Tram Blog

Siting in the tram, writing a blog can only mean one thing... That is right, my new


iPhone finally arrived a couple of days ago and I am apsolutely delighted and best of all, it is the brand new 3Gs model with all the edge technologies and new functions, it is just running clockwork!
The only reason why I couldn't dedicate much time lately to my writing is due to the fact I have none spare time whatsoever! My whole day is distributed between work and more work for the broking licence exam due in two weeks!
I am just looking forward finishing this chapter so I can again start moving on a steady pace.
Here is one picture I've taken with my new phone, just to make the post less dull and more colorfull. It is the view from the balcony in my new flat, nice huh?

Great Friends and Resolving Problems

Even thought the previous day started in a hectic manner with a great deal of frustration, unhappiness and the general impression that I made a seriously bad choice with my dwelling, as the day came to an end things started to improve. A big contribution to this is Ms Demi, who I already consider a big friend here, who took me to this big supermarket, just above my house, of which existence I didn't have the slightest clue. We made the grocery shopping together and had a great time. By the end of it, as a moving in gift, she gave me two selections of ne of the best cheeses I have ever had, an astonishing combination with the red wine I bought for the dinner party I had last night for my two Croatian friends.
The night went perfectly and they really seemed to enjoy the food I prepared. A classic Greek salad along with a plate of feta cheese and salmon, and for the main dish, spaghetti with tomatoes, anchovies, olives and capers. We accompanied all of this with two great choices of red wine, one I bought in the store and one they brought from their boat owner's wine cellar in the yacht. Both of them were of similar sort and taste so they really went perfect together. For desert, my favorite and only sweet they managed to guess, apple pie, bringing the enjoyable night to its proper end, soon after which I trembled to bed for this hectic day drained all of my energy and so, I needed to recharge my batteries.

It is just relaxation today, with a possible period dedicated to studying Insurance in the afternoon. The landlord came in to see the house, and agreed to fix every problem I noted needs his attention which gave an feeling of optimism and hope for the days ahead, and made me think that my choice was right after all.

Raining Cats and Dogs

These couple of days were just hectic and this is actually the first couple of hours I have for myself since I moved in my new home. I was just caught up in work, moving, events and all sorts of things and am really thankful its Saturday, even though it did not start as it should have.
I was awaken by heavy rain, and the realization that my house roof doesn't have a gutter around the edges and that all the water is just pouring of the rooftop on the balcony. Considering I like to have fresh air during the night, I remembered that I should probably close windows not to let water in. To late unfortunately, for water has already started getting in. Not too much, bet enough for me to get the mop and not let the wooden floor souk it up. As I went to the kitchen, I came to the realization that the balcony was over flooded, and that water started poring in the living room. Seconds passed and the whole floor of the living room was flooded with water, the bedroom as well and the rains intensity just increased. Soon water was dripping even from the living room wooden ceiling, which made me so pissed that you can't imagine it. I called the landlord and told him about the problem. He sad that he will be here, but was caught up with other problems in his other house, where apparently water over-flooded the whole surface of the house. Considering I don't pay fucking 700 Euro for that one, I really don't give a shit. Somethings need to be resolved here if I want to continue living here. I am slowly getting sick and tired of all the problems around my stay in Athens, and if things continue to be this way, will have to make drastic measures.

Last Post From Daskaroli

It has finally come true, I am moving out today out of Daskaroli Str. and into my new Penthouse in St. Nikolaus street 110. To be quite honest, nothing is packed yet for I had no time at all last night considering I was having a meeting with Stefanos and the landlord after work , after which came the grocery shopping and going to the gym.
I am not quite sure how I am going to resolve all of this after work but hopefully I'll get a chance to get out of work a bit earlier in order to pack my stuff and be in Mr Georges house by 7pm.
Still need to call him today and see how things are progressing, considering the whole apartment needs a bit of cleaning and freshening up, even though I am very eager to move out today if it takes sleeping on the couch, which might be significantly more comfortable than my current bed. I also need to inform him of the new developments regarding the lease contract, which I got informed last night will be in my name, and not the companies due to the lesser amount stated in.
This is a bit bothersome to me for it makes me exposed and not being flexible to leave if it comes to it, or in the case Stefanos decides to cancel the project. Then I would be obliged to pay the rent until the end of the lease. Another thing is paying each month in cash, which slightly worries me. Anyway, I will see to it today and try to come up with the best possible solution.

Pasta di Ragusa

I have been kind of lagging behind this weekend when it comes to posting blogs but making up for it by freezing my ass off on a Monday morning and trying to resume what was going on.
The weekend had a pasta note throughout it and that fact didn't bother me at all for it is my favorite dish. Apart from making it myself both on Saturday and Sunday for lunch, the dinner I had with my Croatian friends from the marina was taking place in a lovely small Italian restaurant just by the Irish pub I frequent. It is even more enchanting because the fact that the name of the place is Pasta di Ragusa, Ragusa being the Latin name for Dubrovnik. It is a very petite six or seven table restaurant, without much space, but very charming nonetheless. Even though the street it is located is not that particularly nice, they manage to create a very enjoyable and homely environment with the wooden floor and the tall green bushes surrounding the place. It is just the kind of place I like to go out for dinner, with one word, charming. The most important part of it is definitely food, and considering it is a family owned restaurant where they make their own fresh pasta with very simple recipes with only the freshest ingredients, it is the formula for success.
My Gorgonzola and fresh tomato tortellini were superb, with a margarita pizza appetizer and a couple of bottles of Italian pinot grigio made the whole experience complete. I will definitely find my way back there very soon.

It is always sunny in Philadelphia

The second episode of my favorite tv show is being downloaded and I am absolutely impatient to see what the Gang is up to next. I am in my usual Saturday morning spot, drinking the best Freddos and surfing the cyberspace. The day hasn't reached its mean and yet so much stuff happened already.
What I planned to do today, considering I got information from my girl friend in the Gym about an apartment being available in Glyfada center, is call on the number I was given generously and see to it that I made a right choice with Mr. George's apartment, for I have a general conclusion that all the apartments in my price range are crap. Contradictory to my belief, this one was quite decent, and even though I was negotiating the price not to be above 700 EURO in total costs, the monthly rent for this particular one would be probably a hundred Euro less than the one I decided to go for.
That doesn't mean I changed my mind, but I considered it if the price would be favorable and that is EURO 700 in total, which would also prolong my moving out to another date, for this apartment would need furnishing and electrical appliance installation.

