τα νέα της ημέρας...

τι μπορεί να είναι πιο τρομακτικό από ένα κοπάδι μεθυσμένους ελέφαντες? όχι και πολλά πράγματα που μπορώ να φανταστώ...

2 σουρρεάλ καταστάσεις

1. αρχίζω από τα πιο απλά. ρεάλ-ολυμπιακός. δεν είμαι ολυμπιακός. το αποτέλεσμα αν το έβλεπε κανείς μόνο ως αποτέλεσμα (4-2) θα έλεγε πως είναι φυσιολογικό. είναι όμως η πρώτη φορά που ελληνική ομάδα στέκεται παληκαρίσια μέσα στη μαδρίτη, κι είναι η πρώτη φορά που ελληνική ομάδα τρώει τεσσάρα στην ευρώπη κ δεν αισθάνομαι ντροπή. μέχρι κι οι παίκτες της ρεάλ το είπαν. ο ολυμπιακός βάσει της εικόνας του παιχνιδιού θα μπορούσε να φύγει τουλάχιστον με ένα βαθμό.

2. πήγα χτες στην ομιλία του σημίτη στο lse. αντίθετα με ό,τι είπαν τα μέσα, ο άνθρωπος δεν "άφησε αιχμές" ούτε τίποτα τέτοιο. απλά έλεγε τη γνώμη του. τα υπόλοιπα είναι απλά υπερβολές. ο σημίτης, είτε μας αρέσει είτε όχι, είναι ο πιο πετυχημένος έλλην πρωθυπουργός, τουλάχιστον τα τελευταία 50 χρόνια. δε γίναν όλα τέλεια, αλλά είναι ο πιο πετυχημένος. και guess what: επειδή δεν είναι πια πρωθυπουργός, λέει πια τη γνώμη του ανοιχτά.

το ύφος του δεν ήταν να "αφήσει αιχμές" ή να "επιτεθεί" ή να "κριτικάρει". ο άνθρωπος είπε τη γνώμη του. ότι είναι βαρύνουσα, είναι άλλο θέμα. πάντως τόσο χαλαρό σημίτη πρώτη φορά βλέπω. αστειεύτηκε, απάντησε ευθέως (ακόμη και σε 1-2 ανάρμοστες ερωτήσεις), έκανε τα σαρδάμ του ακόμη και σε σπαστά αγγλικά (νόμιζα ότι θα βγει video του θέμου από καμιά γωνιά!) κ έπαιξε με το κοινό. ήταν απλά...άπαιχτος! και η εμπειρία σίγουρα ενδιαφέρουσα - είναι ένας άνθρωπος που έχει πολλά να πει, και τα λέει με χαρακτηριστική απλότητα σε σχέση με τα όσα έχει πετύχει.

la bella italia

did i forget to mention i was in beautiful sardegna on the weekend (and monday) of 6-8 october?

just the perfect place to be in europe after a freaking intense summer at work. 30 degrees, sun, sea, off season, good food and scenery, and great company. hadn't been to italy for a few years now, so got to practice my italian as well, while bidding farewell to a friend who's moving to a better island than ours, namely australia! some good laughs there. enjoy.

new york, new york

never been to that city, but yet it's been on my mind for the past few days, including the song...i must add it to the 2008 list, somehow!

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
And make a brand new start of it
New York, New York
I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.


I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.

what's the plan

too many travel destinations for 2008 already, and too few holidays. sooner or later i have to start realising some of them and also filtering down, as not all of them will fit in one year, quite obviously. to name a few:

india (weddings & leisure)

australia (weddings & leisure)

the czech republic (I can’t believe I still haven’t set foot on that country)

morocco

berlin

iceland

greece (family)

oman

hong kong & macau

and these are just the ones i can think of as of now, i’m afraid a few more might be added to the list soon…got to get my act together and make a good plan for the year, securing some of these but also allowing a certain degree of flexibility as well…

one place

A summer evening; I walk past the window,
Baby's crying; Someone's cooking dinner;
There's laughter on the TV
Someone's learning the violin.
How at home, it heals
At times like this, I feel that...

I would like to live like anybody else
In one place
And I could be happy and fulfilled
In one place

So I get the map out
And draw a line of where we've been
It goes thru sea and sky
Twenty-five planes this year
And it's only July...
This is not some Bible, like on the road
It's just a song about coming home
And whether...

I would like to live like anybody else
In one place
And I could be happy and fulfilled
In one place

And you know that I have found
That I'm happiest weaving from town to town
And you know Bruce said
we should keep moving 'round
Maybe we all get too tied down, I don't know
Hell, I don't know
I'm happy to be home (Still alive)
Happy to be home...

In the end, if you take care
You can be happy or unhappy anywhere

And I think we maybe all rely too much
On one place
I know I never would deny the need
For one place

So I get the map out (get the map out)
Yeah I get the map out (get the map out)
C'mon, get the map out (get the map out)
Get the map out (get the map out)

say "thank you" (or not)?

monday the 1^st of october, around 4:30pm, cafe Nero outside liverpool street station. it’s one of those times that you don’t exactly know how to react. i am having my coffee at café Nero and smoking outside. at some point i felt cold (one of those rainy london afternoons) and went inside to continue drinking my coffee and read my book. in doing that, i forgot my umbrella on the seat outside the café. and yes, this is the one umbrella i get paranoid about and am always cautious not to lose or forget somewhere.

after about 20 minutes and a couple of chapters of william burroughs, i suddenly remember about the umbrella. i rush outside and start looking for it, but don’t see it anywhere. then I realise there’s a couple sitting at the table where i previously was, run to them and ask the guy whether he’s seen an umbrella around.

the guy smiles, and says: “actually, I have”. he opens his backpack and hands me my umbrella back [!!!]. NB these people both saw me stand up and go inside, just when they arrived at the café, so they know the umbrella was mine when they took it!

iI smiled back in disbelief, and actually said “thank you” before leaving! it’s a strange one, what do you do? they stole it from me, but actually gave it back when I asked for it!

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no comment! απλά θεϊκό! νότης στο ρόλο του τάκη!