So i finished my exams, with a two weeks delay because of strikes and various problems , which caused a little nervous breakdown to all the students..
Anyway, i'm back to reality so i have a lot to catch up here! I saw the first two episodes of ER and i'm glad this show seems to be really good again!
Glad to see you all

PS. only 6 days for London !! Yeeee!

I guess the period i was so afraid of has come.. Ahead of me is a series of 6-course exams and all that in 14 days.. I cannot even think that almost every day i will have to pass an exam, study all night long , disappear from everyone and everything, do practically nothing but studying and reading notes... These are the days of September i tend to dislike since my early university days and nothing seems to have changed in my master days !
I have to think no matter how difficult and stressful it might be, on September 21st i will be free again and will have a London trip to plan

I will try to catch up a little with tv.com ,when resting or needing a break.. Take care you all

Or else, David vs Goliath.. In some hours our national basketball team faces the Dream Team in Munsobasket semifinal .. The best defense meets the best attack, so that must be really interesting.. I don't expect us to win of course, but i just want to enjoy a good game and hope for a small miracle
Ok it is a big success that a country of 11 millions has reached the best 4 teams of the world,but we can always want something more
So..let's see..

All my submissions were accepted the same day so now i'm the new editor for "our" Melina Kanakaredes of CSI N.Y. and the wonderful Marlee Matlin of West Wing and The Children of a Lesser God.
So a new hat is added in my icons

I just reached level 11 , so i'm a Red shirted Lt
And i hot a hat for being trusted contributor on Jennifer Beals ! I love my new icons !

I guess this is my fav time in Athens.. Tomorrow is the biggest religious holiday - 15th of August is for the Eastern Orthodox Church the Dormition of the Theotokos (Theotokos in greek means the one who gave birth to God) - so all the Athenians find this a great excuse to prolong , or even start their summer holidays..
This is great. It's the only time of the year our city is so quiet , so empty ,so nice. No traffic,,no noise, no hurry ,public transport is on time and empty.. It is funny that today i was walking on the street even on main avenues and there seemed to be no cars at all!
I wish it could stay like this for some months, it so lovely !
I think its time to leave the library and head for an afternoon coffee under the Acropolis .. Even the notorious Athenian heat seems to be more tolerable these days

Time has come at last! Holidays ahead and i must start packing. We are going to spend our vacation sailing in the Ionian Sea, we shall anchor mostly in Kerkyra (known as Corfu in Europe)and sail to Paxoi and perhaps Croatia - it is sooo close..
The Ionian sea - our natural border with Italy - is a gorgeous sea,the water has this beautiful zapphire colour, the beaches are great , the scenery is magic for holidays..The weather seems to be ideal for sailing in this period,just a mild wind, so all we have to do is have fun

This is a photo from Corfu



and Paxoi



See you in 10 days!

Last night it was an amazing event. Shakira live in the Athens Olympic Stadium , with 40000 people dancing,singing ,screaming and belauding this incredibly gorgeous woman, who sang anda danced barefoot . I never thought i would like her that much live - i have only been an "Objection" fan - but now i'm officially a Shakira fan.. Perhaps the combination of Colombia-Lebanon and Spain has created this talented woman. Great voice,AMAZING movement and latin -eastern spirit. What i liked the most is that she was so sympathetic,lovely and warm towards her crowd, commenting on the songs and the way these were written talking much and calling the spectators to have fun.Not snob or obnoxious at all.
Before the concert ,during her press conference she spoke about her country,Lebanon,asking the US leaders to stop the war.

In one word: GREAT!

Ok..Only one hour to go for the grand final.. And i can say just this... ALLEZ LES BLEUS!!!
Alhtough i like the Italian Team I 'm a big Zidane fan .. so i just hope that his swan song will be combined with the World Cup and the golden Ball!
Time to see a nice match !

29. La double vie de Véronique

a fascinating film about the mystery of life and its secrets.. A great Kieslowski moment

28 To Meteoro vima tou pelargou – the suspended step of the stork

A great moment of “our” Theo Angelopoulos, a revealing and symbolic film, with a wonderful soundtrack.