I am just bewildered that finally, after spending 4 months in a crappy place, my dwelling is going to be a cozy, livable and decent place and not a dump nut suitable even for a student. Some further details about this rent and incomprehensible price along with murky landlord relations and bank accounts came to light, and things are starting to make sense, but I am not comfortable with making prejudice and assumptions, although I will be more cautious around certain people for they lost my trust for good.

My New Sony Vaio

Due to the fact that my last laptop, also a Sony Vaio mobile model is on the verge of becoming deceased and working on a very slow pace, Stefanos decided to give me his brand new Vaio he recently got from one of his business partners.

My new laptop is unfortunately not a Apple MacBook, but is the closest thing to it, it's only downside is having Windows OS. The design of the Vaio, along with power and performance is astonishing. It is a a mat black piece of beauty with a keyboard similar to the one used on mac's, with aluminum parts and slight lines of neon green lights on just the right spots. I am completely satisfied with it and know is going to be put in good use.

Anyway, I believe this is just a temporary solution because the new company I am going to run in Croatia is going to be based on the Apple OS and fully integrated with Apple technology, so it is just a matter of time before I strt working on my brand new Apple MacBook Pro, a gadget worth aspiring for.

Orthodox Priest Landlords give me the Heebeegeebees

The day was going yesterday in such a great manner that success at the end of it was bound to happen. I got my hopes up so much about finally finding an apartment that there was no stopping my joy. It all kind of crashed in my face after having the meetings with my new real estate agent and the places we went to search.
The first place was just a couple of minutes from my current residence, positioned just below Vouliagmeni Ave. in what seemed the second floor of a family house. It wasn't so bad when I gave it the first sight after a kind of spineless and creepy young bloke opened the door for us. Big balcony, nice small kitchen extended to the living room. The bathroom was quite poor quality with the worse shower I seen so far and and a very low ceiling. The surprise and shock was going downstairs to meet the landlord who apparently is a Orthodox Priest. I was petrified by his reddish alcohol driven face, his black beard, furniture in his living room and ornaments, pictures, painting and all the religious gibberish and kitsch surrounding his palace. It was a definite no no!

The second place was about sixty meters from my petit penthouse on the ground floor of what seemed a very old building. The landlady appeared descending from the main hall stairs and seemed to be the similar age with the house.
The problem about this place is that it was very big and because of this very costly. By entering you immediately got that damp smell of mold and old furniture, which was abundant and asking whether we can dispose of it and bring new furniture, we received a negative answer putting another no on the offer. Well, the place was kind of big and with some amendments it would have looked nice, but the kitchen was not amendable whatsoever and it was exactly the kitchen that made me refuse this with a definite decision. I am a cook and I need my kitchen to be modest.

Five Minute Post. One, two, one, two three!!!

What a nice morning in Glyfada. I kick started the day with a short jog in the athletics court in the neighborhood, after which I had to pick up my pants from the dry cleaners. I have a pretty good feeling about this day for I had made friends a couple of days ago, actually last Friday to be exact with a Croatian captain in the marina I work for and after having coffee yesterday we started talking about accommodation.
He is also looking for a place in Glyfada and was kind enough to provide me with the number of his real estate agent his Company pays for. After making the call and explaining the kind of dwelling I am looking for, next thing you know, she is calling me back saying she has an appointment for me 50 meters from my current location for a 60 meter square apartment in my price range.
Hopefully something is going to come up from it today for I am starting to loose my patience and am very much at the edge.

Teenage Bottle Rocket

I got my hands today on the new Teenage Bottle Rockets album along with Strike Anywhere's Iron Front. Both wicked bands, both of the albums expected to be perfect. My presumptions proved right and I don't think I'll be letting these punk rock gems out of my earplugs for the next couple of months.
Getting the albums was probably the only good thing about this day, for everything else was very pain striking and depressing, the peak of depression being the work atmosphere which shaped my mood and ruined the day.
I didn't have much luck with searching for my new apartment and am starting to loose faith, none of my colleagues giving the slightest effort to help get this over with. I am really not sure how much longer I can take this, especially considering I have to start studying for my exam next month, and frankly I don't see this happening in my current accommodation

Asian Dub Foundation

If this was supposed to be a relaxing and tranquil weekend to recharge batteries from the trip to Croatia, then I was terribly wrong going to a semi punk show in Gagarin 205. I am still recuperating from a wicked night of good fun fast and loud music, astonishingly good draft Heineken and extravagant quantities of vodka. Bottom line, sleeping on stage during one of the best preforming live bands, being asked by the vocalist whether I had a good nap, fleeing home ashamedly before the show ended, hitching a cab and waking up with a bad headache and excruciating hungover, depleted of 75 Euro, a couple slices of pita bread and half an avocado. Well that is what you get when you overdo it.
I finally managed to get a grip and am writing my final lines and listening Alkaline Trio on the balcony before I drop on the bed and start a fresh week tomorrow.

I learned another important thing today. If you say you were going to write something in a blog at a later stage, you never get to do it, so I am going to save me the effort for next time and just not write anything for I know it is going to be a lie.

Utter Exhaustion

So much happened these last couple of days that there really wasn't any time at all to write at least a glimpse of what was going on. All this travels and activities resulted in one of the worst tiredness I ever experienced, even though I slept in my own beds which are indescribably better than the one I have here, if you can call this a bed at all. Never have I experienced such a grave fatigue and guess need the weekend to rest and charge my batteries.

No doubt that I will revert with the things going on and things that will take place from the latest developments, but now I just feel I need to go to sleep. ZZZzzz

A Desperate Housewife

Finally a moment of rest today with my favorite Freddo and Orange juice, after the whole morning spent cleaning, ironing piles of clothes and shirts and packing for my trip. I had a good night sleep but feel wretched now. I am especially aggravated on the fact that all the time during the ironing I thought the air conditioning was on, but instead it was just blowing hot air, so I just got sweaty and furious.
Most of the things are packed and now I am just waiting for an appropriate hour to depart and start looking for a cab to the airport hoping those god damn bastards driving the taxi won't try to rip me off as always.
I wish I got more prepared for the meeting tonight and will definitely try to revise the most important facts about the company I work for and I am sure that Stefanos will give me some advice and pointers so there is no need for panic.

