Interlude

What if we leave music do the talking? What if we leave a painting express on our behalf?

On the top

In honour of our heroes who fought with their heart and achieved one of their best games ever. Had it not been for the evident referee injustice who favoured the opponent, I’m sure we could have had this win. Nevertheless, for me as I’m sure for most of us, they are winners and for once again showed to us what determination and spirit can do.

Elections? what about them

And while many focus on the upcoming elections these days, I’m afraid I’m left indifferent and apathetic this time around. Not towards politics in general (as some earlier posts will testify) bust mostly about what results will occur tomorrow evening.
I’ll be honest and tell you that I find better interest about the results of the Euro-basket than about which of the two “ruling” parties will take the throne. And the worst part is that I feel like I’ve been forced not to be interested. Like they intentionally made me lose any interest whatsoever by making it clear that no matter what happens my voice won’t be heard, and that they’ll provocatively carry on… doing what they do best… their own thing, regardless of anyone’s objection.
So perhaps they’ve achieved influencing me not to bother, not to contribute, not to participate, not to believe.. but I still have something in hand that they cannot touch. Hope. And this is how I’ll vote tomorrow.

What were the chances??

Ok, so here it is.

- The team’s most important key players are struck with gastroenteritis.
- The game begins favorably yet a downfall begins.
- We are unlucky with the 3pointers
- We are unlucky with the easy hoops
- We are unlucky with a few foul whistles which should have been in our favor.
- We start to notice the fatigue on our players
- We end up being 16 points behind only 6 minutes before the end of the last half.

And then... out of nowhere, there’s the comeback. Yes that unbelievable comeback that I’m sure, no one, without exception, expected to see.

End of game, we Win!

Except for literally losing my voice last night, I still have a very serious medical question: what would happen had I been faint hearted or had I had a serious heart condition?
Remains to be seen… as we’ve got another killer game in only a few hours.

Just another summer day

Another glimpse of yet another summer day.. this time I’ll let the pictures & video do the talking.

Just a summer day

This may have been one of the longest and hardest and warmest summers in history…. Yet I only got a small glimpse of it..
Nevertheless, I will not be nonchalant nor ungrateful because I still got my small share…
Small but much needed.

And nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever be able to replace those precious moments of sitting on the balcony by myself, doing nothing more than just gazing at the sea, morning, noon, night.. endlessly, lost in thoughts.. lost.. and carried away..

“Drinking the Corinthian sun
Reading the marble ruins
Striding over vineyard seas
Aiming with my harpoon
At votive fish that elude me
I found those leaves which the psalm of the sun memorizes
That living land which desire opens
With joy.
I drink water, cut fruit
Plunge my hand through the wind’s foliage
Lemon trees quicken the pollen of summer days
Green birds cut through my dreams
And I leave, my eyes filled
With a boundless gaze where the world becomes
Beautiful again from the beginning according to the heart’s measure.”

Drinking the Corinthian Sun by Odysseus Elytis

Earth calling.. Red

“So when exactly will we see it? Are you sure we got the time right? Will it be really visible? Will it be as big or much smaller? Will it be red? Is it for real or just another hoax?”
And while I stood on the roof waiting.. and waiting.. and staring at the clear sky, there was no sign of it.
And so the messages begin:
“Do you see anything from your place?”
“No it’s cloudy here; I rarely see the full moon but let me check again”
“Do you think I should take pictures? Hold on I’ll try one with my mobile”
“Maybe we are too early, maybe we should wait a while longer”


"hey, wait a second, zoom on the picture! what is that on the left of the moon? it sure looks round and big and different! is my mind playing tricks on me? could it be.. it? the red one?"

And on the messages go but no affirmative response, no certainty.. and it’s definitely getting late..

We must have been one of the many who were actually expecting the rare sighting that night. But nothing there. No luck for us tonight. Mars wouldn’t attend to his rumored appearance.
Nor did he ever plan to.. in what appears to be a hoax going on since 2003 with a large amount of e-mails and articles going around..
Well done guys, you sure got me going.. but no hard feelings! One can never get enough of "summer night sky watching". Besides, it gave me something interesting to do on a nostalgic Sunday night. C u soon Red

G for George M for Magic

I’ve been to quite a few concerts my whole life, seen a lot of my favorite singers, a lot of beautiful acts, great artists, and yet I thought I’ve more or less lived it all.. this, until very recently.. when I got to see the man himself.. George Michael.

