Full days...

So, I had a very good time yesterday and today...

Sunday

After I spent Saturday night without sleep (I still do not know why), I went to church in the morning. After the service, I and some other people volunteered to help one of our parishioners carry some boxes with books he had in his van to his house. So, we got to his place and started carrying. Man, some of these boxes were really heavy, but overall it was fun (I guess I have developed these masochistic tendencies after all...)
Anyway, while I was helping out, Moti left a message on my cell saying that he was planning to play frisbee at Mont-Royal with common friends. It was only after I finished moving boxes I realized someone had called me. So I called Moti back and told him that I would probably meet them later.
Having completed my good Samaritan deed, the guy who we helped offered to give me a ride back to downtown, so I asked him to drop me off at Mont Royal. When I got there, I met up with Émile, Moti, Josh and Ray and joined the frisbee activity. For a first timer, I did relatively well, although my passes were not good at all, thus I really exhausted people. But the weather was nice, there were just enough clouds in the sky to keep the sun away (for the most time) and we had a lot of fun.
At around 6, we decided to call the day off and started walking west on Mont-Royal. Josh had to leave while the rest of us decided to grab a bite in a falafel place close by. (I did not get anything because I had an upset stomach, probably from not sleeping). Eventually, we split up and at that time I decided to call my friend Panayiotis to see how he was doing. So, I ended up being invited to his place. As I was getting there, tiredness started kicking in (remember I was sleepless) and I almost fell asleep in the metro.
Anyway, as always, I had a great time with my friend and his girlfriend. Besides, they had these really yummy BBQ chicken legs for dinner which despite my stomach condition I could not resist to try....Eventually, when my friend woke me up at around 10.40, I realized it was time for me to leave. So I got home at around midnight and just... crashed on my bed, only to wake up almost 14 hours later. (I am getting old after all...)

Monday

Since I woke up just in time for it, I got to the department to attend a talk on an online Malagasy dictionary. I found the whole task very challenging and interesting; just imagine having a huge database where you can do a query for a word and instantly have links to many kinds of information about the word, strictly grammatical or not (like idiomatic phrases it is used, pictures etc.) Though there is a lot of work to be done, still this was a great job which reveals a certain amount of dedication to a cause. (I am just disappointed that a task like this is so difficult to get good (if not any) funding for modern Greek.)

Later on, Raph, I and Moti joined the profs for dinner at Leméac, a very posh restaurant on Laurier. Overall, the food was great, (I just wished there was more meat than fries in my plate) but expensive. Now, it was agreed that all non greatly-funded students will pay $20 but that does not really make me feel better.I guess next time we can try the after 22.00h option...

So this wraps about everything.
Summers in Montreal can actually be fun (!!!)

All we are saying, is give peace a chance....

"...

Priest: For all that is good and beneficial to our souls, and for the peace of the world, let us ask the Lord.

People: Grant this, O Lord.

..."

From the Petitions of the service of the Divine Liturgy.

Oh no!!!

I just got an e-mail from paypal. My subscription to ESS.tv (no link, since the site is coming down) has been cancelled. ESS provided (through winamp) streaming services where you could watch old (and rather new) tv shows. Since I do not have a TV, I found it a good deal for $5 USD/month to be able to watch my favourite star trek shows. But ESS was not only that. Over 45 streaming channels were provided of a wide range of content, cartoons, comedy, drama, sci-fi; it was really internet tv. In fact, during the world cup, they actually streamed live some soccer games, which was so cool! So, for $5 you got to watch really good shows in a very good quality, non-stop and WITHOUT commercials...
But, like all nice and cheap things in life, it did not last long. Apparently, as the people behind the site admitted, legal issues came up (even though they were mainly streaming already broadcasted and recorded material) so, they had to inevitably shut the whole thing down.

....MERDE...

What I really liked about ess, was that I could have cheap and easily accessible entertainment everywhere (as long as I had a decent internet connection), without the expenses and the distraction of cable TV. But now that's all gone...

