A birthday boy's day...

So, how did I celebrate my birthday today?

a) I woke up very early and went to church to attend the Liturgy. Now I had brought a nice chocolate cake which was really enjoyed by the people there (especially the children!) Caroline, Leo, Philippe and Deniz, sorry you missed that!

b) Talking on the phone to my friend Dimitra who called me from Greece to wish me a Happy Birthday or a "χρόνια πολλά" ['xroña po'la]. Ευχαριστώ και να σε έχει πάντα ο Θεός καλά.

c) Spending an awesome evening with most of my friends here in Montreal at Le Cabane Grecque. The food was great, but the company was everything that made this evening wonderful. What else can I say?

It was the first time I had so many people (friends and NOT relatives) for my birthday.


SO, FOR ALL OF YOU THAT CAME:


Andrea, Caroline, Deniz, Émile, Gus, Jen, Josh, Leo, Luke, Masaki, Moti, Philippe, Raph,Tobin (names in the only order ever possible) THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!"


Memories I will keep from this day.

• The two most valuable presents you ALL gave me: a) Your presence and b) your smile.
• Singing "Happy Birthday" which was confusing with respect to my name (Thanos, Thanasis and of course, Athanasios!). Sorry, all! That was totally my fault...
• The sparkling birthday cake piece
• The coffee-cup fortune telling thingy that gave an oriental touch to the evening. Two points: a) Someone is going to show up in my life. (I wish!) b) There are two things I have to complete but I do not want to... (Now, we are not talking about my evaluation papers!) BTW, for the rest of the people who realized what was going on (Andrea, Émile, Gus and Moti) and kind of freaked out, I really do not believe in these things...

Here are some of the pictures that will help me keep my memories from this day (Selection was arbitrary): For the full set of the pictures please click here ( I had to use a cheap red eye reduction program, otherwise this would be a Halloween post!) Unfortunately, due to technical reasons I do not have a picture of me blowing that "sparkling thing" so, I have to rely on Émile for that...

Émile and Andrea. I am so happy you both could make it tonight....

Caroline and Leo, thanks for everything...

Tobin and Josh. Thank you for coming and sharing a smile....

Philippe and Deniz smiling. I am so happy you both came.

Jen and Luke, I am glad you finally made it.(Jen, I really know how tight your schedule is and that is why I am so grateful you managed to come!)

Gus, Masaki, Moti and Raph, I did NOT forget you. Thank you so much for coming. Pictures in the set....

Many thanks to the people that wished me "Happy Birthday" but could not come: Panayoti, Nora, Andoni, John, Eva and Deena, thanks for thinking of me. Finally, a great "thank you "to Erin who sent me a beautiful birthday e-card and some lovely things from Korea.

I could go on for ages... (and I guess I already did).

To conclude (kind of a replay of my small speech), I always believed that a man's wealth is measured by the quality of his friends. I am so happy that in my case it is both quality and quantity.

My love and appreciation to all of you and God bless you!

Celebrating "No"

Why is the the 28th of October an important day?
A) It is just 2 days before my birthday(!!!)
B) It is a Greek national celebretion day.

On the 28th October 1940 Greece entered World War II. The Italian Ambassador in Athens visited the Greek Prime Minister (Greece was under a dictatorship at that time, but anyway, this guy liked to call himself "prime-minister") very early in the morning and asked his permission for Italian troops to pass through Greek land and maybe "stay" there for a while.
In a surprsing move, this guy, who his political ideology was very close to fascism and nazim (he was sympathetic to Hitler, but eventually he gave up because Hitler was not sympathetic to him) said "NO" expressing for the first time during his administration the will of the Greek people.
Probably, we are one of a few countries that officially celebrate the beginning of the War and not the end of it but, at least until the Nazi's attack against Greece in April 1941, the war was actually very successful. The Greek army had pushed out the invaders and had advanced in Albania (that was under Italian occupation)
It even made Winston Churchill say: "Until now we would say that the Greeks fight like heroes. From now on we will say that heroes fight like Greeks".

Greek resistance to the Axis lasted 219 days during which 13,676 soldiers died. In the following 3 years of Nazi, Italian and Bulgarian occupation of the country almost 750,000 people died from famine, executions and in Resistance battles.

Constantinos Kavafis (one of my favorite poets and actually one of the greatest Greek poets of the modern time wrote at the beginning of the 20th century (1901, translated from Greek and not by me...):

Che fece... il gran rifiuto

To certain people there comes a day
when they must say the great Yes or the great No.
He who has the Yes ready within him
immediately reveals himself, and saying it he goes

against his honor and his own conviction.
He who refuses does not repent. Should he be asked again,
he would say no again. And yet that no --
the right no -- crushes him for the rest of his life.

(And in French!)