27. Farinelli

Tha amazing story of the Farinelli the Castrato, a wonderful amusing and fascinating film.

26. Farewell My Concubine

An intense film, a ravishing story.

25. The Lucky joy club

touching, touching, touching.. I cried for hours after seeing it.. A story about mothers and daughters..

24. Equus

A wonderful psychological drama, with an intriguing screenplay and unforgettable performances

23. The exorcist

Not much to say. Classic, sublime, “possessing” .

22. Requiem for a dream

A film I hate to love, or vice versa. I was deeply depressed after watching it and absolutely in love with it.

21. Amelie

A feel good and touching movie. Absolutely memorable as is the - great -soundtrack.

20. Dracula

Excellent and brilliant adaptation of the book, very romantic and poetic for its kind. Oldman is by far the best Dracula ever.

19. The House of the spirits

Spiritual, inspiring, intellectual. An excellent adaptation of a wonderful novel.

18. V for Vendetta

The recent surprise . Incredible , fascinating, a film about ideologies and utopias. Different and charming.

17. When night is falling.

A poetic , sensual film about two women falling in love. It’s tender, it’s touching, it’s certainly one of the most sensitive Canadian films.

16. Politiki kouzina – A touch of Spice
History lesson through cooking and eating, two beloved sports for the Greeks. Wonderful ,warm and moving film, with beautiful music.

15. Indochine

A dream like film, beautiful , seductive , enthralling .. Deneuve is magnetic.

14. Se7en

A real must see, a thriller that wrote history with its pervert and brilliant story. Great.

13. The Talented Mr Ripley

Dark, amoral , but charming like Mr Ripley ,the film is stunning and memorable.. I loved the way I was drawn in its atmosphere and still do each time I watch it.

12. Phaedra

Jules Dassin relived the Greek tragedy of Phaedra , a woman who dies because of her passion for her step son , Ippolytos.. Touching, passionate, and classically elegant.. An elegy for passion.

11. Moulin Rouge

Funny, original, romantic I loved it for its genuineness and the wonderful song remakes. The Tango to Roxanne sequence is exceptional.

10. Aberdeen

A dark, heart wrenching road movie, a low budget film ,wrongly ignored. It has overall great performances but Lena Heady is absolutely outstanding. And dangerously Gorgeous!

9.In the mood for love

Poetic, fine as a painting, slow as a romantic dance.. A film one must let himself enjoy and adore.

8. The silence of the lambs.

It’s creepy, it’s exciting, it’s fascinating , it’s charming.. Like Hannibal.. Great performances, great atmosphere.

7.American History X

A controversial film, yet powerful , violent and staggering.

6. Breaking the waves

The first film in my cinema history that left me speechless with its power , its madness, its symbolism. Watson’s performance is one of the best I have ever seen

5. Todo Sobre mi madre – all about my mother

Great story from a great storyteller. Almodovar creates marginal characters one can only love or hate.. It is fascinating, it is touching, it is a film experience.

4.The Godfather Trilogy

The one and only Trilogy in the history of cinema that includes equivalent films . It is impressive ,imposing, it’s monumental. It’s a masterpiece.. A little to say about this unrepeatable soundtrack.. Wonderful

3. The hours

I cannot even describe how much I love this film. Tragic, depressing but yet hopeful.. Someone said it is the despair itself. And maybe it is.. But it’s a charming despair.

2. The English Patient

A poetic film, revealing for the power of love and desire, wonderful music, wonderful cinematography.. Touching, sensitive and heart breaking.

1 The age of innocence

A film about inhibitions, breaking rules, choosing a life that doesn’t accept compromises .. A film almost like a painting, a masterpiece rather ignored, with secret admirers and fans.. I can never see it without having that lump in the throat.. Wonderful.

In reverse order my all time fav films. Until now. The order is strictly personal, perhaps someone may find strange that a particular film is higher than else , but I guess that is what personal taste does.

50-30

50. A streetcar named desire

A notorious play, great performances and a heroine to adore: Blanche Dubois.