A Tirp Back Home

Saturday morning, and as always, I find myself in Starbucks drinking my favorite coffee in addition with something new I came across today, freshly squeezed orange juice.
I made a stupid mistake of not bringing mu free wireless card with me, but fortunately for me and not Starbucks, they managed to double debit my Starbucks card with 20 Euro, so my balance now is approx. 35 and was able to afford myself the prepaid internet card with 4 hours of surfing time. They are big boys and considering I spend some 30 Euro on a weekly basis in their shop, think they'll be able to surpass this.

Besides this, I have a small hangover from last night, but nothing too unbearable for I had only a couple of pints of the old black stuff last night in the Irish pub. Not a very good turnout because I was hoping to meet some girls and ended up going home alone around midnight half-ass drunk.
This Greek girl I met last week promised me coffee today so I am waiting to hear form her.

I have a lot of cleaning up and packing today and tomorrow morning, my flight to Croatia departing 5PM Sunday. I am going with Stefanos, and starting tomorrow night, we have meetings through the three days of our stay, but I am sure will be able to spend some time with my family and friends.

My company laptop is going dead on me and I desperately need a new one. Unfortunately, I won't be getting the new Vaio I was talking about, but Stefanos promised me, considering he is thinking of buying himself a new Macbook Pro, to give me his own Mac to use, which would be terrific, but I am still going to mention to ma parents the idea of buying my own personal mac now that my old laptop perished.

Calling all Skeletons

Listening to Alkaline trio and drinking coffee on my terrace is a pretty cool way to start the morning. I am all set for my trip to Croatia on Sunday and am quite excited, but afraid it is going to be a bit stretched and I won't be able to see all my friends, especially the once in Zadar who are all expecting me to go out for a beer. I am a bit dumbfounded that I didn't arrange for me to travel on Friday so I can get the most out of this trip and spend the first two days with my friends and family. I guess this solution is also pleasing for I will be able to spend more time with Stefanos and discuss business. I love being in his presence for you can learn a lot from it.
Hopefully I will be able at least to spend some time with my family and possibly visit my grandma. My friend Ena is making me sushi on Tuesday night along with her famous Cheese cake, of which blogs have already been written, and I truly hope I will make it. Would love to see all of them in one place considering the scarce time I'll have.

Apple

I am considering buying a Mac book for myself now that my old laptop has reached its age limit and became obsolete, not to mention that I managed to chrash the screen by letting it free fall from the ironing board and at a later stage giving it a punch and further blurring the screen. The current visibility is at one fifth, due to the spilling of Christal liquids.
I always wanted an Apple notebook and the new MacBook Pro model is absolutely perfect for my needs, plus the whole company is going to be integrated on the Mac system so I might as well preempt them buying me a new one. My current Sony Vaio is very poor quality and is starting to deteriorate with a quick pace, but the good news is that Stefanos has a brand new Viao model he doesn't use and he is willing to let me use it for the time being.
The only thing now is that I need to find somebody going to the US for the prices there are substantially cheaper and there is a big likelihood finding a suitable Mac for just under one thousand Euro. I also need to negotiate this with my parents who will be helping me with this.

I will be leaving for work a bit sooner today since I have a Starbucks craving, and there is a little one just above the tram station. Gotta charge my Starbucks card with 20 Euro so I can get a free drink. Either way I will end up spending all of it by the time I got to Croatia. Another thing, I have to finish the first part of the Business Plan for Croatia today and present it to Stefanos tomorrow. It is going to be a challenge but I will do my best.

Fatigue

The excruciating sound of my blackberry alarm clock forced me to open my eyes and with it started the feeling of the utmost tiredness and discomfort. I was like somebody was beating me with a baseball bat all night long just to stop at the moment of awakening, and the uneasiness continued trough the day, no matter how many coffees I drank having a substantial impact on the concentration and productiveness at work. I just couldn't wait for the day to be over.
My guess is that the cause of it all lies in the bed, which is by far the most uncomfortable bed I ever slept on, and I've been sleeping on it for the past 3 months. Did I mention that it is also very petite and missing at least 5 inches in order for me to stretch fully. Fortunately, Stefanos promised me we would go to Ikea next week and by me a new appropriate bed, even if I by this time don't find a new dwelling.

Considering I wasn't capable going to the gym yesterday, I forced myself today and ended up having a good training, but now I think I'll just go to bed for I am dead. I was invited to a birthday party of my neighbors daughter just the apartment below me, and even though I still hear the party is on, fell that I could not stand on my feet for the next 2 hours and eat my face with pastry and drink beer. I am way to tired.

Surfing Glyfada

Nothing much happened today at work, counting out the fact that I was a dead beat for sleeping 5 hours at most, in the most uncomfortable bed on the planet, which apparently became a water bed during my time at work, as part of a not so pleasant surprise once I arrived from work.
The cloudy afternoon in Marina Flisvos was a sign of bad whether coming but who would have thought that Glyfada was under poring rain. Not the best day to leave my window above the bead open. End result, half of the mattress along with most of the floor under the bead and the air conditioning remote, soaked wet... Not to mention the tent on my terrace which after draining it produced a water slope of 30 liters of water turning in to a wave big enoug to surf over the balcony gutter, splashing from 5 stories on the concrete below. Luckily, there was nobody there at that very moment.

Guess I have to congratulate my self for reaching the 100 posts threshold today after 3 years from my first blog post. Great achievement, and will continue with the same passion and dedication as before, if not even more now. Looking forward to the next 100.

