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My life in the last weeks....

2005-10-15T08:52:00.000+02:00

Copenhagen (DK) - Mumbai (IND) - Pune (IND) - Copenhagen (DK)
Copenhagen (DK) - London (UK) - Copenhagen (UK)
Copenhagen (DK) - San José (CRI) - Copenhagen (UK)

Going here and there all these last weeks I did not have the time to update my blog as much as I would wanted. I will try to put up pictures of some places as soon as I find some time... Very different places than the ones most people have been to, a completely different world! And we, in the Western "civilised" world, tend to forget that this is the biggest part of our planet... Anyway, great experience...

I did not have the time to check on your blogs either... I hope all of you are doing fine and I hope one day we will have the time to talk about this in person!

Take care!

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On the way to India!

2005-09-16T22:05:00.000+02:00

It takes almost one day, leaving at 6.30 and arriving at 20.30, to go to Mumbai-Bombay from Copenhagen. I really hope it is worth the effort.

Hopefully, between the meetings, presentations, administration sessions etc. there will be some time left to experience this exciting oriental country...

I ll get back with more details and pictures when I return next Sunday!

Until then, hope you are all doing fine!

Last day of laziness

2005-09-05T15:37:00.000+02:00

Last day of laziness today...
As of tomorrow, work!

'Ενα ενδιαφέρων άρθρο

2005-09-02T16:08:00.000+02:00

Διαβάστε το και βγάλτε τα δικά σας συμπεράσματα (έστω και αν το άρθρο είναι ομολογουμένως λίγο μονόπλευρο...) Πάντως σιγά σιγά θα αρχίσουμε να αναρωτιόμαστε αν η Γη είναι πραγματικά επίπεδη...

Το Βήμα - Science

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Am I getting older?

2005-09-01T13:28:00.000+02:00

It is the 1st of September today...

The official beginning of the fall and also my birthday...

I never liked my birthday really. Not because it was always close to the opening date of the schools (which every kid hated but I actually liked...) but because I never saw the point... Sure the presents were fine but still, I never saw the meaning... Did I have a troubled childhood? Or is it just that I am getting older?

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Back to Sverige...

2005-08-24T10:19:00.000+02:00

That was it! My 2½ weeks of vacations are over and I am now back in Malmö. It might have been only 2½ weeks but it felt like 2½ months. Great friends, great family, great weather, great beaches, great time! I felt alive again!

Every time I go back home, I leave a piece of me there... And every time I go back home it becomes more difficult to return here... Maybe one of these days...

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Closed for vacations!

2005-08-05T19:43:00.000+02:00

I thought I would manage a whole summer here in the North, but I just can't! Two weeks of rain and the idea of wearing my jacket in July was too much to handle... As of tomorrow I'll back home in Thessaloniki, sweating in 40 degrees and swimming in the blue waters of Halkidiki.

Have a nice summer everyone! Mine has just started!

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War of the Worlds...

2005-07-27T10:34:00.000+02:00

I think it is one of the most heavily advertised movies right now. And this is natural if you consider that it is directed by Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise has the lead part. But that is not all... The movie is based on a famous novel, with the same name, written by H. G. Wells. The story, warning people of an invasion from Mars, is similar to the one radio broadcasted as a real bulletin in 1938 by Orson Welles, causing chaotic reactions from those who did not realise it was a prank. This is also not the first time that someone made a movie out of it. The original movie was made in 1953 and it was called "The" War of the Worlds.

So, let's get to the plot. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a divorced, selfish, working class man living in New Jersey, who has to take care of his children for a weekend, while his ex-wife and her new husband are visiting her parents in Boston. Of course, during this weekend all hell brakes loose and Ray has to transform from a self-absorbed bachelor to a caring and protecting father. And that is because aliens (not named Marsians as the initial movie), who had buried thousands of mysterious tripod machines in the earths ground, millions of years ago, are now back to destroy mankind! With an electromagnetic storm that "neutralises" every electric device and a series of "lightnings" which transport their "pilots" to these machines, they rise from the ground killing everything in sight. One of these machines is close to Ray's house and he decides to head to Boston on his attempt to move his children to safety (or get rid of them to his ex-wife...)

