100 things: 100 photos - photo 4

I have fallen hopelessly behind on my 100 things. I have fallen hopelessly behind on many things. My to-do list is only getting bigger and bigger, and no matter how much I try I don't seem to be making even a small dent in it. I really don't know what is wrong with me, except for the fact I need a holiday. I have booked a flight to go to Greece in the middle of september for a bit of a rest, and hopefully some sea and sun. Until then my 100 photos will be a countdown of summery images of Greece. This photo wasn't actually taken in the summer, but the spring. But it makes no difference. It is the view from the beach under my greek grandmother's summer house in Dilesi. Dilesi is a village opposite Evia, which means the sea is closed in and there are no distant horizons. Where ever you look there is land near by. My grandmother got swindled and was persuaded that buying a plot of land in Dilesi to build a summer house would be a good idea. As a result we have ended up with a summer house that is slowly slipping down the cliff in a very boring part of Greece next to one of the worst seas in Greece. The house itself is nice and fits a lot of people. When I was young we would often go for weekends. More often that not together with a bunch of relatives and family friends. So I have a lot of memories from this place. The house in the photo isn't my grandmother's house, I am standing on the beach under her house looking to one side.

100 things: 100 photos - photo 3

I am really behind on my 100 things. I have got to step it up, or I will never finish! I am thinking that since it's summer and I am stuck in this miserably wet english weather they call summer here, I will just inundate you with photos from better climes and better times. So be prepared for lots of summer vacation holiday photos! Every summer I always used to spent at least a week on an island or somewhere by the sea in Greece. When I was a kid with my parents, and since I turned 16 with friends. Sometimes it was just a week, other summers I went for as long as a month. Prices used to be cheap, both boat fares - especially if you had a student card - and rented rooms. Then when prices went up, I started going camping. Sometimes organised camping and sometimes free camping. This will possibly be my first year of not going anywhere. Even last year, I pitched a tent in a forest on a small island for a week before coming to the UK. So yeah, summer with no sun and no sea is not really summer for me. This is a photo from August 2010, taken on the seafront promenade of the village of Panormos in Tinos. It is such a typically greek summer vista. It is evening, as you can see from the long shadows under the chairs. After a long day of sightseeing - we had rented a car to see the island - and swimming, we finally sat down on a seafront taverna to eat. I took this photo while sitting down at our table. The sky is typically cloudless and the sea dark blue. What you can see of the island is barren and arid, as the Cycladic islands are. And of course boats... Okay, now I'm getting maudlin and home-sick.

Software excitement and inspirations

It's been a while. I get into phases where I'm not very talkative or social, just ask anyone who has ever lived with me how often I hole myself up in my own room and do my own thing completely ignoring other people. It doesn't help that I have been busy applying for jobs with a new found desperation, and reading up on InDesign. Guys! InDesign is a pretty awesome program! It's one of those programs that reading a book on how to use it actually makes me smile with excitement! Not because I'm a computer geek, because I'm not, but because I'm a design geek, and the possibilities it offers are exciting! How did I live so long with just Photoshop? It's an awesome layout program, all the nifty stuff you can do with text and graphics and layers! And you can create multipage files! And save as multipage pdfs! Yay! And if you're a seasoned photoshop user, the interface and the logic is very easy to learn. I actually made a new portfolio and other stuff with it before even reading the book! Back in the very very beginning when I first installed it a couple of months ago, and had only seen a couple of informative tutorials on the web, I made a little portfolio of inspirations for a job application. Sometimes when applying for architecture practices they can ask for the damnedest things. This particular practice had asked for five things that inspire us architecturally. This is what I came up with: > > > > >

100 things: 100 photos - photo 2

Today I chose something simpler and easier. A digital photo I took in 2008. I have long had quite an obsession with reflections. I love photographing reflections in mirrors, windows and puddles. I actually have a whole series of self-portraits taken in reflections. The more broken up and complex the more I like them. This particular photo was taken in one of the side streets in Monastiraki flea-market, one of the more colourful and interesting places in Athens. I always liked visiting Monastiraki, Thuseio and the environs for the shops, the atmosphere, the food, the antiques and the photographic opportunities. And the three years I lived in central Athens it was ridiculously easy for me to get there. On one side it's me - with my old discrete wire-framed glasses and before I cut a fringe - and on the other side there's my sister and two of my best friends. In the middle is a photo of the old king. I am rather proud of this picture, I think in captures the moment and the location quite well. I even submitted it (together with two others) in a photographic competition of city photography in Athens. I got shortlisted and my photos were exhibited, but of course I wasn't one of the finalists. >