:( :( :(....

So, do I want a TV? (Notice I did not ask whether I need a TV...)

Τζάμπα Μάγκες (Incompetence, part two)

After a race with time, the Greek Government managed to pass the required (by FIFA) amendments to the new Sports law and as a result, FIFA has revoked their decision to suspend the Hellenic Football Federation.
This is one of the most weird laws ever voted. The majority of the articles introduce state control over sport associations, while the HFF is miraculously exempted all together. So, all is well that ends well. Of course, there is the humiliation of a whole country, of the democratic institutions (the deputy minister of sports was making so many changes up to the last moment that members of the parliament complained that they could not understand what they were voting for (or against), and, of course, there are issues with other associations. At least, they managed to resolve this problem just in time so that this Friday, a Greek team can play for the Intertoto cup.

Just in time...

As for the title in Greek for this post, it is an expression. Literally it means ('brave for free') and it is addressed to people who are full of talk, bragging and ready to "play brave" when they are secure, but when the time comes to actually defend their position, they sound retreat. But I guess, as it has been said, people just get the governments they deserve...

No pain, no game

This is another biking post:

So, last Saturday I continued my biking training. Overall, it went O.K.. I am more balanced, I can make turns (most of them anyway) and I can successfully ride the bike over other surfaces, like stone paved paths and grass.
Then, again I really need to learn to use the BREAK. Watching that tree (actually, it was not a particular one, since that happened many times) getting closer and closer and doing nothing to prevent my imminent crashing, or being unable to control the bike downhill (I have to start playing with the gears) it's not reassuring. And since it was highly unlikely the tree would move, you can imagine the results.
I fell about 4 times off the bike, the last one being the most spectacular of all; the bike landed on me, or I ended up lying under the bike (I guess that is a matter of point of view). Since Sunday afternoon, there are a few parts of my anatomy that do not cause me pain when I move, I experience problems mostly with my left arm (which I cannot bend in some ways) and knee. Although it was suggested to me to go and check it out, I will probably wait a couple of days to see if it gets better by itself. After all, today, my arm feels a bit better. I really do not think anything is broken, probably it is just muscle pain.
Anyway, what I am really worried is that I want to do that again (the biking, ideally without the falling part). I just hope I am not developing tendencies of masochism....

FORZA ITALIA*

Signore e signori

I campioni del mondo

La Squadra Azzura

ITALIA

*Disclaimer: Any political references are totally unintentional..

Superman returned....

I got home after watching Superman Returns with Moti and Raymond.
Overall, I was satisfied with the movie. Yes, the plot (Moti thought the movie did not have any) was naive and the acting in general could have been better, but these are not the things you expect to get from a movie like this. (Christopher Reeve was the apparent exception to this rule of course, but again, it's tough for a movie to compete with a ghost. In fact, the movie was dedicated to both Christopher and Dana Reeve). So, Kate Bosworth did not really convince me as Lois Lane. She just lacked the sparkle that her role is all about. If you ask me, I believe that the ideal Lois Lane was Teri Hatcher from the TV series Lois and Clark. Finally, Kevin Spacey had better moments, but again, Lex Luthor rarely gets good credit..
On the good side, the visual effects were very good (Superman looked like he was really flying) and Brandon Routh stood well as the man of steel. In a way, he resembled Christopher Reeve and this, as well as Marlon Brando's voice as Jor-El was kind of eerie.
So, if the acting was generally not that good, the plot naive and with holes, why did I like that movie? I guess, because I am a Superman fan and it was nice to get into a theatre again and listen to that well known theme.
As for the guy with the red cape fighting for truth, justice and (let's not forget) the American way, I believe it is the absurdness of the existence of such as person that makes it all work.

Happy 4th of July!

To all my American friends


Happy Independence Day!

Incompetence....

When I decided to have a blog, I made a promise to myself that I will not make any comments about political parties and politics in general (trust me, Greeks really love to discuss these topics). With only one exception, I kept my promise. But some things are just too ridiculous.