As I hope you have realised from the plot, this is a BAD movie! It was one of the few movies that I was longing for the ending. And not only because the end would take me out of my misery, but I was also wondering what kind of an ending could this movie have. The plot was a joke with a series of holes... If the aliens where here millions of years ago, why didn't they inhabit the planet then? That would be much easier and they wouldn't have to kill 6 billion humans. If it was the humans that they wanted, then why did they destroy them with their "faser" weapons? And if they had the means to travel through space and create these technologically advanced weapons, wouldn't they have the common sense to check if they were immune to the Earth's environment? And the whole point with burrying the machines... Since they came here with their spaceships (this is how they transported their operators from the sky), why didn't they use those spaceships to attack the planet? Wouldn't that be easier?

But the best part was in the end... Almost the entire planet is utterly destroyed, but when Ray and his daughter arrive in Boston, his wife (who has pregnant in the beginning of the movie but not 2 days later!) and the rest of the family come out of their house (everything around of which is also destroyed) in neat clothes and with a smile like nothing has ever happened. His son, who left them in the middle of the movie for no apparent reason (probably if he just did not fit in the plot), is also there, (naturally) the only survivor of a previous alien's attack...

Anyway, this movie is not worth further thinking... Terrible plot, terrible acting, bad directing (using every single kind of clisé that one can see in a film), you are going to waste your time if you watch it! I knew Tom Cruise couldn't act so I was not expecting anything more from him. I also knew Spielberg had a tendency towards "standardised" expected directing so I wasn't expecting much from him either. Little Dakota Fanning (she played in Hide and Seek and an episode of Friends that I can remember) proved that she has a lot of work to do if she wants to be the next Natalie Portman, but I wasn't expecting much from her either. I have to say, however, that I was negatively surprised by Tim Robbins, an actor-director that I appreciate. Not for his acting in the movie (which was ok), but because he agreed to play in it! Why Tim???

The War of the Worlds may have been an interesting novel and a successful movie in the '50s. Maybe because at the peak of Cold War the idea of an invasion (replace the Marsians with Russians) was hanging over America. But that's it! Apart from the rest, this movie is also outdated and obsolete. In some cases it reminded me of "Signs", another alien's invasion movie. I didn't like that film and I don't like this either.

I read somewhere that Paramount/Dreamworks Studios censored and banned the critics the day before the official release. Now I understand why...

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Laundry time!

2005-07-11T16:31:00.000+02:00

I have to admit that my mom and my girlfriend have spoiled me a bit. And no matter how nice and convenient it is, this has also minimised my survival skills... This became obvious when I had to do my own laundry, for the first time after 4 years (and then I just did it twice!).

First it is the color and temperature separation. You know, I consider myself a quite smart guy, but this was just out of my league! I called my girlfriend 10 times, only to hear: "You have to separate the whites from the coloured, but then the coloured towels that are old can also be washed with the white ones at 90 degrees. But be careful, do not mix the colour with the white sheets, as the latter are washed at 60 degrees while the first at 95. You can also put your white T-shirts with the sheets but then do not choose the double washing option (if it is called like that : )). And do not mix your black socks with the sheets cause they are washed in 60 degrees but with the double washing option. Oh yes, and then you have the sensitive clothes, that you have to wash at 30 degrees but once again, do not mix the coloured with the whites! And some clothes are too sensitive for the washing machine. You have to wash them with your hands!"

I was lost... It seemed to me that solving the Riemann hypothesis was less challenging. "So, let's see... I have 2 kinds of clothes and 5 different temperatures. Some times they mix, sometimes they don't... What if I make a vector..." It took me some time, but in the end I believe I sorted them out correctly! It was time to go to the laundry room. Going down and down the stairs, I think I reached the level of the subatomic particle accelerator in CERN. "If there is ever a war, I have found my shelter", I thought while the endless descent reached an end. And there, there was an unpleasant surprise...