100 things: 100 photos - photo 1

I am going to be contrary and start off as I DON'T plan to continue. I mainly photograph cityscapes, landscapes and buildings. On occasion I try my hand at portraits, but I'm not really a portrait photographer. Also I am going to mainly post digital photos, and thus relatively recent ones. I used to be an ardent black white analogue photographer and I have a huge backlog of traditional photographs. Unfortunately I have hardly scanned any of them. The following photo is one of a huge series I took of my friend Dimitris in his home in Athens. It is rare that I find a model as obliging or as photogenic as Dimitris. His only demand was that I also take a couple of semi-nude photos as well for him to use on gaydar. (Yeah, as if you can score guys using arty b&w photographs! He quickly replaced them.) I used my father's Leica M6, which is an absolutely gorgeous camera. I used it for many many years and loved it to bits. If I remember correctly I had the 50mm lens on, which was my absolutely favourite lens. I will never enjoy photography again as much as I did with the Leica and b&w film... I even developed and printed my own photographs for a couple of years...

V&A

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum with my camera, dragging a poor friend with me. (Ha! Lets see if he ever agrees to an outing with me again!) It was a fun visit. The V&A is one of my favourites. It's just more proof of what a bad blogger I am, that I am only now getting round to sharing my photos with you.

Afterwards I met up with my sister and her boyfriend for a walk up Primrose Hill. I know I don't usually share photos of myself, but I thought I'd make an exception.

It's me on the colourful bridge on the way to Primrose Hill, what did you think I'd post?

Hydra Photos

So I promised photos from Hydra, the greek island I visited in April for two days while I was in Greece. It's a lovely picturesque island, but rather expensive and chic. Be warned that the slideshow is very long. I took quite a few photos. (For some strange reason it's showing my photos from last to first and I can't find how to change it!)

Chinese New Year

I know I promised photos of Hydra. I'm working on it. But a long long time ago I promised photos from when I went down town to see Chinese New Year celebrated in central London. So here's a little slideshow, far too late. I'm a horrid blogger, I know!

Athens under fire

Yesterday central Athens turned into a battlefield.



Today, when I went downtown it was rather worse for wear and broken. It's all very disheartening.

On Sunday I fly back to London.

I really have to make this emigration business work, because there is nothing to come back to.

Last days of summer

I'm feeling hopelessly lazy lately, hence the lack of updates.

Also, like the sheep I am, I made myself a twitter account. Twitter is proving rather addictive. Hmf, I get addicted far too easily.

My news?

On Thursday I met in London! Katelin is just as adorable in RL! We had lots of fun talking in real time (yay for meeting people face to face!) and discussing fandom loudly in public. We meandered around Regent's park and then walked along the Embankment. Two of my favourite places in London! It was a gorgeous day, which we ended with a nice thin crust pizza (hawaian, because I was feeling adventurous) and a final stroll to Saint Paul's in the moonlight.

I hope you had lots of fun in London, ! *squishes you close and wishes you didn't have to leave!*

Otherwise I have been visiting parks with Dimitris to take advantage of this last burst of good weather. Enfield is just full of parks! Today we went to Hilly Fields, where we lazed in the sun, had a pick nick and ogled all the hyper young 'uns surrounding us. Then we moved our lazy arses and went for a walk, discovering a huge cemetery which we promptly got lost in.

Look at me becoming all tech savvy and managing to embed a slideshow!

Walking the Heath and taking night buses

Now that this weekend is coming close, I thought I should get a move on and talk about last weekend.

Last Saturday, my friend Dimitris dragged me to his favourite place in London - and possibly the whole wide world, you never know with him - Hampstead Heath. This time I brought my camera. With a fully charged battery. Because Dimitris begged and nagged I should because he wanted photos.