Today is a very bad day for Greek soccer.
FIFA has decided to suspend E.Π.Ο (the Hellenic Football Federation, HFF) and as a result all Greek football clubs, the Greek National Football team, are banned from all games until the decision is revoked. This news actually managed to make first page in FIFA's website. For the actual decision of the Fédération Internationale click here.
The story how Greek football got to this situation is a long one. The short version of it is that since these (the conservatives) people got elected in 2004, one of their first priorities was to get football affairs under direct governmentnt control. As a result, a new law was passed which raised concerns on behalf of HFF, that would not be approved by both U.E.F.A. and FIFA. The truth is that HFF had always problems in regulating football affairs. On the other hand, it is also true that FIFA prefers incompetent self-ruling football associations than governmentnt-run ones (which in any case for everybody who knows Greek affairs does not rule out incompetence after all..)
The Greek goverment promised to amend the law; (more than a year ago). They didn't . And now HFF is out and so are all Greek Football clubs.
It's really hard to comment on situations like that. With an almost 10% unemployment rate, university students and professors rallying on the streets against a vastly opposed "Educational Reformation", most Greeks being unable to go even for a short vacation because they just can't afford it (especially after the euro was introduced, prices went rocket high, but the average salary still remains in the 70% of the E.U. average), being unable to resolve a stupid problem that they themselves created in the first place, is just ridiculous.

Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks after all....

This is a continuation of this post.
Today was definitely a good day. First (totally irrelevant, but still good news: the Ferraris got first and second position in the Indianapolis Grand Prix). Secondly, (and VERY relevant) I actually started having a grasp of the whole biking thing. After numerous and frustrating attempts to get a decent balance and co-ordination of my two legs (so that I could actually pedal), today, I made some good progress. Seriously; it just happened:
I got on the bike, gave myself a boost and started pedaling and..pedaling...and... pedaling and OMG!, I was still on and I was not falling. (Actually, the moment I realized what was happening, I lost my balance and just stopped (no, I did not fell) at the side.) But this was no glitch. It happened again... and again... and again.
O.K., there are still many things to master, like:

• Actually going straight. Though I try to keep myself on a straight path, I still get a feeling of loss of balance. The good news is that I am compensating with the wheel, so I do not fall (at least most of the times). The bad news is that for the external observer I look like I am drunk!
• Turning. It is just tough. I know that is more balance than steering, but I really need a lot of work on that.
• Pedaling on the grass. and/or uphill. I just can't do that. I either have to get the hand of playing with the gears, or my legs are two weak and I need this:
  
  
• Confidence!! Right now there is just no way I will pedal on a street (you know with cars etc.)

Many thanks to my friends Panayioti and Nora who, not only provided the bike (I am actually thinking of getting one now; after all,that was the whole point from the beginning) but they provided crucial support and advice. Panayotis also took some videos of me and when I get them, I might post them so that you do not think that I am kidding you...

Yes, definitely a good day!!

World Cup disappointment....

I just can't believe it. Brazil is out of the finals, beaten 0-1 by France!

Rumor has it that France, mainly because of Zinedine Zidane, played much better than a (once again) disappointing Brazilian team.

As a true fan of Latin-style football (that is "soccer" for my friends of North America origin), I can't imagine what type of World Cup finals we will get, without at least one representative of this "school" of football like Brazil, or Argentina.
This is the first time since 1982 the World Cup turns to a European affair because all the teams which qualified to the finals are from Europe,namely France, Portugal, Germany and Italy.
With these four teams remaining, I guess a final match between France and Germany (they are the hosts and the play well too!) is likely but again, nothing is certain at this point.
In a way this will make the finals very interesting; I just hope no matter whatever team makes it to the final, that it is going to be as spectacular and productive (in goals achieved) as a World Cup final should be...

Happy Canada day!!!

Happy Canada Day to all!
Joyeuse fête du Canada à tous/toutes