I didn't know what I was actually expecting, but there were only two washing machines down there! My flawless plan started to seem doubtful... How do you fit 5 piles of clothes into 2 washing machines? Easy problem, easy solution. I had to go down there again and again and again... That was not fun any more. After endless descents and long, boring waiting time, the washing was finally over. And just when I thought my troubles were over, I was faced with yet another challenge, drying!

"Holy shit! There are two drying machines here... Why? Are they different?", I thought and I immediatelly picked up my mobile phone... Of course, as the wise Murphy law says: "One moment of bad luck is always followed by another one", so naturally my phone had no signal down there, close to the Earth's core. The even more difficult ascent, soon produced results. My Ericsson was back on and Ida was on the other line: "Well, you put the towels, sheets, socks etc. in the tumbler and the rest in the other drying machine." After the necessary explanations about which one is the tumbler, I went down to the darkness again.

Four hours and nine hundred and sixty four stairs later, my laundry was finally ready. "This is definatelly not worth it!", I thought and made a deal with myself: "Next time, I ll let Ida do it!" Although exhausted by the torture, I was suddenly pleased with my evil side, and for a moment there I though I saw a little devil in the mirror... "And if she is not here, I ll continue my male laundry separation: Dirty and Dirty but wearable..."

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Why?

2005-07-08T09:31:00.000+02:00

"An eye for an eye leaves the entire world blind."

Mohandas Karmchand (Mahatma) Gandhi

You know, I do not agree with the policy of the US and their allies either... I think it is unethical and against every International Law to invade or send your "Nintendo-pilots" to bomb any country that does not comply with your say. I also think that the US is behaving as the arrogant ruler of this planet that acts like it could not wait for the Cold War to be over so that they can "go out in the sand and play with their new toys", as George Carlin put it once...

But is this really the solution? Killing innocent civilians on their way to work? Do they really think that multinational corporations and any other kind of influential persons/lobbies, will change their policy just because some dozens innocent people were killed? The people behind the offices who make the decisions are well protected! They know that they are a target and they have the means to provide for their safety. They have the power to shut down airports, close down streets, evacuate buidlings if their security is thought to be threatened...

And they do not care about other people either! They have been showing that for decades. They became rich exploiting whole countries, occasionaly restraining political freedom and creating poverty, criminality and environmental pollution, while they enjoyed their luxurius lives in palaces, villas, yauchts, exotic islands...

So what is this all about then? I am sure they also know that they cannot expect a policy to change just because of a bomb. What do they want then? Publicity? TV coverage? Their own radio show? I am still wondering....

And one final thought on protection and security costs... As long as there are desperate people who are willing to give their own lives to serve a cause they believe as just, there is no efficient safety measure. It is the desperation that arms the hands of a camicazi bomber and this should be the target of any measure. If only they have spent their security budgets to fight poverty and the other roots of terrorism...

UPDATE: For the greek readers, I have found some very interesting thoughts in other blogs, such as Kostis', Nick's and Manifesto GR's. Take some time and read them. I think they present very interesting ideas and thoughts.

UPDATE 2: More interesting thoughts and dialogues, here and here. I see that the whole thing has sparked a lot of discussions.

UPDATE 3: Interesting articles in Ελευθεροτυπία (1, 2, 3, 4), Τα Νεά (1, 2, 3, 4), το Βήμα, την Hμερησία (you have to register, but it is for free) and BBC.

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Garden State

2005-07-06T16:06:00.000+02:00

I didn't know what to expect when I was going to watch this movie... You see, I like Zach Braff (aka Dr John Dorian, or just JD, from the TV series "Scrubs") but I wasn't sure if he was capable of anything else other that comedy stands. I didn't even know that the magnificent Natalie Portman was in it (why did she play in the Star War movies, really???). I was pleasantly surprised. A very good movie that was drifting from drama to some subtle moments of comedy and then back to the real face of America.