Le Basterds

To cut the long story short, since it is already Monday morning and son I have to be found rushing towards the Glyfada tram line to go to work, yesterday afternoon while riding my longboard to go to play some basketball I stumbled upon one of the most beautiful apartments I have ever seen. It was almost perfect, family house with one story, beautiful garden, very green, lots of balconies, nice and friendly landlords who happened to live on the ground floor, furnished and equipped, very form considering it is covered with a wooden floor and the most amazing thing of all, one of the most amazing and spacious modern kitchen I ever seen. I fell in love that very instant. The size and price of it burst my bubble and brought me crashing back into the abyss of reality. It is a 110 meter square dwelling with a reasonable price of 1000 Euro, the lady telling me she is willing to go to 900. This made me work my brain cells and try to figure out whether in case that my employer increases my budget up to 700 Euro and I negotiate for my parents to fill in the gap, I could easily be moving in by the end of next week. Unfortunately thinks did not go as planed and I guess that I have to continue searching, which now that my former colleague is on her vacation to Dubai, and she won't be back for the following two weeks, present itself as a substantial problem.
Discouraged from it, I decided for the best, to end the night singing the wild rover in the irish pub down Glyfada, which is exactly what I did. A few pints an I was as good as new...
Oh and the Inglorious Basterds, brilliant motion picture. I took the tram to Plaka to go to the Summer cinema and just as I hoped for, Tarantino's new masterpiece was on, leaving everybody in the cinema breathless. One of the most refreshing movies I seen in the last few months.

Molly Malone's

As it begun, so the day ended, pretty much in solitude and disappointment. But lets start from the beginning. After getting rejected for the alleged coffee I was supposed to have with my new so called friend, there was a moment of contempt, pride and astonishment after the fabulous and divine meal I made for lunch. The idea for recipe came after I went to the local supermarket to get some groceries. I was passing by the fish department and on one of the banquettes seen the most beautiful, fresh rosy fillets of salmon. Pure magnificence, and it cost me only 3 Euro and I am telling you, the dish I made would have cost me a small fortune in the restaurant, and if I had gotten this in any restaurant, I would have kissed the cook. It was a pasta dish, but not any kind of pasta, integral spaghetti with a fresh tomato sauce I had in store from last weekend which I finished by adding some unripe avocado. On my expensive Teflon pan, after heating it for quite some time, adding a little bit of olive oil, I gently laid the rosy salmon fillet which I pampered with nothing but mixed pepper. The sound and smell it made that very instant was beyond this world and the whole apartment was overtaken by its bewildering aroma. Due to its freshness all it needed was a minute on each side, leaving it slightly raw in the middle and at the very end adding some soy sauce for the finish. After taking it out and putting the fillet aside, the leftover greasy sauce in the pan served as the finishing touch for the tomato avocado sauce already done. |Simmering this for a few seconds and adding the al dente pasta, the dish was finished, all it needed was slices of the salmon fillet on top, and bon appetit.
I am starting to get really pissed of by not having my new I phone yet, which I was promised to receive before I went home for two weeks and for that reason given mine to my brother. I hate not being able to shoot pictures as I go along. I will have to give a note of it on Monday in office.

The rest of the day will be posted this afternoon for I am running out of wireless time and still have some things I need to check whilst online.

Starbucks

Here I am, another Saturday morning of solitude with a laptop on my lap and overflow of caffeine in my blood stream. The night was quite interesting considering I was out with two girls drinking in an Irish pub until the early hours of the next day. But I am not talking about both of my new friend from last weeks remedies, just Niki who brought along her former student, Aleka being out of town this weekend. Anna, my new acquaintance, is a very pretty girl who is a little bit younger than I am, who I believe Nikki wanted me to meet on purpose. She was very outgoing but you could feel the age difference, nonetheless I felt very attracted to her for she is very cute and I felt the bond immediately. I considered working on this and made effort soon after Nikki drove me to my house and we hugged and kissed good riddance for she is leaving to the island where she works. I sent Anna a text message once I went to bed and got nothing until today. I must have read the signals wrongly, but it is plausible considering the number of drinks I had, for I got a general rejection from her, saying she will call me for some drinks 'sometime'.
I am still thinking about inviting her for the Sunday Summer cinema in Plaka but am reluctant that the outcome is going to be positive.
Let's wait and see.

Disappointments and Redundancies

Not much luck yesterday morning in my search for a new apartment even though I had supstantial help from my college and friend Irene who was walking me trough all the places in Glyfada we circled in the realestate paper.
One of the apartments was actually situated in a quite nice and sunny area of Glyfada nut so far away from public transportation and my current residence. But some problems and inadequacies were bound to pop up, one of them being a really old and petite kitchen along with the former balcony which was transferred into an bedroom by closing it with huge windows. Very narrow, probably very hot during summer time and very cold during winter time. I imagined it furnished and it looked much nicer, and I was even willing to take it but my colleague assures me I can do better. The other place is not even worth mentioning, but in between the two places, Irene had an hairdresser appointment and asked me whether I wanted to keep her company, after which I ended up having the most expensive haircut in my entire life. At least I was not disappointed, which I feared I would be from the start, for the male hairdresser could not speak a word of English.
After the disappointing search we took a cab and went back to the office. Soon after having lunch, I found out that my friend wont be able to help me any more with looking for accommodation for she has been made redundant due to the current crisis and the company cutting on expenses stating that her spot is no longer necessary.

I was quite shocked and upset by this because I know that the things in office will not be the same without Irene. She was the one who was caring and helpful from day one when she greeted me in to the neighborhood.
As discomforting as this sounds I am starting to think of it, not as loosing a colleague, rather as gaining a friend, making my decision to find a permanent place in Glyfada even stronger.

Seeking a new dwelling

Yesterday was quite a similar da to the one before. I came back home very late, for something gent and 'unexpected' always seems to reveal itself in its entity at the last minute of working hours. After coming home, came the same routine as always, a nibble and some fruits, followed by gym exercise and almost immediate bed time.
At least I was given the morning of to search for new accommodation in the neighborhood and a colleague of mine is going to be helping me with it. I already have set up some meetings with landlord from adds we came across in the real-estate newspaper.
Although I am aiming at staying in Glyfada, I've been given the advice that Kolonaki is as interesting and vibrant and I should consider it as well. Kolonaki is a very modern part of Athens situated at the very center of it, just above Syntagma, which is practically the central station of Athens. The benefits of Kolonaki are that it is even closer to the office, my colleague lives in the same area, and contrary to Glyfada becoming a bit more quiet, some even say dead place during winter time, Kolonaki is as lively as ever with all sorts of happenings trough the season. The sad part is that it has no greenery and considering it is the center of town, no peace and quiet whatsoever.