49. La belle du jour.

The film that made Deneuve internationally famous, memorable and unique as a good Bunuel film about dream and reality.

48. Rebecca

One of the greatest Hitchcock’s films, which justifies his title as Master of suspense.

47. Rosemary’s baby

One of the most breath taking paranormal films, graphic and unique, with an haunting Mia Farrow.

46. The Big Blue

A rather personal favorite, because of the wonderful cinematography and the scenes shooted in my island of origin, Amorgos.

45. Before Sunrise – Before Sunset

A unique case..two films as one, one story we have lived or would love to experience.. Great scenario, great dialogues.

44. America America

A film about a painful time in Greek History, a film about the dreams many Greeks had as young people in a hostile country . Great music, great film.

43. The Shawshank Redemption

A moving film about the power of human belief , friendship and will.. A film one must see.

42. The Last emperor

The story of the final Emperor of China, colorful and exceptional.

41. Schindler’s List

A beautiful touching film, perhaps the best work Spielberg has ever done. Unforgettable moment in cinema’s history.

40. Citizen Cane

The biggest political comment in cinema, a triumph for the American cinema, perhaps the most noble and influential film ever made.

39. Amadeus

An amusing film about the rivalry between the biggest composer -- IMO – Mozart and Salieri , with a bright protagonist and brilliant performances.

38. The colour purple

A very moving and sensitive film , a great political comment about the place women had last century.

37. Murder on the Orient Express

One of Agatha Christie’s finest moments in a film with an unbelievable great cast, an all-star film we never enjoy these days. Amusing and thrilling at the same time , set in a wonderful trip from Constantinople to Paris.

36. Never on Sunday – Pote tin Kyriaki


A Greek comedy with the woman myth of Greece , Melina Merkouri , pleasant and nostalgic for a beautiful period which belongs to the past.Manos Hadjidakis won the Oscar for best Original Song and created a much loved soundtrack .

35. Les Triplettes de Belleville
Impressive, surprisingly dark and bizarre, absolutely charming , a unique moment in animation films. Great, great music.

34. The Remains of a day.
A film that approaches perfection, in performances, cinematography, direction, costumes, screenplay. It’s one of the “we don’t see these films nowadays.» Very sensitive and fine film.

33.Stella

Stella is the symbol of independence and emancipation of woman in a time that none of these were accepted. Great film, great performances, Melina Merkouri was ravishing. This is the film that created the myth about her.

32 Dolls by Takeshi Kitano

Emotional, beautiful, aesthetically perfect.

31 Madalena

A very touching Greek film of the 60s , a classic film , with wonderful music and a very moving theme.

30. Dangerous Liaisons

Charmingly corrupted, amoral but brilliant. The ending scene is one of the best created scenes in cinema. Perfect.

...who are cruel to animals..I don't get it!
Why does a person hit, kill or torture little animals.?? What is it ? Exhibition of total power? Lack of respect for nature's creatures? Lack of feelings? All of it? It makes me mad really..
Some days ago we got off home .. and as we were walking a newborn kitty landed in front of us,in the middle of the road.. Someone had kicked it off a balcony high enough to kill it! I could have slaped him if i could reach him.. Violence is something not accepted by me, but i felt so angry,so furious ! I understand that he might not wanted it,but that is certainly not the way to get rid of it! Luckily it was not killed..and now we have adopted it and it is safe , but a bit scared.. Her name is Norma ( from the opera..)

I tend to believe that people who don't love themselves are incapable of loving any other creature.. human or not.  Perhaps it's just a matter of culture and sensitivity.I don't know. I just can't stand it. There should be more strict laws about violence towards animals. And people should learn to respect the other beings, no matter how defendless they might be.
Or perhaps i'm asking too much.

I think that no matter how many years will pass, i will always be somehow nervous and afraid of the first day at work..when everyone looks at you tentantively, not knowing what to expect from you.. When you have to meet so many new people , when all this is a new experience..I hate the feeling " ok it's my first day at work you don't have to remind that to me all the time!"
It's a brand new job.. competitive and demanding.. and i just feel so not ready.. i guess that is how everyone feels before starting.
That too shall pass i guess;In a month i will be more calm .
So ..tomorrow is the big day..