The story is about a moderately successful TV actor named Andrew Lagerman, or Large to his friends, who after chasing his acting dreams in L.A. for nine years, has to go back to the city he grew up in, in New Jersey (which is the Garden State by the way) for his mother's funeral. Andrew, who has been taking lithium pills practically all his life, decides to defy his psychologist's, who is also his dad, advice and take a brake from taking the pills, just to see what will happen. Coming back to his old neighbourhood and meeting his old friends, Andrew is soon faced with his personal demons and the real reasons that lead to his flee to LA soon appear. But he also finds a ray of sunshine in his depressed life, in the face of Sam (played by Natalie Portman), a compulsive lier who is exactly the opposite of him, full of life, hope and joy.

A very good movie, that was an official selection of the Sundance festival, and that it is probably oriented to a "more demading" audience. The story might be a bit slow, but it flows very well and with one more outstanding performance by Natalie Portman. Many congratulations to Zach Braff as well, who apart from playing in the movie, he also wrote and directed it! Watching this movie, I got the feeling that (thankfully) it is still possible to make a good movie without necessarily having to have sex, explotions and big movie stars. Having been to the USA only once, I think that this movie actually shows the real face of the country, depicting the problems and conflicts that the average person is confronted with. So, whenever you find some time, go and watch it. I think it is definatelly worth it!

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Blinkende lygter (aka Flickering Lights)

2005-07-03T20:41:00.000+02:00

I watched it and I loved it! Something like the Danish version of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and that Woody Allen film that he is planning to rob a bank but they end up getting rich by his wife's cookies... (What is the name of that film, really?)

Anyway, Blinkende Lygder (or Flickering Lights in its English version) is a film by (the unknown to me until last Friday) Anders Thomas Jensen and it was the best Danish movie for the year 2000.

The plot is simple but catches your attention. Torkild is the leader of a small gangster group from Copenhagen and he owes a lot of money to a "big shark" called the Eskimo. While tormented by a middleage crisis celebrating his 40th birthday, the Eskimo pays him a visit and proposes a simple plan in order to repay him. Torkild is supposed to brake into the Greek embassy (why Greek really? : )) and take a suitcase from the safe, that he is supposed to deliver to the Eskimo. The instructions are even simpler: "Do not open the suitcase. Do not look into the suitcase!". For this little "job" Torkild gathers his three partners and childhood friends but in the crucial moment the temptation is irresistable. In the suitcase there are 4 million danish kronas (trust me, a lot of money!). While arguing if they should keep the money or not, a guard enters and in the shooting that follows, one of Torkild's friends gets injured. Now the plans have changed. Instead of giving the money to the Eskimo, they are going to drive to Barcelona!

But even this does not work out... Close to the borders to Germany, their car brakes down in the middle of the night. One of them is injured and they have to find a place to spend the night. While walking in the woods they find a deserted house in the middle of nowhere, a perfect place to hide. But when the locals find out that someone is occupying the old house, they have to find an excuse. The one that comes first is: "We are going to open a restaurant here!". Imagine the surprise of Torkild's friends when he announces to them that, after all, he decided that he actually is going to open that restaurant!

A very good movie, that brings out all the "dark" sides of the Danish society with a very British, sarcastic and "black humorish" way. I especially liked the "memory" scenes when each of the protagonists is remembering his tough childhood that actually lead to their meeting and the beginning of a life-long friendship. The two extra characters of the local doctor and "crazy" hunter add up very well to the plot and bring out the sensitive sides of the (superficially) tough Copenhagen gangsters.

Download it (can you really do that? ; )), rent it, buy it! In any way you can, just can find it and watch it!

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A greek post

2005-06-30T14:04:00.000+02:00

I apologise to the non-Greeks, but this time I have to write a totally Greek post to thank some guys who make my life more interesting...