I am confident that something will come up and I will have more to work with after today's round. I desperately need to find something in the next 10 days for I need to start studying soon for my broking exam.

The Morning Pleasures

The sweat pleasure of having breakfast on the terrace, probably the most enjoyable thirty minutes of the day, especially on a nice and clear day such as this. Over the dozens of building blocks in front of my bachelors penthouse sweet I can actually see the blue water line and a pattern of the Greek Island coast line, hundreds of ferry boats and pleasure yachts seizing the channel.

Last night, I was feeling weary for it has been 12 hours from the time I left my home, till I came back, something unxespected always occuring in the last minute so I had to stay a good hour later than expected. I guess this is the nature of the job. All in all the day was quite invigorating and exciting for beside my regular Greek activities, I am involved with my own Croatian company project and all the preparation work ti start an office. I fear this following month is going to be quite exhausting and stressful for besides all of this I have to prepare for my broking exam to become a licensed broker and by the time I start studying, which has to be soon, I would have already had to find a replacement for my current dwelling. This I am fortunately going to start searching for today and luckaly find something by the end of this week.

Terrace Blogging

Just got back from the Gym, had a nice shower, sat on the terrace to see the new developments on the internet and remembered that I started writing my blog again, the terrace being the only place where my little Sony Vaio is in range for free wireless. Come to think of it, there is really no need to buy Broadband if things continue to be the way they are. I should probably bare in mind the fact that I am moving as soon as something comes up and it should, for starting tomorrow, I am determined to find a new roof above my head and have my colleagues who promised to help with the foreign language and alphabet, none of which I seem to cope with yet.

Taking a look at the balance of my Piraeus bank savings account left me dumbfounded for I had no idea I had so little money and so much time more to spread it until the next paycheck. Murphy law coming in place at the best possible time, the fact being some unexpected expenditures must occur in the next few days. I will need to plan my budget very carefully not to be left broke. So much for the first savings for my new Burton snowboard this season. I will have to be more efficient next month.

Ending the weekend with Catch22

As I neglected my blog for such a vast period of time I feel obliged to post at lest one more blog as proof of determination to the decision to be more frequent.

The short but colorful weekend is just about to come to an end, and after watching the first 15 minutes of Vin Diesel's Babylon A.D. decided to stop and finish the night with a roller coaster ride of a book called Catch22. SO much for Vin's acting skills.

The day did not go as I intended it to go initially for I didn't have the patience to ride the tram for one hour to get to the center of Athens and find out that there is the same movie on the repertoire as last week. Instead, I decided to visit starbucks again, only this time with a good read rather than a laptop, after which I payed a visit to the basketball court to do some exercise which came in quite nice.

Tomorrow means back to work and I feel it is going to be quite an intensive and exhousting week. I have two projects I need to finish by the end of it, besides my day to day activities. One of them is preparing the three year budget for Croatia and the other is translating the company website into Croatian. Both of them are time consuming and I suppose that I will have to start coming to the office earlier and leaving a couple of hours later than usual, but I am sure the sacrifice is going to be worth the while.

I will give my best to get up earlier in the morning and go for a jog, then have a nice shower, good old fashioned breakfast and coffee on the balcony and off to work.

Did I mention that I received a call from my new friend Niki about her wanting to meet with me before going back to the island where she works...

Seldom Posts and Coffee Shops

My alleged reluctance in writing posts more frequently has come to an end. The initial period of accommodation to my new living environment is concluded and I now find myself as a fully established Athenian. The city is absolutely brilliant and the final gap in making my what is now going to be a two year stay in Greece, as comfortable as possible, friendship acquaintances ans socialization is coming to a close.

I am beginning interact with new people by the day. While, yesterday night I went out for a quick beer in my local Irish pub and ended up spending the night with two astonishing and charming Greek women, who I truly hope to stay in touch with. THe fact is they are a decade older then me but we seemed to click just like that. I am usually an introverted person when it comes to making new acquaintances, especially when there's none of that alcohol produced courage and sometimes plain stupidity. But, last night I managed to overcome my fears and shyness and just went for it, which turned out the best decision lately.

Hopefully we will end up going for a coffee sometime soon, which coincidentally, I am doing right now, alone that is. It became a routine, sort of, to come to Starbucks on weekend mornings. The alleged coffee that everybody drinks here in astonishing quantities is Freddo, which is a kind of coffee with ice. Really refreshing, so I quickly grew accustomed to it. Another reason for coming here so oftenly is the free wireless internet, for I still don't have one in my dwelling and will be moving to a bigger place soon where I will probably have a broadband connection.

A few more minutes and I will be off back to my app for lunch which was halfway prepared last night and believe is going to be delicious, for it is my famous Milanese sauce with spaghetti.
Another thing planned for today is the Sunday Summer cinema above Plaka near the Acropolis which is rolling old classics, and is very charming by itself. Just last week, they were playing Woody Allan's Sleeper and made the 7 Euro ticket worth the while. A wonderful and romantic experience. I only wish that in this time I'll be spending in Athens, there will be a chance not to go by myself and make the romantic environment worth its charm.

Athens

Dearly beloved, I am in finally in Athens Greece after a hefty negotiating and planing period. I was invited here by Cape4 a Greek company that is involved in the yachting business and is hopefully going to be my future employer in Croatia. I will be spending three months here as a trainee in order to apply the same principles and policies of doing business in the Croatian branch which I will be running presumably. The three months in Athens are going to be followed by another three in London and Paris where I will be staying in a insurance company from France called Groupama and learning the wonders of the underwriting business.

My stay here so far has been wonderful. I arrived in Greece on Wednesday and spent two days in the office so far since today is Bank holiday and I am currently not supposed to be at the office. The office is located in marina Flisvos which is a fifteen minute drive with the local transportation from my neighborhood in Glifadas. Glifadas is one of the most beautiful parts of Athens and is very safe, a fact most important to my mom. It has all the facilities I need, from a gym near by, a huge market store to an irish pub called Molly Malone's.

Everyone in the office has been very generous and heplfull, trying to make my stay here as pleasant as possible. I feel very much like at home and am realy enjoying my stay here so far.
Hope it stays like this until I go back home.