George.. a man who’s songs I’ve linked my childhood to, grew up with, matured with, danced with, felt with..
Whether I go back to the 80’s when I was little or all the way up to the present day, I’ll always find a song of his that has touched me in one way or another. The voice, the lyrics, the music, the feeling .. I’m not sure what the elements are, but I do know this.. George has managed to remain as one of my favorite and most respected artists ever. A living legend.

It was a little before 10 pm and the lights in the OAKA Athens Olympic Stadium dimmed. Just a single note of the electric guitar was enough to make the crowd go completely mad and yet only a prelude to what was about to follow. “Did I dream you dreamed about me..”.. and the goose bumps begin while he opens with a beautiful rendition of Tim Buckley’s “song to the siren”, a lyrical masterpiece inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.

“Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you here when I was full sail?
Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken love lost on your rocks.
Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you."
"Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you."
I'm as puzzled as a newborn child.
I'm as riddled as the tide.
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Or shall I lie with death my bride?
Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you."
"Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you."



Mesmerized and completely carried away, to say the least, as I cannot find better words to describe it.
While the thousands of people cheering didn’t leave any space for silence, he makes his first appearance on the stage (which as I should mention was located directly in front of us).. it is at that moment that I actually realized how the sacrifice of coming early to a concert to be on the front row had finally paid off.

Full of energy and charisma, a magnetic George begins the show with his up-tempo songs that have literally left no one standing still. An electrifying atmosphere prevails throughout the stadium with people singing accurately to every single lyric, dancing and even crying at times.

“Thank you for the 25 years” he says in Greek, in a generous yet modest approach of honoring his Greek roots. Little did he know, and much to his surprise, the Greek crowd didn’t leave this go unnoticed. “Giorgo, giorgo, giorgo” we shouted in reply, leaving him somewhat speechless and touched as he acknowledged that it was the first time in his whole life that a crowd had actually called him by his real name.
And then came the ballads, yes, the long awaited ballads, the ones that lifted us, that traveled us that touched us. Sounding better than ever, nothing less than a cd playing, George’s soulful voice carried us off our feet. “Please give us time” he sings in “Praying for time”, and we agree as we just couldn’t get enough of him. “Harry, I think I’m going to cry” says a girl to her boyfriend which is standing right beside me. And who can blame her really? The night was pure magic and the feelings were sometimes too strong to handle.


It’s fascinating how a man can really seize the whole stage, not to mention the whole stadium and do a 1-man-show / tour-de-force all on his own. A true artist and a professional performer yet he still manages to humbly approach us in an up-close-and-personal way.

There were many memorable moments throughout the show and it would take forever to mention them all, so I’ll just stick to the finale. Having sang his lost song, the crowd begs for the expected encore “Giorgo, Giorgo, Giorgo” we shout until he comes back on stage, but this time with a surprise for us. He carries the Greek flag on his back, making the stadium tremble from excitement in yet another approach to his roots and a “thank you” to his faithful crowd.

If there was one negative thing that I’d have to find to say, that would probably be that even after 2 hours of music, George has definitely left us wanting more.

Thank you for the magic George, thank you for sharing it with us.

PS: I have tried to publish a few of my personal videos with youtube but it seems that some files were too large for them therefore I gave it a try with videoegg as well. Hope it works for all you. Enjoy!

A short recap..

Ok so here we go again. Having had my ups and downs these last couple of months, I’ve decided to take a short break from blogging because the last thing I needed was a bunch of gloomy posts on this blog. I mean we all have our moments and we all know that they go away at some time, given the appropriate patience and time of course…

Well, things have been looking much better these last few weeks, and so I’ve decided to come back and try to fill in all those positive moments I’ve missed out on, which in my opinion may be worth mentioning to some.