A quelques uns arrive un jour
d'avoir à choisir entre le grand Ouiet le grand Non.
Se révèle aussitôt celuiqui a le Oui tout prêt en lui,
et de le direle fait aller

plus loin dans l'honneur et dans sa conviction.
Celui qui refuse ne regrette rien. Si on lui reposait la question,
c'est non qu'il redirait. Et pourtant il l'accable, ce non -
dans sa justesse- durant toute sa vie.

Which American city am I?

Since I do not have anything original to post at this time, this is something I stole from raphinou:


Take the quiz: "Which American City Are You?"



New York
You're competative, you like to take it straight to the fight. You gotta have it all or die trying.

Who flew over the cuckoo's nest?

O.K. There are REALLY many weird people in the place I live...
I know I have already mentioned about that gentle middle-aged lady who is fond of staying late in the lobby dressed in her PJ's and slippers and who always asks me my name every time she sees me for the last year.
And there is always the other guy that would not let me use the lift, as he was keeping the door open, acting like he was scared or seriously under "something".
And finally, I should not forget the (unknown) person/people who a) stole my underwear from the dryer and b) put their own underwear in...
But today's event makes me really concerned...
So, here it is:
During last week, I had some really strange confrontations with a girl I believe she lives at the same building. It has been a couple of times (or a bit more) that as I was going out or going into the building, this girl would be at the lobby.
Now, as soon as she would see me, she would just totally FREEZE and keep STARING at me with a really weird look. Now, I know what you may think; maybe she was just checking me out.
However, that look was completely different. It was more like an angry look, resentful, and I have to admit, a bit evil.
The same thing happened all the three times we came to an eye to eye contact. (And, I assure you, I have never seen that girl before and I really do not know her).
Now, since I do not like people giving me the "look" (especially when I do not think I have done something wrong)I decided the next time she reacts the same way to my presence, I will ask her what was wrong...
Earlier this evening, as I was getting out of the lift,I saw her sitting on the bench in the lobby. Again, as soon as she saw me she started staring at me. I couldn't help it, I had to ask:
-"Is something wrong? Are you O.K?"
Her answer: She just started.... laughing out loud! And it seemed she was actually laughing at me in an almost sinister manner(!!)
"WTF?", I thought and I asked her again: "Are you O.K.?"
Again, no verbal response, just the same loud laughter. Since her reaction was surprising and a bit scary, I just left.
Now,I did not go out wearing my pants the wrong way, and I believe I left that T-shirt which reads "DORK" at home. Therefore, there are two options:

a) I am/look just totally ridiculous and for the last 27 years people are just kind to me out of courtesy! (Say it ain't so!)
b) That person has some serious issues...

P.S.:I just cannot believe how I turned to a magnet for wacko's, and BTW, Halloween coming makes the whole situation even more awkward than it is ...

Merde! Il pleut...

There, I said it (in French)

I just HATE rain.....

Laundry issues...

Generally, I don't have major problems with the laundry services in the building I live.
O.K., that is not completely true. There were a few times, for example, that the dryer or the washer did not work properly and as I result I lost my money. (I could have filed a complaint, but, reall,y I don't want to make a fuss for $1.50). And I do mind if somebody takes out my (freshly cleaned and dried) clothes and puts them on that dirty desk in order to put their clothes in the dryer.(But , I guess this is also my mistake!)
And...of course I still remember the time somebody stole (they were never returned) my underwear(!!) from the dryer. (Weird people for sure!)
But today I got completely mad about that person (probably a woman) that put her underwear in MY dryer. I mean, WTF?
Since I do try to avoid direct confrontation with the opposite sex (it is always a lose-lose situation), I just left the room but before that, I left a not so polite note saying:
"If you want to dry your underwear please use your own money! (Hygiene!)
Next time, I will just throw them in the trash"
And before somebody thinks I am a very evil person, two things:
a) I had double-checked the dryer before I put my clothes in (there was nothing there).
b) It is really not the money I am concerned with. With the underwear there was also a pair of socks, relatively dirty, I have to say. Maybe I am a hygiene freak, but I don't want MY underwear mixed with another person's dirty socks and/or underwear.
Am I a bad person?

Happy Thanksgiving

To all of you who celebrate today (there is always November for some!)
Happy Thanksgiving and go easy on the turkey (if you have some that is!)

**Many thanks to all my friends for being there at the good and

the... not so good moments of my life!**

Dinner and a movie...