Athens

Bloggering Time

A couple of days have passed and boy did things happen... Starting Wednesday night where the decision of going or not going out for a beer could have gone both ways since the prearranged time for going out for one was around 8pm and I got a call a bit passed 10pm to leave my flat. I was on the verge of telling my friend to piss off after which I would go straight to bed, but a little voice inside my head made me go out instead. Good decision!
At the early stages of the night, I was under the impression I was only going to have one beer at the pub after we met with my friends collage buddies. I was wrong. The first beer we ordered was so tender and smooth it went down my gullet in one instant pour... The next six came in like a charm. We ended up buying more beers in a 24/7 gas pump shop and drinking them with a girl and her friend in a park. The girl seemed to fancy me and by the end of the night, the two of us ended up at my place making out, the night ending with both of us getting lucky in my bedroom. Sweet.

Next morning, we had coffee and I quite enjoyed her company so I invited her for lunch this weekend which was actually today. The only problem, it seems, is that she is starting to give me signals that she wants something more and that I am not capable of doing. Not that I don't like her, nor that I wouldn't give it a shot if we were in different circumstances, but currently the situation is much complicated and I am still not sure if I am capable of coping in an relationship, not with the prior one ending dramatically.



Well, lets move on to an different agenda happening yesterday night. My friend invited me for her famous cheese cake which was something divine. She even managed to get fresh strawberries for the topping. It was so delicious I ended up eating 3 pieces. The downside of it was that it was so full of calories from all the cheese, sugar, eggs and butter so it is not good to eat as much as I did.
I kept my promise and made sushi and this time it was splendid, the best I ever made. The difference from the previous time I made it was that there were so abundant, a full platter and a whole plate full of them, the other, cucumbers in it like in real California rolls along with avocado tofu and salmon. Gotta make that soon.

Spring in it's core essence

A totally different day has emerged and it is starting to feel like Spring. The sunshine and freshness of the air just makes you jump out of the couch and go outside. This is exactly what I am going to do. I promised a friend of mine who I am helping with a concert he is organizing in Zagreb in June, to give him a visit in his music shop. We are trying to get the band to appear on Croatians version on Good Morning America. After that I will probably go for a cup of coffee in the towns center and read the daily paper.

Regarding lunch, I already decided that I am going to prepare the leftover package of Seitan Chicken fillets with soy cream a bit of Porcino mushrooms and rice as a side dish. I have been eating Seitan for the last two days, but I simply love it and don't mind at all. I was also surprised with the shake I made in my blender after the gym. I've put in a banana and an apple with a bit of milk to keep it fluid and was overwhelmed with how good it tasted. Will have to buy more bananas though.

A Depressing Day

Quite a dull day from the beginning of it. I woke up quite early and after having breakfast I did some workout in the gym. It was quite a cloudy morning and just as I entered the gym, a pouring rain started so it got me kind of worried how to get back home. Fortunately the weather settled by the time I finished so during my walk home all I got was a few drops and quite a chilling wind. Couldn't wait to get back home for a hot shower and it felt absolutely satisfying.

I did some studying of the Croatian insurance law and the reading material from my Insurance course along with a bit of translating terms I am well aware in Croatian but never used in English. I have plenty of time left and am sure a will prepare for the meeting the best I can. I was going to do some more investigating this afternoon but got a call from my friend who was supposed to call me this weekend in order for us to meet so he can lend me the book I inquired 10 times so far and imagine, the first thing he asked me is whether I was going to come and pick up the book. After telling him that I don't need it any more and that it was important for me to have it a couple of days ago, he got to the issue he was calling me in the firs place and that is the paper he asked me to rewrite and that he needed it by tomorrow. Without opinions I told him that I am going to do it this afternoon and send it to him, which I did.

Sometimes I truly feel like I am being taken advantage of. This is not what friendship should be like.

Bucking up on charm

Looks like I've managed to erase my version of Babylon dictionary while installing the newest version of it which apparently isn't covered with the license I have. That is a total setback considering I find it essential for my day to day writing. I've managed to install a trial version this morning but am going to ask my mom to send me her version on Monday.

I am starting to prepare for the meeting with Stefanos next Sunday and will have to cover a lot of ground. Firstly I need to read the Charm book once again and write down important points, I also need to learn a bit about his firm in order to show that I am interested in it. A thing that struck me the most about the firm when I stumbled across their web site yesterday is that they are an environmentally friendly company and give a great deal of attention to the environmental awareness. I also need to revise a book about insurance and risks I passed in collage emphasizing on the underwriting law in Croatia which is important for starting a brokerage insurance firm here. Things I already know but need refresh. Lastly I need to clear my thoughts on why I think this opportunity is good for me and why I think they should bring their faith in me to do business with.
If all of these elements settle in I am sure that I will leave a good impression on Stefanos and that he will become more optimistic about his business venture making it a good investment.

Welcome to Genoa

I got an interesting call from my mom yesterday about the job I am working on getting soon. It was about a call from Iain from Groupama London who confirmed to her that they are very interested in me working from them and that it would be a good thing for me too meet them for diner next Monday in Split for the boat show. He also told her that considering the fact that I need specialization in order to work as an underwriting broker it probably would be best for me to acquire knowledge in Genoa where Groupama has offices and since Genoa is the second largest nautical center in the Mediterranean a perfect introduction for the business they are starting. He also mentioned Paris as one of the destinations considering that Groupama's headquarters is situated there. I love Italy and never so far been in Genoa nor Paris and am sure I would love it there and have a good time. I will try to negotiate a few weeks of London also since it is my favorite city I've been so far.
I am also guessing that on my meeting with Stefanos he will also suggest some time in Greece where Cape4 has their offices but will know more after the meeting which I am really looking forward to.

Back to Zagreb, I have serious suspicions about dredgers and trucks behind my building where there lies a hedged space just perfect for another building to sprout. That meaning that considering I live on the second flour and have an abundance of sunshine currently, by the time the building gets done, the sunshine will perish and the beautiful view of the park from my room window will vanish reflecting only another persons vegetation on his balcony. I still have some doubts from the way things look right now, but will probably find out soon. I just don't see the logic in investors building new compounds in time of a financial crises and recession and the housing market bubble ready to burst any second. It is just plain stupid.