And it burns burns burns

If any of you caught some of my posts last summer you’ll probably remember me obsessing over the heat and global warming. Why would this year be any different right? Especially when I have to deal with one of the most severe heat waves ever recorded.
While northern Europe is being flooded by intense storms, these last couple of days we’ve recorded temperatures as high as 48 degrees Celsius, even surpassing Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and making Athens the hottest city on earth on this day. This time, literally. I don’t believe I have ever felt this hot in my entire life. I mean ok, I had heard the weather forecasts and the news warning people not to get too much sun exposure and to take precautions to avoid dehydration but I just thought it was one of those alerts addressed to the elderly and people with respiratory complications but little did I know. I first realized how hot it was, when I stepped out of the office last evening and felt like I was breathing fire. I even felt my skin burning for the first time in my life while I could also sense the heat of the pavement on my feet. A choking atmosphere with an unusual smell of burnt... an altogether strange feeling which isn’t easy to describe. While meteorologists have announced that temperatures will drop a few degrees by next Friday, I can’t help to think that this is only the beginning of the summer. Are we to expect more heat waves this year? One thing's for sure, this is definitely going to be one hell of a summer.

Me and the City

In my continuous effort to catch up for this last month, I’ve decided to share a few moments / happenings in the city which were quite interesting. I'll begin with a show held in Syntagma Square by an Australian dance company named Strange Fruit, which as they describe it, combines dancing, theatre and acrobatics. It was an interesting little show, but nothing breathtaking in my opinion. I mean ok, I didn’t expect to see De La Guarda but I had heard that they were acrobats so I expected something more edgy. It was nice though, and given the fact that it was performed outdoors and at sunset made it even more enjoyable. (see pictures)




My next event is the Champion’s League finals between Milan and Liverpool. A reminiscent breeze of the Olympic Games had taken over the city with hundreds of tourists of any age and gender, celebrating in the streets with flags, chants and unfortunately an overdose of alcohol on a 24hour basis.. I will not get into details of things that I have seen happening in the streets but I will say this.. Some people are animals! I will be fair though and say without generalizing that among the two teams, it was Liverpool’s fans which from what I saw, were being more extreme. I understand the need to celebrate and the need to have fun but not to the extent where they are so wasted that they do some group pissing in broad daylight in the middle of Syntagma Square and in front of people and children.. And imagine that all this was happening prior to the final game.. such a shame.. but then again, it could have been worse right? :-)

Last but not least, the latest event I’ve attended to was last night’s Jazz Festival held in the much-loved Technopolis. Although I didn’t stay too long due to other commitments, I really liked the show and the whole feeling. Then again, what’s not to like when music is involved. I have promised myself that this year I will try to attend to as many concerts possible and I’m happy to say that there are many interesting acts coming our way this summer, some of which I have already bought my tickets.. I’ll keep you posted of course!

This one's for Amalia...

"Every patient has the right to being respected and maintaining his dignity."
(Greek law, article 47, L.2071/1992)

"Quacks should be the exception, you guys, not the norm…"
(Amalia Kalyvinou , 1977-2007)

Since the age of 8, Amalia Kalyvinou started having pains. Despite her numerous visits to doctors and several admissions to hospitals, no-one managed to diagnose her in time with the benign neurinoma of her lower extremity, which was the actual diagnosis at that point. 17 years later, Amalia was told that the neurinoma had transformed by then into a malignant tumour.

For the next 5 years, Amalia not only had to fight with the cancerous disease and amputation, but also with a corrupt Greek National Health System: it ignores (by choice) the ongoing patient-to-doctor bribery and insists on time-consuming bureaucratic methods and practices. Besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Amalia had to face the financial exploitation by doctors that stood opposite to rather than by her side. On top of her pain, she had to endure the greediness of private clinics and the exhaustingly long waiting queues of the health insurance system, in order to get legal approval for some ridiculously low financial compensation.

Amalia passed away on Friday, May the 25th, 2007. She was just 30 years old.

Before dying, she managed to document her experience and share it with us in her blog http://fakellaki.blogspot.com/. The promising literature graduate named in there each and every one of the doctors she had to bribe, praising at the same time the ones that honoured the Hippocratic Oath. Her testimony moved thousands of people that stood by her side all the way to the end.