Τελικά αυτό το Ίντερνετ μας φέρνει όλους πιο κοντά. Ιδιαίτερα εμάς τους "ξενιτεμένους" με τις καταστάσεις πίσω στην πατρίδα. Τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες, εντελώς τυχαία, είχα την ευχαρίστηση να "πέσω" πάνω στις καταπληκτικές blogoσελίδες ορισμένων πολύ ενδιαφέροντων ατόμων από την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό. 'Εχουμε και λέμε λοιπόν... Εκτός του "κλασσικού" Αλέξη με τις ερασμοϊστορίες του από την Ισπανία, βρήκα τη Rebecca με τα τεστ της, την Ttalou, που μισεί τις Κυριακές, την Ka8u, που πέρασε και από τα μέρη μου, το συνονόματο καραφλό μετανάστη Κωστή από το Manchester, το Νικήτα με τις ερωτήσεις του, το Nenyaki με τις "σκεψούλες" του, την Kουρούνα με τις "φλυαρίες" τις και τον Evri να μας θυμίζει ιστορίες απο τα '80s.

Παιδιά, να είστε όλοι καλά, που με κάνατε να αισθανθώ σα να 'μουν πάλι πίσω στην παραλία της Θεσσαλονίκης, πίνοντας καφέ με τους κολλητούς μου ένα καλοκαιρινό βραδάκι, αγναντεύοντας το ηλιοβασίλεμα κάτω από το δροσερό αεράκι της παραλίας. Χαιρετίσματα σε όλους από τη γη του Νιλς Χόλγκερσον!

Keep on blogging!

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A quick update...

2005-06-28T11:49:00.000+02:00

The new photoalbums from Leipzig and Berlin are now online! I apologise for the low quality of the pics but otherwise they would be too "heavy" to publish... (Not to mention impossible to download from Greece...)

>> Click here to go to the photoalbum page.

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What can you do with those damned brazilians...?

2005-06-20T16:07:00.000+02:00

What can you really do? They were faster, stronger and (naturally...) much more technical! It is one thing to watch this team on TV and completely another one to watch it live! Amazing experience... I won't forget Ronaldinho's moves (btw I lost him a couple of times...), Adriano's strength or Rubinho's speed... As for Greece, what can one say? Just thank this team for giving us the chance to play against the best team in the world! Greece-Brazil 0-3 then... It must have been the only defeat I actually enhoyed...
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P.S. Pics are from the "greek" Leipzig, the game and Berlin are coming soon!

At last they are here!!!

2005-06-07T13:48:00.000+02:00

In the darkness of the cloudy Malmö a ray of sunshine came to make my life brighter! At last, after a long waiting period of a month, I have just received the tickets for the game Greece vs. Brazil for the Confederations Cup in Leipzig, Germany. The European Champions (yes it is still us! : )) vs. the World Champions! What a game! And they are pretty good sits too... So, Germany here we go!!!

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June, June, June

2005-06-02T19:22:00.000+02:00

June is here at last and you know what that means: Summertime!!! (or at least in some parts of the world, it is still raining here in Malmö) Anyway, just to do something original, I decided not to go back to Greece this summer . Or at least, this is what I am saying now... : )) If it keeps on raining in July, I ll book the first flight home! ; )
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In any case, June is predicted to be a very cool month. My dear friend Paris is coming from England to pay me a visit, then my sister around the end of the month and I have just found out that Matthias is also coming to celebrate Midsummer with us! So, if the swedish god of weather agrees with us, June should be a very very good month!
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Take care everybody and I wish to you all a very good summer!
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P.S. Alex it is your turn to return to the "holy land" ; ))

Something to think about...

2005-05-27T14:28:00.000+02:00

Just a little something I found on the net and I thought it was worth sharing... It makes you appreciate a lot more every single day... Carpe Diem!

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May 21st!