Windows of Opportunity

After the disappointment of not going to Sarajevo with my friends due to the lack of space in the van I've decided to stay in Zagreb until my meeting with Stefanos who is coming from Greece for the Boat Show in Split. A good friend of mine from London arranged a meeting in Zagreb on the 29th so we can get acquainted and talk possible future collaboration. I really tend to leave a good impression and will prepare accordingly so I don't leave space for failure. I am optimistic and enthusiastic about the business he is starting in Zadar and see it as a good opportunity for a future in my home town.

Being in Zagreb is not as I expected it would be. The upside of it all is the fact that i still have my membership in the gym here and I don't have to pay 40 Kunas per day like I do in Zadar. The downside is that I have to live with my brother again who is kind of a slop and tends to leave a mess everywhere he gets a chance to. That leaves me with a cleaning afternoon in order to get thing back in order.

I am also kind of disappointed in some of my friend and am starting to get the feeling some of them are taking advantage of me. I had quite an unpleasant night with one of my friends who I was supposed to meet. Firstly he was talking on the phone during most of the time we walked trough his neighborhood and secondly he took me to a grill restaurant that reeked of meet so badly that I was willing to burn my clothes once I got back home. and thirdly, even though I made the effort of writing him a paper about Back Scholes for his Masters dissertation, which in my opinion should be enough, he wants me to write in in the form of a dissertation with all the references mentioned have to genesis from the original scripts of the scientist who elaborated the theory, in this case god damn Balck and Scholes in person. And on top of it he wants me to write a whole other paper that was supposed to be a part of my thesis but was left out due to derivatives already verging from the number of pages patterns of a graduation thesis, for a conference in Belgrade we were supposed to attend and present the theme. All in all, this is to be one of the conditions for his academic advancement. I stood there in utter disbelief, drank my Spritzer and decided to go home disappointed.

THe only thing I asked of him was to lend me the book about Insurance and risk in order for me to get prepared for my meeting, and he didn't show a slight interest in it. I decided not to ask any more.

Snow books adventures and wild rovers

Where to begin... It has quite some time from my last post and I didn't mean for it to take this long. I was supposed to write at lees one post from Nassfeld about how things were in the Alps but unfortunately didn't find the strength after hard days of work. And boy were they awesome. The weather was beautiful and sunny and the slopes were breathtaking. Some of the best I've seen in my almost 20 years of skiing experience, especially for the ever expanding snowboarding fanatics. People running Nassfeld ski arena took snowboarding very seriously and arranged a nice snowpark with ramps, funboxes and small and large jumps, some of the jumps spread through other slopes. They also prepared a huge halfpipe, which I wasn’t capable to manage jet being the fact that you need better and in my case more safety gear like a helmet. 

The food there was nice and tasty, even though we stuck with the same restaurant on the slopes since I only eat salads and fruit in the middle of skiing. Afterwards in the apartment we ate some of the best salmon and cheeses I've ever tasted. The last two nights we made an effort to go to Hermagor which is a small town community where the local town council is and had dinner in one of their local restaurants where I had one of the best vegetarian pizza ever, rich with all sorts of veggies and mozzarella tender as butter and tasteful as it was Mozzarella Buffala itself. The plates there looked so abundant that the last day we went for a dinner last night celebrating my parents 23rd anniversary and had amazingly prepared fish and veggies along with quite a decent cabernet sauvignon.

While I wasn’t skiing I was soaking the brilliance of Jordan Belford and his amazing and unbelievably true stories in his latest book Catching the Wolf of Wall Street. The book was so wonderful and interesting that the only thing that could stop .me from holding it upright was the overwhelming tiredness catching up on me around 8 pm. I still managed to finish it by the time I came back home since I did most of the reading during the ride back home. By the way I will really have to look for a synonym book which would definitely help me expand my writing skills. A thing I caught from the wolf himself. 

 

I am of to Zagreb today fleeing from my hometown. There are some friends I really miss there and cant wait to see them and spend time with them. There is also the issue of going to gym and taking some time away from my parents. I will be back soon.

 

I had a wicked and wild night for St Paddies last night drinking enormous quantities of the old black stuff which was in utter disbelief quite cheep in a local pub. I have a massive hangover and can’t wait to take a brisk walk out and catch some air. The best part about last night was drinking a pint with my parents before I went out while watching the Flogging Molly DVD. My mom is a truly sophisticated and cool woman. 

Road trip and the weekend behing us

Looks like that glorious day has finally come after a week of anxiety, disappointments and hopes, my family and I are finally going to Nassfeld for a couple of days of snowboarding. Well, to be exact it is going to be until the end of this week so I am going to have plenty of days for maximum enjoyment of all the wonderful slopes Austria has to offer. We are about to depart sometime noonish, rigt after we have a light lunch.

As far as the weekend goes, things were kind of hardcore as expected. Got totally smashed on Friday and went to Preko for the Shkraping festival which is a combination of jogging, walking, orientation and jumping over razor sharp rocks. We arrived there for the fun part in the afternoon, meaning drinking and terrorizing artists who were preforming that night. To spare some details, the whole evening ended up us getting in the wrong boat for Zadar and instead of 3 am going back at 7 am. Not a lot of time to get some sleep so I ended up arriving home for breakfast and being a dead beat for the rest of the day.

On Monday I finally received the books I've ordered, just in time for me to read them on the trip. I started reading Catching the Wolf of Wall Street yesterday and adore the book already. I am off to the gym here in my neighborhood for some workout before the trip. Still need to pack all my stuff and head for Austria.

Home for the weekend

I am off to Zadar in an hour for the weekend still not quite sure when or if we are going on the snowboarding trip to Austria. I am starting to bore my self with the whole issue, but good things are worth the while.
I had dinner, packed my stuff and cleaned the house not to get back in a mess. The day is absolutely beautiful and I've managed to have coffee to go from Daily Fresh with my friend on the sun. I was supposed to go with my relatives in their car but they suddenly postponed the trip for next week and left me in a conundrum whether to go today or not at all. I managed to buy the last ticket for the bus ride home.

I have some more stuff to pack so I'll be heading off now. Don't wanna miss the bus and tonight's drunken hangout at the pubs.