"Amalia's main aim was to tell her story, so that she could awaken as many people and as many consciences as possible. She mainly wanted to show that there are ways to resist not only the self-regulation and authority of dishonest and heartless doctors, but also the bureaucrats of the Health System."

(Dikaia Tsavari & Georgia Kalyvinou – Amalia's mother & sister)

According to the Greek law, it is considered a major disciplinary offence for the doctors of the Greek National Health System to:

"Accept bonus and especially any compensation or property grant, for any medical service provided.”

Amalia Kalyvinou fought for things that are taken for granted in a modern European country. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Greece. Continuing Amalia’s effort where she left off, we protest in public and we demand:

* THE STATE TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO STOP BRIBERY AND THE INEQUALITY BROUGHT IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS.

* THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE SO AS PATIENTS STOP FALLING VICTIMS TO TIME-CONSUMING BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES.

* THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ENSURE STRICTER CONTROL ON THE RELATION OF DRUG COMPANIES – MEDICAL SERVICE.

* FULL UTILISIZATION OF CURRENTLY ABANDONED HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. CONTINUOUS AND COMPLETE SCIENTIFIC TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES.

* CREATION OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM, TO SPEED UP PROMPT DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

LET’S END THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ONES THAT GOVERN, WHO PREFER TO ALLOW DOCTORS TO BE BRIBED BY THEIR PATIENTS, INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THEM WITH A DECENT SALARY.

* NO MORE BRIBERY

* NO MORE BUREAUCRACY

* NO MORE LIES

WE DEMAND FREE AND EFFICACIOUS HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR ALL.

Next time you’ll have to bribe a doctor, just don’t. Choose instead to make a donation. Amalia’s last wish was to contribute to the -under construction- Oncological Centre for Children. (Elpida foundation, tel no 0030210-7757153, email: info@elpida.org,
Bank accounts: National bank of Greece, account no 080/480898-36, Alphabank account no 152-002-002-000-515. Please remember to quote that your donation is “for Amalia”)

INTERNET MOVEMENT OF AMALIA’S FRIENDS

The Cruise.. the delayed Sequel

No, I haven’t drowned and No I wasn’t shipwrecked on some deserted island. Not literally anyway, because even though I managed to circumvent a Titanic and Crusoe’s adventures, I couldn’t avoid my “return” to work and to reality…

The cruise itself was fantastic! I mean, where to start and what to describe. Unlike last time, I have decided not to get into too many details but rather focus mainly on the highlights.

While the vessel was much smaller this time around, it was living proof that size doesn’t always matter. Our cabins however where much more spacious, with a living room and a desk, and believe it or not, portholes that actually opened!!! I can’t describe how happy I was since we could actually feel the sea breeze from within our cabin (not to mention having my “I’m the king of the world” moment without having to dangerously hang myself on the ship’s deck). I dare not include the food as a highlight regardless if it deserves to be credited with much praise, as it is also responsible for all of us having to go on a strict diet upon our return. Other highlights obviously include our adventures in every stop. Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Heraklion, Santorini.. I may not get into details about each and everyone one of them but I will tell you this.. our presence wasn’t gone unnoticed!

Résumé: A cultural, artistic and enriching experience in an unforgettable, uncompromised and alternative voyage!

But enough with my description! The relay goes to the pictures to do the talking. Sail away!

Let me take me far away, I'd like a holiday

My question is: Why is it every time I plan a vacation I have to go through living hell before actually leaving? Why can’t I have a serene pre-vacation period where I could calmly prepare my luggage and only having to think about how I’ll spend my time wherever it is I’m going? Why can’t things be so simple and everything go as planned?

But I guess that’s just some wishful thinking as far as I’m concerned.

Anyway, the adventures are back by popular demand so in the next few days I’m off to yet another cruise experience with my fellow explorers.. (Well at least some of them as someone important is still missing from the group).

And in case anyone’s wondering, the answer is NO. The latest cruise ship tragedy hasn’t affected my plans or my desire at all!