2005-05-21T13:26:00.000+02:00

A special day today... Apart from my name day (St. Konstantinos' and Heleni's according to the Greek Orthodox calendar), which is the most special event ; )), Aris Thessalonikis is playing at the final of the Greek Football Cup. A bit later Helena Paparizou represents all the greek hopes for a Eurovision victory, being the first favourite to win. So, fingers crossed, this might be a very good day!!!

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It seems like yesterday...

2005-05-14T19:42:00.000+02:00

It seems like yesterday, but this time a year ago me and some guys from Växjö were in Göteborg for the UEFA Cup Final 2004 between Valencia and Marseille. We decided to go at noon, started our trip at 17, booked our tickets in the black market via mobile on the way there and covered the distance between Växjö and Göteborg in 2½ hours!

Alex, Chris, Kyre and Maria, thanks for the memories!

P.S. Check the new page for photos! I hope the albums work now!

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Paradoxes...

2005-05-09T17:59:00.000+02:00

A paradox is a piece of reasoning that leads from apparently true premises, via apparently acceptable steps, to a conclusion that is contradictory or to a situation that defies intuition. The etymology of paradox can be traced back to the related Greek word "paradoxon". The word is composed of the preposition para which means "by way of" or "according to" conjoined to the noun doxa, meaning "what is received".

So, how about training the brain for a while? Sounds interesting? Demanding maybe? Let's examine some logical paradoxes. The following lines require clear and careful thinking...

The unexpected hanging paradox

Assume that a judge makes two statements to a condemned prisoner:

1. You will be hanged at noon one day next week, Monday through Friday.
2. The choice of day will be a surprise to you, in that you won't know the day of the hanging until

the executioner knocks on your cell door at noon that day.

The prisoner reflects on these statements, and then smiles. If the hanging were on Friday, then it wouldn't be a surprise in the sense announced. For he would know by Thursday night that he was going to be hanged on Friday, since no hanging had yet occurred and only one day was left. So the hanging can't be on Friday.

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But then the hanging can't be on Thursday either. If it were, then it wouldn't be a surprise either. For he would know on Wednesday night that he was going to be hanged on Thursday, since no hanging had yet occurred and only two days were left, one of which (Friday) he already knows is impossible. So a Thursday hanging is impossible too. Similar reasoning shows that the hanging can't be on Wednesday, Tuesday or even Monday! He returns to his cell confident in his safety.

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The next week, the executioner knocks on his door at noon on Wednesday - an utter surprise. Everything the judge said has come true, but where is the flaw in the prisoner's reasoning?

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The barber paradox
This paradox is closely related with a famous set-theoretical paradox, called the Russell's paradox. The paradox arises within naive set theory by considering the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Such a set appears to be a member of itself if and only if it is not a member of itself, hence the paradox. In simpler words, some sets are not members of themselves whereas other sets are members of themselves. Call the set of all sets that are not members of themselves "R." If R is a member of itself, then by definition it must not be a member of itself. Similarly, if R is not a member of itself, then by definition it must be a member of itself.

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The same reasoning goes for the barber paradox as well. Consider a town with a male barber who shaves daily every man who does not shave himself, and no one else. Such a town cannot exist, since:

1. If the barber does not shave himself, he must abide by the rule and shave himself.

2. If he does shave himself, according to the rule he will not shave himself.

Many paradoxes are based on a hidden error and those who are not, generally happen at the fringes of context or language, and require extending the context (or language) to lose their paradox quality.

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(more to come...)

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Just when you think you have seen everything...

2005-05-02T14:39:00.000+02:00

The difference between a genius and an idiot is that the genius has limits...

Just when you think you have seen everything in this life, there comes another unstable individual to "spice up" our lives in this planet... The very cute bunny that you see in the picture above is in the hands of an unknown "maniac" who, through his official website, is threatening to kill him unless visitors donate $ 50.000!!! This guy claims to have found Toby (that's the name of the bunny) injured under his porch and after nursing him for several months, he decided to cook him on the 30th of June 2005. He gives, however, a last chance to Toby, asking for the prementioned sum of money in exchange for his freedom!