Back and forth

Another great disappointment was bound to happen some time and accordingly the snowboarding trip was yet again canceled because my dad got ill. I am starting to doubt that I'm going to see any good slopes this season and I was so looking forward for today's trip to Zadar. Now, I am king of reluctant of going home and will probably spend the weekend here in Zagreb drinking Guinness in the Irish pub downtown, well at least that's the plan for tonight I made with a friend of mine.

The gift my friends planed for me for my graduation finally arrived and they gave it to me yesterday. They kept it secret for about a month and teased me ever since. It is a drawing of a Croatian author Hrvoje Sercer, perfectly framed for me. I did some research and found out he is quite a famous modern painter, a naturalist and a visionary his motives oftenly being animals and cities. The drawing that was given to me is one of a bird holding on to a disturbingly shaped sun. I simply love the srawing.

I am off to downtown for a coffee, reading news and doing some shoping for todays lunch. I am still not sure what I'll be making but have my heart set on some pasta.

Radio Nowhere

Oh my dear, is Bruce Springsteen wonderful or not. I've downloaded his album Magic yesterday and been enjoying it ever since. This makes me take a trip down memory lane when I visited Asbury park and the club Stoned Pony where Bruce started his career. Asbury lanes are breathtaking, such a romantic place to be. Wish I could go back there some day, and see Kate and the whole gang once again.

Looks like there is a big chance of me going snowboarding after all this week. The whether forecast for the weekend is good and if an apartment reservation we inquired gets confirmed, it is off to Nassfeld on Friday. Can't wait to hit the slopes and fortunately some fresh powder. Aw,
snowboarding is my passion.

I promised my friend I am going to write him an article about the Black Scholes method of valuating options, which is a part of my thesis. He needs it for a lecture he is giving at the PGS class. This shouldnt take long, so I will probably deal with that right about, now.

A Giant Letdown

I received a call form my dad that the snowboarding trip is canceled due to bad weather forecast this week. I was so looking forward to the trip and already planed the whole week accordingly. Hope that the weather will serve us better next week.
The impact of the forecast can already be seen here in Zagreb. It is a cloudy day but the temperature is fortunately quite favorable so I'll probably take a walk to the town's center for a coffee.
I am really looking forward cooking today's lunch. I have a mixture of different beans, lentils and barely that will make a great sup along with potatoes, carrots and a few slices of smoked seitan. This is not the first time I made this dish, but seitan will be an addition I haven't tried. We will see how it turns out. It is about time for me to post some pictures and that is exactly what I'm going to do later this afternoon.

Second Attempt

After the initial effort this morning, I decided to postpone this post until something interesting actually happens on this day. And so it happened. After my initial walk to the market to buy fresh milk for my daily cornflakes and muesli rituals, puzzlement on what to prepare for lunch, I got a call from my friend to join him and his wife and baby for a walk in the park close to his home. A beautiful sunny day was upon us, the only downturn was the high wind.
We took a brisk walk and had a coffee at the parks cafe terrace after which I was invited for lunch. That solving my kitchen conundrum, I kindly accepted. After the wonderful lunch and a couple of slices of apple cake I headed back home looking forward to my gym time later this afternoon.
I am up for some reading later this evening, just before I go to bed. I have a book I need to finish, so I can return it back to its owner.
Speaking of books, I ordered two titles from Amazon.com today, one having to do with becoming more charming in conversations and the other is the sequel of the Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort. Can't wait to get a hold of those two.
Also to mention a wonderful news, I am finally going snowboarding this year. On Thursday, my parents are going to pick me up in Zagreb and we are heading to Badkleinkirchaim for an extended weekend of skiing.

Dear Blog is such a cheesy title

A beautiful day outside and my reluctance to take a walk outside has both financial and appearance rationale. Something will probably encourage me to take a walk, at lest to the local market to get some soy cream for today's lunch which will be a 100 percent vegan and loaded with seitan protein, which will come in just fine considering I had a long exercise at the gym earlier this morning.

The reason I managed to wake up so early today is that I decided not to go out and party with my friend last night, who was celebrating his grad promotion. His whole family and friends including me had a big lunch at a local restaurant due to the event. I was kind of disappointed because even though he knew I don't eat meet, he made no effort of arranging a meet free plate for me, so I ended up eating bread and salad trough the lunch. Even this wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that his mother who was sitting next to him didn't make me a plate of grilled vegetables that were mixed with the meet on the same fucking plate. WTF!!!! Don't people understand that if someone made a choice in life, sticking by his beliefs and morals, that the person finds it rude and offending when someone purposely tries to prove him otherwise bye making him brake those choices without him knowing. Does it make any fucking difference whether you are eating meet sauce and particles on vegies or a raw fucking piece of cow for a person who abstains from eating animal flesh. Arrrgh...
I kind of got of the track here. What can I say, I'm a citizen who's really pissed and these things fullfill me!

Sunchine and neglectance

Where to begin? It seems I've neglected my blog again, bud due the circumstances, it is quite natural. I've graduated college and spent a week in my home town which was an absolute killer. Those guys are boozed up all fucking week and it is pointless trying to abstain from drinking there because be sure you will end up laying in the gutter.
I've returned to Zagreb yesterday with my parents in order to sign a rent contract with the owner of the flat me and my brother are staying in and to get some rest form partying. Also I wanted to get some exercise and bring my body back in shape from all the drinking and eating.


Just found out that my Babylon glossary dictionary expired. Will have to call my mom later today so she can give me the new serial key from her office, babylon being a huge help to me while reading English literature.

It is a beautiful sunny day outside and a brisk walk and coffee in the towns center is bound to happen. Also my close friend invited me over for lunch at his place so I will be heading there afterwords. I am bringing my moms special cheese and leek pie.

A new page for a new life

Guess I decided to start writing my blog again. Quite some time passed since my last post and a lot of things happened since that day. Well, to be brief, I am still living in Zagreb with my brother, without a girlfriend, with the same passion and enthusiasm in life. I have new goals in life now. Ambitions that are bound to change my life.
I've managed to pass all my exams in college and finished my graduation theses called Financial Derivatives, which I am defending tomorrow. Both my parents are coming to Zagreb for that wonderful event. We will celebrate it afterwords in a nice little restaurant, where all the people that helped me trough my path will gather, without which all of this would have been much harder.