Dimitris dragged me up Monument Hill, where we were almost blown away by the strong the wind. And then he snagged my camera and started snapping away like a trigger happy crazy thing.



When he was satisfied he had taken enough photos and I was fed up with the hill, we went for a walk across the heath. We meandered around the place and ended up by a big pond to sit on a bench together and bemoan the sore state of our lives.

After seeing the manor from afar, we decided it was time to get going, because we were invited to a party in Chalk Farm. It will hardly be a surprise to find out we promptly got lost and ended up following the sound of distant traffic.



We emerged on the opposite side of the Heath than we wanted to, and I brilliantly got confused and we took the 168 bus instead of the 268 bus. So instead of going to Chalk Farm we ended up at Finchley Road. Without a map. And neither of us having a clue where we were.

We did eventual find our way to the party, after a little break to eat some indian food and warm ourselves from the bitting wind.

And well, the party was fun! We drunk lots of wine, ate Natasha's gorgeous hand made finger food and talked about all manner of stuff.

And when the time to go home came, we walked to Camden Town with Dimitris and took the night bus to his place. Will you believe we spent almost two hours on that damn bus? I can't believe I spent so long getting back!

Poor Dimitris! He lives in a teeny tiny room in a ramshackle house with a crazy landlady and her layabout cousin who sleeps on the sofa. There truly is no way to describe exactly how unbelievably small his room is! I should take photos.

And because Dimitris crazy landlady works nights - she drives a night bus - I tiptoed out the house in the morning before she realised I had spent the night.

London Pride Parade

I'm still busy getting stuff in order and registering for various things. But I can't be bothered to blather on about that today.

Today I want to share some bad photos and some even worse videos. Yes, I still haven't replaced my stolen digital camera and am still taking photos and videos with my mobile (it's days like this I wish I had an iphone!).

So as many of you must know Saturday was London's Pride Parade. I went with Angela and later met up with Dimitris and some other friends - we couldn't seem to organise ourselves to get to the Pride all at the same time.

Lot's of people, lot's of brightly dressed and scantily clad people! Lot's of loud dance music - why can't the gay movement have better taste in music? The previous night some friends had taken me to a gay bar - complete with dancing go-go boy and go-go cross-dresser - and the music couldn't have been more cliche! You know what the market is missing? A gay/lesbian bar/club with rock or indie music. Do you think it might catch on?

Because I spent most of the time with Angela complete with colourful stickers and pins we were given trying to find the others, I think most people thought we were a couple. A very girly couple (is that what a lipstick lesbian is?) complete with colourful short summer dresses and jangling jewellery. At some point we sat on a bench for Angela to eat her sandwich and me to eat my apple and a strange man in sharp black business suit with a fat cigar in his mouth took out his iphone and started taking photos of us. We told him to stop, but were too lazy to actually get up and tell him off.

Anyway, enough of that. As promised, here are some bad photos and really bad videos. The videos turned out so murky because the glare of the sun was against us.















By the way, I'm sick! Miserably sick!

One last hooray

I'm back in Athens safe and sound and earlier than anticipated. Agistri was lovely, but the crowds drove us away. We had completely forgotten that Monday (today that is) was a bank holiday.

I went with my friend Angela who has also just lost her job and who is also flying to London at the end of the month to look for work. We are all emigrating I tell you!

We thought this would be our last chance to see some sun and sea this summer (unless we make it to the English seaside, and unless you actually consider that sun and sea). Also we needed a bit of a break from the business of getting everything in order to leave.

Being short of money and energy we went to Agistri which is really close to Athens by boat and where it is easy to free camp.


(I haven't got a new compact camera to replace the one that was stolen and I was hardly going to take my DSLR camping so I had to make do with bad quality photos taken with my mobile.)

As you can see we took two tents with us because we were expecting company (none of which showed in the end). You might have also noticed we took Angela's dog Bella will us too. Bella is a beautiful two year old mongrel.


