. The show began with her first songs which were Spanish ballads of the early 90’s (Yes she has a few albums out there for quite some time now). Mid time and after having introduced her band members one by one in the all classical way, she starts with her up-tempo hits. The crowd is now dancing along and so are we whether we like it or not 

No change of outfits so far, Shakira is still in her jogging trousers and her working out top t-shirt. A short interlude now, with fragments of the singer jazz-ballet dancing on videowalls and here she is, back on stage, with her first costume change. Shakira has now been transformed into a bellydancer, probably showing her half mid-eastern roots. Nothing to say about her synchronized moves or the way she splits her spine (if she actually has one) while she performs Ojos Asi. The woman does some amazing moves in every dance routine. In “wherever, whenever” she leaves the stage and doesn’t go “wherever” but surprisingly appears right in front of us. She is dancing in the crowd and yes only 1 meter away from us. I imagined there must have been a reason for that corridor right next to us but never guessed she would actually come there. Needless to mention how were crushed against the corridor by the ravaging fans that wanted to get a glimpse of the exotic singer. They were uncontrollable but who blames them. They were there for her and she was right there for them. Luckily it only lasted a few moments before she took to the stage again (see video). Shakira ended her show with what I’d call her most representative song ever because in my opinion, her “hips are speaking the truth”.

Shakira’s show has now ended with colorful paper fireworks flooding the arena. I’m glad this concert went by a “less is more” concept rather than being drowned with special effects. No extra dancers, no fires on stage, no extravagant costumes, nothing that could capture our attention more than our focusing on the singer and her music. More videos and pictures will be posted soon (hopefully better quality)

Danced in Translation

What a crazy week this has been and the arrivals keep on coming while more have been scheduled for August.
I’m starting to feel like an international airport or some sort of gateway 
But no complaints, it’s all good and I’m having a really good time with my friends. It’s interesting to see people from different countries and languages crossing any language barrier and actually achieving to communicate flawlessly with eachother. In fact, this was made possible with the use of what I call: an international “pot pourri” language, which is a mixture of several languages with English being the key player. All it takes is a little effort (and a lot of will) and the result is fascinating.
There were times of course where sign language or better said “body language” came in handy as some words were quite difficult to translate on their own.
An excellent example of such a challenging word would be the castanets, cymbals, castañuelas, castagnettes or klaketes. Just a little bit of flamenco and the translation is instantly given!

July the month of arrivals

There must be something about July and people traveling simultaneously that I’m not quite aware of.
To my knowledge, it was August the first and most important month of vacation but allow me to think differently for 2006.
More specifically, I’ve got people arriving from just about anywhere around the globe and that means people from North America, Central Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Australia and even northern Greece.
And when I say “arriving”, I only mean they’re visiting Athens, not necessarily staying over at my place.
And although I’m always fond of having people and friends (and family) around, it’s sometimes quite difficult to keep up and try to be with everyone simultaneously.
Nevertheless, it’s still worth the run and always a pleasure being around close ones. I only hope that I can give most of my time possible to all of them, so I won’t leave anyone disappointed.
With August being just around the corner (which will probably be just as busy) it should make this summer one of the most interesting ones yet.
My lack of posting was mostly due to this reason but I’ll try to catch a few moments in front of my pc and get to blog a little more from now on

Midnight summer dream or ...?

One can ask themselves what to expect when attending a formal venue as far as formalities are concerned, dresscode, special guest lists and so on.
But can one really predict the exact opposite outcome or better yet, what I've personally experienced last evening? I think not.
The event was organized on behalf of a world renowned mobile company and as summer is vividly present, it was hosted at a summer beach club venue.
Crowded, yet quite comfortable as the place was large enough to host a fashion show and some other on-stage performances that took place throughout the evening.
Hosted by a famous greek model along with her also famous pop singer/husband on the DJ decks, the evening seemed like a family affair. (even though music wise, they could have done a better job with the playlist).
My very first impression once I got there, was that things were somewhat toned down compared to other similar venues I have attended in the past. It may have been the music, the lack of interest of most guests, perhaps the strong spotlights that surrounded the whole area or even the heat itself.
Gladly the club extended all the way to the beach so many of us prefered to be on the sand catching a breath of fresh air instead of being indoors to watch the catwalk.
And this is where things have started to move, on a completely different level..
Only a few minutes past midnight, and more and more groups of people were gathering on the beach. Some lying down with their gowns on the sand, others walking barefoot by the water, others on sunchairs (me included), others moontanning, others singing along with the music.. until.. we hear the first "splash".. A "splash" like the ones you hear when a big rock is thrown in the water. Although this time, it wasn't a rock that was thrown in the water but a woman. Yes a woman, whose friends were apparently in a crazy yet funny enough mood to actually push her in. And from that moment on the "inevitable" was bound to happen. The situation got out of control. More and more people started diving in the sea! The sea war had just begun. Others with clothes on, others without, but all wet and crazy splashing eachother like animals. At a certain point a security man came by and started asking them to get out of the water as some people may have been drunk and things could get dangerous.. but he didn't seem to be able to stop them. And so he called for reinforcements, now 5 security guys trying to stop the raging group! All they've acheived to do is just lower the volume of their screaming, but in no way would they accept to get out of the refeshing water. Other highlights of the night included a couple which apparently found true love under the moonlight or perhaps they were inspired so they were literally.. going at it.. in a not-so-romantic way..
As you may have noticed I couldn't take nor include any pictures for this post as it would probably become too explicit to publish..
What's important is that the evening had turned from predictable to an unexpected yet fantastic fiesta! (Excellent example for event organizers if you ask me!)

Signed

I thought I should add yet another clip as well as my signature claiming my own little spot on the beach.

I just can't get enough..

Enjoy!