After my tutorial, I returned to the Department since I still had some work to do. Now the plan was to get it done and probably head home afterwards (no gym today; I guess rain is always a reason to get depressed). After all, our usual gathering to TH has been cancelled due to Thanksgiving....
However, things developed a bit differently (which turned out to be a good thing after all!)
As I was in the computer room with Moti, we started talking about plans for the evening. I told him I didn't have any plans (no TH today) and that I was not sure whether I would do something later on. Moti had to leave to get a new chair but told me to call him if I was planning to do something.
Now, it is Friday evening and doing nothing and go home (even if it is raining), is not appealing.
So I called him later at 5.40 and we arranged to have dinner (I made it clear I was starving) and maybe watch a movie afterwards. Moti suggested Serenity, a space-adventurous type of movie and as the sci-fi film freak I am, I could not have resisted the temptation.
In the midst of rain, we ended up at Reubens where I had a burger and he got a smoked meat sandwich (I believe he never had one before). Food was good and later on we went to watch the movie
Now, Serenity ended up to be pretty good. It is about a spaceship and its crew trying to get along in a futuristic human society. (But apart from technological advancement, there is no other difference.) The novie is based on a cancelled TV series (Firefly) created by the same guy behind Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon. (And I have to say that the movie is definitely better than the aforementioned TV programs.)
So, once again, I really had a great Friday evening; I just feel sorry for poor Moti though, who had to buy a new umbrella because he forgot his and, I do not know if you have noticed it, today was a rainy day....

Back to the Y...

After spending two weeks in becoming more stressed (oh, that funding application!) and completely neglecting myself, I decided to pay a visit to dear old Y. It's been almost 3 months (last time I had gone was before I went to Greece for the summer (!) and for some strange reason (I believe it is called sloth!) I haven't been there since I got back.
However, I have to say I did a good workout today and it just feels great, although physically I am exhausted.
Anyway, I just hope that eventually I will lose all that excessive weight and regain a healthier and (hopefully) more attractive look...

About that movie...

So,what was that Tarkovsky's movie about?
Well, so it happens that every first Saturday of the month, there is a youth fellowship meeting at the church I go to and we usually watch a movie (not always a strictly religious oriented).
Anyway, the plan for yesterday was to watch Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev (or The Passion according to Andrei; and it is not related in any way to The Passion of the Christ).
Andrei Rublev was a famous Russian Iconographer who lived in Russia in the 15th century. He is mostly known for his Holy Trinity icon, a depiction of the three Angels that visit Abraham (a story in the Old Testament) which according to Orthodox Christian Theology it is premanifestation of the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). This icon is also referred to as "The Hospitality of Abraham"
However, the movie is hardly about Rublev.
In the 205 minutes this movie lasts (remember, it is Tarkovsky and that is the full uncensored version, and not what the Soviet administration allowed to be shown in public), Rublev is not exactly starring.
Since little is known about his life, Tarkovsky uses him as symbol, like most of his characters and events. Situated in the 15th century rural Russia in a very turbulent era (it was the time of the Mongol-Tartar invasion) the movie is in fact about what it means to be human. Filmed in black and white and contaning some violent scenes and nudity, this movie is far more than the story of a man's life and struggle. Love, ethics, art, religious (between Christian and pagans) and/or ethnic conflicts are all there; a world that collapses but still hope cannot be completely lost. A reflection of Tarkovsky's view of humanity, of being Russian, of being in the former Soviet Union? Perhaps. This movie can really mean whatever the viewer wants it to mean. A true masterpiece, one of the few I will have to say.
The only bad thing was that we got to see only the first part of the movie since it was already 22.30, and there was still 1.45 minutes left. (Remember, some people had to get up early the next morning!) So we just watched the first part, and I can't wait to watch the second, probably in two weeks. (Unless I get really impatient and rent the movie myself!).
No matter what your personal beliefs are, I do suggest you watch this movie, even if you are not the believer type. Afterall, this movie is hardly about God and a lot about man, his passions and struggle. I know it is a bit long but it will definitely reward you in the end. (It was rewarding for me and I only saw half of it!)

Sometimes it is for real!

Interesting things continue happening in the building I live.
Once again the fire alarm went off. Once again it was past midnight (yesterday, it was around 2.00 am!) The difference:
Today, it was for real. I should have known that something was terribly wrong when I entered my apartment and I encountered a strange odor, like somebody had been smoking or something was overcooked. As I checked more thoroughly, this smell was coming from the ventilation system.
And then, the alarm started going off. Being accustomed to false alarms, I did not rush to the door. Eventually though I did since that smell became thicker and thicker. So I took the lift (!! yes,I know, but guys it is 12 floors!) and got to the ground floor.
The firemen at the entrance confirmed my fears. It was a fire alright! Somebody at the 7th floor left the stove unattended and...(you can guess the rest of the story). Thank God it was just a small fire but still, it could be dangerous.
Eventually the fire was extinguished and we all returned to our apartments. Now, there is still this thick smell in my room. I have the balcony door and windows opened hoping the air will clear out.
I just hope that this fire alarm going off every day after midnight will stop. Today, it was for real, but generally, it is becoming irritating.
This alarm really ruined a very nice movie experience I had by watching half of Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev on DVD. Details about the movie and why I watched half of it (I will watch the second part, probably in two weeks) to follow in a later post.