The blog of a 24y.o. Iraqui girl is nominated for the Litterature Award Samuel Johnson Prize-BBC Four .
In August 2003,only five months after the invasion of the Americans to Iraq the world gained access to this remarkable new voice . Calling herself Riverbend, she offered searing eyewitness accounts of the everyday realities on the ground, punctuated by astute analysis on the politics behind these events.
She focuses especially on the fate of women, whose rights and freedoms have fallen victim to rising fundamentalisms in a chaotic post-war society.
The blog is also the Third prize winner of the Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage.

http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

This morning i decided to review and arrange my photo gallery .. I found my photos from my trips.. moments half-remembered or these escaping my memory .. and moments much appreciated and nostalgic..
I love photography..perhaps because it fills a creative void i have somewhere on the back of my mind.. I love the fact that it can stop the ravages of time, overcome the rational part of our mind and become something between a dream and memory.
It fascinates me being able to combine two of my beloved hobbies : travelling and photography..
These are two of my favorites photos from the Carnival of venice in 2002.

In Sark Eserleri Muzesi ,in Constantinople lies a small exhibit ,number 2456 , unearthed in the late 1880's in Nippur, a region in what is now Iraq : the oldest love poem in the world.. It's from Babylon and it's dated about 2037 b.C.

..translated in english..

Bridegroom, dear to my heart,
Goodly is you beauty, honeysweet,
Lion, dear to my heart,
You have captivated me,
let me stand tremblingly before you.
Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber..

Lion, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber.
Bridegroom, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savoury than honey and milk ,
In the bedchamber, honey-filled,
Let me enjoy your goodly beauty,
Lion, let me caress you,

Bridegroom, you have taken your pleasure of me,
Tell my mother, she will give you delicacies,
My father, he will give you gifts.
Your spirit, I know where to cheer your spirit,
Bridegroom, sleep in our house until dawn,
Your heart, I know where to gladden your heart,
Lion, sleep in our house until dawn.
You, because you love me,
Give me pray of your caresses,
My lord god, my lord protector,
My Shu-Sin, who gladdens Enlil's heart,
Give my pray of your caresses.
Your place goodly as honey, pray lay (your) hand on it,
Bring (your) hand over like a gishban-garment,
Cup (your) hand over it like a gishban-sikin-garment.

..are definately not enough for me..
Today i managed to do two things i've been wanting for some time now.. and that are going to reduce dramatically my free time.. Or is that my free time?

Fisrtly I completed my registration to the hellenic Fencing club , so saturday i'm having my first fencing lesson!! four hours per week..not bad! I'm really excited about it,although my friends started calling me zorro!
What i like about classical fencing is what is described inm Harvard's dictionary " classical fencing strives toward a particular ideal of "poise, balance, proportion, simplicity, formal discipline, craftmanship, and universal and objective (rather than idiosyncratic and subjective) expression".

And the second thing that happened today is that me and my partner received our membership approval from the Hellenic equestrian club ! So we are able to go three times a week (or 6 hours a week ) and have riding lessons in the Olympic Equestrian Centre . Wonderful! It's funny that these things happened both today..
It made me feel very athletic this morning!

I just realized that my programm in a month will be insupportable.. three major projects and essays until the end of April.. Two series of exams,one on May the other on June.. I cannot even think about it..Why did i see it?I prefered my ignorance on the exact dates!
Both my recent travel and the upcoming one have totally disorganised me and disrupted my usual discipline ; i feel so lazy and absentminded.. as if it's not me..
I cannot even concentrate on doing some simpl jobs and essays ! should i panic, or leave it for later? OMG i cannot even panic!
Anyway..until then i only have to think my upcoming trip on 14th.. I 'll go for two days to thessaloniki to attend the 8th International Documentary Festival-or at least some of it - which starts tomorrow..
It is funny how i can find time to watch films,go to the festival in a city 600km from here,but i cannot bring my mind to bear on my university duties..
Perhaps it's what i keep on saying these days...It's me after all..