Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The Japanese Haircut Experience

today was a haircut day. this was the second time I got a haircut, both times on the same hair-salon. you just haven't try a haircut if hadn't had it the japanese way! so I took my friend with me to help me translating (thanks Sugi-chan).

first of all, the towels. I counted that in total the barber used about 20 towels. at one point I had 7 towels around my neck. yes. and you thought 1-2 was enough! ha! he continued his work as any other barber in the world. the poor guy had a cold.

then there was the time of the hair-washing after the cut. suddenly, the chair (mechanically moved obviously) started rotating and expanding to a bed!!! towel no. 17 was immediately on my face while the barber and his assistant washed my hair. when they took the towel from my face the barber was wearing a mask! and that mask is the mask the Japanese (and Michael Jackson) wear when they're having a cold. anyhow, after that he took a special trimmer and he trimmed around my ears!!!! I started laughing. it was so very funny... they took towels no. 18 and 19 off me and gave me a steaming towel to refresh my face.

and how much was it? ¥3150 or £15.26 or 22.38€. and they both went out of the shop when I left to greet me off...

was it worth it? hell yeah!

Friday, November 25, 2005

Amazing new strip at PhDComics.com

maybe a bit only-for-phd-students strip but still very funny...

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Cooking day...


YES PEOPLE! I cooked this! and it was really nice. udon (thick noodles) and chicken karaage (fried chicken).

ok... I didn't fry the chicken. I bought it from the convenience store...

also... I just boiled the noodles and then put the sauce and sliced vegetables on...

... and actually, those were in the bag-sealed in the correct portions and given to me by a very kind japanese girl...

It counts as cooking... right? who cares...

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Hayao Miyazaki day


on the 16th of November, Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) was released. of course I was there... also I could not resist and byu his other classic Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ)

Kambero (with a 'b') you must see Nausicaa! Also... the name of the heroine in Howl is named Sophie...

Saturday, November 19, 2005

I just love the 80's...


it speaks for itself... ;) maaan he's Knight Rider!!!! he used to be my hero! and then this... :'(

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Greek cinema revival?!

a very flattering article on greek cinema and the Thessaloniki film festival, was published by the Guardian.

keep up the good work!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Oh my God, I just love this country!

Yep, it's only one country... Greece dear all!!! We just cannot be like anyone else... fuck anyone else! We're Greece! So what if we have the most expensive internet in Europe? So what if only a small part of Greece has access to the most expensive ADSL in Europe? FUCK EVERYONE and their efforts! We'll just INCREASE THE PRICE OF DIALUP CONNECTIONS! YOOOHOOO!!! Who the fuck thinks internet is good for the country? It's not... All the rest of the countries trying to minimise internet costs are plain FOOLS! We don't need cheap internet, only more public servants are good for this country. Especially working for the highest grossing company in the country, OTE... Enjoy people. Maybe you want to have a look at the Union of Greek Internet Users' Webpage.

Great way going forward there... Anything else?

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Look what I've found...


i know how surreal the feta and koboloi is on top of numerical recipes, but I have found feta! unfortunately, not greek (danish) and simply... awful... thanks to Kamberidis (with a 'b') for the komboloi (with a 'b')

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

For a friend...

Some nights, if not all, the best time to slow down and think about almost everything in your life is when go to sleep. Here I am, 4am in the morning, writing to--- who, really?

About 2.5 months ago, my friend George was murdered in Crete. It was on the night of his marriage. He had an argument with his newly-wed wife that apparently became violent and she phoned her brother, a coastal guard, to go to where the couple was. The brother did go at their hotel suite and the outcome of the night was the murder of my friend with the gun provided by the greek state to guard the huge coastal borders of Greece, the bride in shock and the brother of the bride fleeing procecution.

I don't know if my friend actually became violent. To me, it is unthinkable that he did. He was definitely one of the kindest and good persons I knew. Still, even if he did he didn't deserve what he got.

I was shocked when my mother told me when I returned from England this past summer. George was an orphan, 5 years older than me. He was a neighbour of mine and I got to know him in the basketball court near my old house. We used to hang out on the afternoons and speak about many things. You see, he had qualified for a course in Computer Programming and this is what I also always wanted to be. He was the best student at his school with an average of 19.3/20. He was more than a friend. He was someone I was looking up to, a mentor. I once asked a cockish self-appointed programming teacher to recommend me a book to learn how to program in C. He replied: "How old are you?", I said: "15". He replied "Go home". I was really frustrated by that guy and George assured me that I could do it if I wanted it too much. George was always kind to me, even though I was so much younger than him at an age that even a year's difference is important. Later on, as my studying became more and more demanding we lost touch. When I qualified for my engineering course I relocated to a different city and he also relocated to another. Our contact became less and less frequent till it became a 20minute chat every year whenever we saw each other. But I always said "hey, come to Volos!" and he would reply "for sure!". Five years after, I moved to England. The motto became "hey, come to London!" and he would reply the same thing. Hey, you know what... this will never happen. When I learned of his death I was in shock for a couple of days. Then life continued. One night during my 10-day vacation I saw a mutual friend of George's and I. We were both on a night club. We avoided to look at each other. We did not speak to each other. We were both embarassed that we were there, supposedly having fun while George was not. George should have been there with us. I should have made more time available for George, because sometimes you just don't know what the next day will bring.

To all of you hot-tempered guys out there, think before you do the most atrocious thing you could ever do. Think what you're doing on someone's child, on someone's brother, on someone's friend. Think what would happen if someone did the same to your child, to your brother, to your friend. Having a gun and pulling the trigger doesn't make you more of a man. It just makes you a plain murderer.

As for me, I only realised what has happened. It's 4.30am, I'm on the other side of the world and I have finally slowed down adequately to have an insight on the past year's events. I feel that the only thing I can do is to write on this electronic substance. Am I becoming more and more insensitive? Do I really think you would know how I feel? I had to give it a try...

Μου λείπεις φίλε. Να 'σαι καλά όπου κι αν είσαι.
Κ.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Fish, anyone? (ok Alex, I know you can also say: Dust, anyone? :P)

excellent website. just keep in mind that it describes japanese extremeties and not real normal life in Japan. so... fish anyone? or maybe interested on japanese toilets?

more on the website...

oh and by the way, ninjas. ninjas kick ass....

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Anything better to do?

aaaaaahhh... weekend. sun is shining, the house is too hot to stay in... I have practically went nowhere in the past two months in Japan, so it is a great oportunity for me to go and see this beautiful country! or so I think... another staying-in and working this weekend... pathetic, I know...

in the meantime, I am waiting for the new Sony Walkman to come out. even more pathetic...