Having gone through a rough couple of weeks at work with endless overtime and stress (including today and probably tomorrow), it is the only thing that I'm looking forward to right now. I’ve got one more day to prepare my stuff and do some shopping so hopefully I’ll find the time for all that..
Did you say stress? :-)
One thing’s for sure though. I will be back with more so stay tuned for the detailed review of our latest escapade!

Christmas and Easter may well be two of the most important religious holidays for millions of people around the world, but they are also the most anticipated holidays for children. Whether it’s a present underneath the Christmas tree or an Easter egg, it’s all about the gifts when it comes to the little ones. In Greece, Easter is mostly known as the “godparents’ holiday” as it is within their “duty” to provide their godchildren with presents…
OK, Stop!
Judging by me previous posts, you’ve probably noticed that I have no intention to talk about, not to mention analyze, any religious holiday whatsoever, so… the real reason I’ve made this little introduction (along with the hard fact that my godparents are nowhere to be found) was only to announce that I’ve decided to break the tradition and treat myself with my own little present this year! Yes indeed! I am now the proud owner of a brand new camera!
And like every boy likes to play with their toy, I’ve already started playing with mine so here are the first results:





I have resized the pictures for obvious reasons so image quality may not be as good as the original.
I should also mention that both pictures have been taken on Easter Sunday so I this post isn’t as irrelevant as one might think it is :-D
Photography happens to be one of my favorite hobbies ever since I could hold a camera in my hands so don’t be surprised if I flood this blog with even more pictures than I already have in the past.

Time "after" Time

Spring moves forward, fall steps back is one of the most commonly used expressions to remind us of the daylight saving time every year. Then again, I’ve always used a more humble “less sleep in spring, more sleep in fall” note as a personal reminder to the time change which I’m sure you’ll agree is the main issue for most of us. And although that precious hour that’s taken from us is generously given back to us in the fall, I’m still having a hard time adjusting, not to mention reacting, to my unfriendly alarm clock every morning. Had it not been for the important environmental contribution in energy saving DST is offering, (at least as far as the northern hemisphere is concerned) I don’t think that I would have ever compromised. Having no other choice, 2 alarm clocks, a refreshing shower and a strong cup of coffee and may the day begin!

Criminal video

Covering up for my absence..

I may have posted this before in an mp3 file long before his album was out, but I thought the video was just as much worth sharing.
Enjoy 9 Crimes from Damien Rice.

Guess who's back..

Wow… it’s been a while hasn’t it?
So long that I almost forgot I had a blog :)
Once again, a streak of events have taken place since early this year, some of which were good, others not so good, one after the other, they all managed to keep me preoccupied somehow on a daily basis. Having faced and settled most of them, I’m back in track and most importantly I am ready to breathe again!
And to think that my first post for 2007 was meant to follow a completely different direction... analyzing the past year in the world, my personal experiences and adventures and even my future plans and new year’s resolutions...
But I’ve given it some thought before writing here and decided.. Why bother? The past is past and the future’s ahead so why not focus on today and obtain tomorrow by surprise? And that’s the way I’m seeing things right now. Living for today and opening my eyes for tomorrow. Nothing less, nothing more.

PS: As some of you might have noticed, I changed the tune of the day to one of my favorite tunes right now, dedicated exclusively to someone special.

oh and one more thing..

Before the 6 is over, I'd like to share this song with everyone..
It happens to be one of my favorite songs of the past year!

Credits to the artist, Mr. Phaze, who, as I've recently discovered, happens to be Greek..

Enjoy:

Gone Festive part .. whatever

I haven't written, I know!
Not that I didn't have thousands of issues to talk about, but the truth is.. :

I HAVE A COLD AND I'M CRANKY!!!!

Why, oh why did I have to get it during the holidays??!! I was jinxed!!
How unfair!!!

And while the above speech could probably win me the golden palm or even an academy award for my dramatic performance, I am here today to state that further to extended cocooning and tea & honey remedies these last couple of days, I am finally doing much much better!!

I may have a Rudolf-like peeling nose as we speak, but hey, it's part of the holidays isn't it?

So here I am, ready for the big 7 in only a few hours time!

Have a good one everyone!
All the best!