Unfortunately Bella is rather difficult (and possibly a bit spoilt too). She barks at everything that scares her (and that is almost everything) and at all other dogs. As you can guess she did a lot of barking. Everyone wanted to pat her because she's so pretty, but were quickly put off by her incessant barking.

Appart from the new experience of holidaying with a dog, we didn't do much. We lazed on the beach. We got slight tans that we will lose during the first week of being in London I'm sure. We ate and walked around aimlessly. We got bitten by flies. Every time I go camping I return with my legs riddled with big red bites. It seems like horseflies love me!

Gathering in front of the Parliament

Sunday evening I was in Syntagma Square adding to the numbers of protesters taking the streets in Athens. It was the least I could do before I skip the country leaving the revolution to everyone else. So where were you? I heard that the protest gatherings on Sunday were to take part in various European countries over the economic mess and the ridiculous IMF et co directives, because let's not forget that it's not just Greece that's in trouble. How many europeans do I have on my flist? How many who are living in near bankrupt countries? I'm sure they must be lots of us.

Because my pocket camera was stolen in the break in, I went to the protest without a camera and took a couple of crappy photos with my mobile. My mobile's camera isn't thaaat bad (I have a motorola KRZR K1 by the way) but it's not great either.



I also took an even crappier video.

Haven't completely disappeared yet

I know I have sort off feel the face of the earth for the past week or two. I have had a lot of thinking and stressing to do. And the way I cope with stress is avoiding people and finding something random and completely trivial to obsess over. This time I chose Glee. I must say that in two weeks I have learned more about Glee than any single rational person should know. Doesn't mean I will be skipping fandoms however, so no worries.

There is no way around it. There is no future and no hope in Greece anymore. I will only spiral into deeper depression, hopelessness and eventually unemployment if I stay here. But it's not easy packing up and leaving. It will need a lot more guts than I usually possess and a lot time and effort. I have a whole life here - friends, family, a flat full of furniture and books, a neighbourhood I love, groups I'm part of - everything will have to be packed up and put in storage or abruptly ended. So, yeah, still working on my courage. Still feel like freaking out, bursting into tears, or jumping of a roof at random moments during the day. But if I don't do it, I will forever regret it.

Yesterday we went on a day trip. We just drove with a vague destination in mind, but it turned out fine. We came across a random archaeological site and decided to stop and visit. Spring has started, the flowers are out, and ruins amongst the grass and flowers are always beautiful. Afterwards we went to the seaside, walked on the beach and sat and ate fish in a seaside taverna. You know, the sort of stuff I will invariably miss when/if I leave this country.



In the spirit of feeling maudlin. The three things I will miss the most from Greece if I leave are:
1. the weather
2. the sea
3. the low crime rate.

Crossing the Isthmus

I went on a day trip on Sunday! After spending most of my christmas holidays lazing about at home in the dark, it was about time I got some fresh air. And what a lot of fresh air there was to be had!

A friend of a friend had organised a trip to Ancient Corinth with some friends (are you confused yet?), and somehow I got asked along. Never one to turn down an opportunity to travel (especially if someone else is driving!) I decided to accept the invitation.

This friend's friend is an architect (as am I, by chance), and as you should know architects frequently travel in packs. Out of the twelve people on the trip, eight of us were architects! So it was quite enjoyable. The company was good and so was Ancient Corinth.

To be completely accurate, we didn't actually go to Ancient Corinth, we just passed through. Our actual destination was Acrocorinth, the ancient and medieval castle on the very tip of the mountain that looms over Corinth. It was a beautiful big place, with long walls, impressive views and completely overrun with greenery.

Being typical Greeks, once we walked our fill of the huge acropolis, we went to eat. And eat we did, with gusto and plenty of appetite. (There is something very satisfying about ordering large amounts of food, don't you think?)

The only downside of the whole outing, was that it became painfully obvious from the very beginning that everybody else besides me and my friend were couples. Why oh why is everyone my age in a couple? How are singletons like myself ever going to meet anyone, if everyone is already paired off? At least I was saved from the pitying looks couples give us singles, by the fact most of them seemed to be under the erroneous impression my friend and I were together (a rather hilarious misconception that never-the-less is quite a common occurrence).