What makes things even more incredible is the fact that, until today, he claims to have gathered more than $ 28.000!!! And this makes you wonder... Maniac bunny-killer or genius businessman??? Just when you think you have seen everything...

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One night in Malmö...

2005-03-09T18:09:00.000+01:00

It is funny but most of the interesting stuff in your life happen when you least expect them! (clisé phrase yet pretty accurate in this situation...) I could not have imagined after all that a Monday night out with a friend would end up as a philosophical debate that would include a half-Polish, half-Russian (quarter Greek!) Latvian with Danish citizenship who spoke Swedish and a half-Italian, quarter-Scottish, quarter-Spanish Brazilian who lives in Sweden and speaks fluently six languages! (Russian among other things!)
To make things clear, me and Gavrilos (a visiting friend from Greece) were out on Monday night in one of the pubs in LillaTorg in downtown Malmö. Little did we know that a conference about Business Opportunities in the Baltic was just over so the place was packed with well-suited businessmen that were still exchanging business cards between drinks. We sat on a table next to two of them and started out chit-chat in Greek...
(to be continued...)

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After Christos it is time from Gavrilos...

2005-03-06T21:23:00.000+01:00

It has been time since I updated the blog so I thought it might be interesting to write something... Unfortunatelly I STILL do not have the news I would like to share but at least I got some visitors! Christos was here for a daily visit and it was really nice to see an old face again. Although I am certain that I will see more of him in Sweden ; )) It was also pretty cool to be a host in Malmö and try to give a sightseeing tour. After all I just found my way around not so long ago!
Now it is time for the second visitor, another friend from Greece who is gonna be here for a couple of days. I actually have to go and pick him up from the station now so I have to go! I dont want to let him wait in the cold snowy Malmö C all by himself!
That's it for now! Vi hörs!

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One more stolen title... [North vs. south]

2005-02-20T01:19:00.000+01:00

There are many differences between North and south and all of them are more vividly surfaced and expressed through sport events. Today was the final of the Greek Cup of basketball between Aris Thessalonikis [North] and panathinaikos athens [south] and once again many strange things happened. The following is a quote from a sports newspaper:
"In the beginning of the fourth quarter the teams were very close in the score. Panathinaikos scored only with free throws with 4 Aris's player having been expelled with five fouls and 3 more having four! But even in this way, panathinaikos did not manage to get a substancial difference in score, it was still close at 67-64. At that moment mr. Koromilas (one of the "referees") gave a (non-existent) offensive foul to Stack [Aris]. Kalaitzis (panathinaikos) went for the free throws but he missed the first one. Mr Voreadis (another "referee") said that he had to repeat it (!!!) and this time he actually scored."

I will not mention who won the game. I think it is obvious anyway. What really bothers me however, is the fact that tomorrow nobody will remember how it happened. I have seen this play before. Everybody will just say that the athenian team won and added one more title in its vast collection. One more stolen title...

There many differences between the North and the south which are rooted deep in the short history of modern Greece. They also span in almost every aspect of the political, economical and social life of the country. But maybe it is not wise to talk about it right now... Maybe another time would be more fitting...

[Written exactly after the final game for the Greek Cup in basketball between Aris and some other team from the south...]

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First post... Lovers' day!

2005-02-14T19:26:00.000+01:00

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Or at least to those who believe in that... I hope you are happy with the person you are together with!

Not much news from Malmö... Unfortunatelly, still the same things around here. I wish I had something more to share! The weather decided to get cold (at last) and it sure knows how to do that up here in the North! Snowing the last couple of days and making me not to want to go outside of the appartment. Studying Swedish and looking for a job, PhD or intership on the daily schedule, still not with the desirable outcome! One must never stop hoping... : )

Thanks again to those of you who have paid a visit to the site so far! I appreciate your ideas and suggestions and I' ll try to follow as many as I can. Keep in touch and don't forget to sign the GB!

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