W for Weekend, Wild, Whole

With a short delay, here’s my past weekend post as promised!

After an approximate 4 hour drive, we finally arrived on location.

Situated in western Peloponnesus right across the Ionian island of Zakynthos, the area is surrounded by long golden sand beaches dipped in turquoise waters and by deep forests adding harmoniously a dark green background to the landscape.

Although most part of the weekend was spent on the beach I still didn’t seem to get enough of it. The sounds of nature such as water washing the shore, birds, insects or even the mild wind made me experience moments of pure serenity. The crystal clear sea, calmer than a huge swimming pool, was the ideal place to cool myself every once in a while as the sun was sometimes unbearable especially around early afternoon. Regardless of my oil’s sunblock factor, a sunburn was unfortunately inevitable after so many hours of exposure but it was still worth it.

On Sunday, I came across a horse on the beach. Yes, no illusions, it was a big black horse. It was held by its owner and headed in the direction of a nearby hotel where they would probably provide horseback riding. Beautiful sight to see it gallop on the coast although it didn’t seem to fancy the water too much…

Other enjoyable moments included a night encounter with a wild fox in the middle of the road which was obviously not as afraid as I would expect it to be. It stood there right in front of the car, staring at it and eventually deciding to slowly move aside and let us pass. Strange perhaps, but still a cute little creature I must admit.

Other less enjoyable moments yet inevitable when you’re this close to nature, included mosquitoes (or other similar flying beasts) which were literally sky diving on me at night time. Fortunately they couldn’t get indoors so they only had their chance on me when I was outside the house.

And since all good things must come to an end, so did my little weekend.

The drive back lasted quite longer than our trip going there.

A total of 6 hours was spent on the road due to the heavy traffic congestion we encountered right before entering the capital.

But I didn’t mind. I guess subconsciously I didn’t want the weekend to end and the traffic was really helping postpone my return to the city.

Feeling whole again and with my personal batteries fully recharged, I’m now back. (Perhaps more in flesh than in spirit)

Followed the light at the end of the tunnel

A small lack of updates this weekend, but I was out of town (enjoying the sun, beach and finally getting some long awaited sleep).

And since I just came back, exhausted, along with a severe sunburn, I’m not going to get into too many details about my little trip just yet, but will wait until tomorrow where I will be in much better shape.

Meanwhile, here’s a little video of my “leaving the city” aka following the light at the end of the tunnel on my quest to paradise.

More paradise to come in tomorrow's episode!

A loss isn't always losing

One of my closest friends has lost a close family member today and my thoughts are out to him.
I have been, myself in a similar situation earlier this year losing a family member and most importantly someone who was also a friend.
I guess many of us have had to face such unfortunate moments at one time or another in our lives and we all know how difficult it is to cope with.
Inevitably, I have given it much thought with my recent experience and I've concluded that although hurting in times like this is indeed a natural process we must go through, there's still another aspect that we shouldn't neglect yet we tend to forget. We grieve and miss anything that surrounds the physical element of a loved one but the memories continue to carry on and never cease to exist in our minds. Memories that are evoked by several moments of the past, shared moments that have left a landmark of the person's personality, character and composure. These are the elements that remain and that we must focus on. Enriching elements that we can't lose no matter how much time goes by and by which, the person who passed away continues to exist within us.
Having adopted this approach, I'm now persuaded that losing someone isn't always losing, but most importantly, it's having and keeping.

Heat - The Global phenomenon

As my PC is doing much better with the high outside temperatures, it seems that a far more serious heat issue was just announced by the American National Academy of Science.
Further to their latest scientific study, it appears that the Earth's temperature is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years, probably even more..
And while the US government is currently focusing on Iran's nuclear power plan, they have even officialy stated that the threat is not severe enough to warrant new pollution controls.. maintaining that such controls would cost 5 million American jobs..
So I'm wondering with the simplest possible logic, if Global warming persists, what good is a job if you can't properly live on earth?..

Source: Associated Press, reuters

"Strike" a "pause"

Yet another day of strikes for the public sector!
Students, teachers, bank employees and other public sector related groups have gone on strike and protested in the center of the city, each one of them for their own reasons.
Even though I personaly support them 100% and sometimes even participate in any human rights movement whatsoever, I wish today wasn't one of those days as most of my morning tasks (Banks, Tax office, post office) were put on "pause".
Hopefully they'll get something out of it, or at least their voices will be heard, although chances are...

Every day is music day

There couldn't be a better way to celebrate the official first day of summer than with music, which is itself celebrated today on the "European day of music".
Taking advantage of this occasion and of course also trying to enrich my blog as best as I can, I've added a small player on the side bar which will be frequently updated with different songs of my choice.
After all, June 21st is only one day, but music must be honoured every single day.

I've also made some other minor technical changes in my blog, and as easy as it may have seemed in the beggining, blogging can get a little complicated at times..
Gladly, I was fortunate enough to get another blogger friend's assistance on a few issues so i'm really thankful about that.

Things that make you think twice.. or not..

Near-death experiences go under the French microscope from PhysOrg.com
Doctors, researchers and patients gathered near Marseille in southern France on Saturday for the world's first ever conference dedicated to near-death experiences (NDEs). [...]

Sea Breeze

An evening walk by the coast side, is undeniably an excellent way to literary free your mind from stress or similar disturbing parasites. Not to mention the sea breeze substitutes perfectly for air-conditioning especially on warm days like today.

Visited by people of all ages, regardless of their mood and whether their purpose was a romantic evening, a dog walk or even a jogging sprint, the coast seemed to offer them exactly what they were looking for. As far as I know it worked perfectly for me.

The video above was taken half way of my walk and it’s interesting to see how the city noise blends beautifully with the soothing sounds of the breaking waves :-)