Merry Christmas...

it's Christmas.

the Ghost of Christmas Past already paid me a visit. the Ghost of Christmas Present is here, I can feel it. when its job is done I only wish I'll be brave enough to face the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. I don't know if I will be... I really don't know.

well...

Merry Christmas

epi Kerameiko

I like large groups of friends going out together. I was part of such a group, about 15 people, when I was invited to a dinner some days ago, in a traditional restaurant in the area of Metaxourgeio. the place proved to be a very good choice that satisfied both our taste buds and our ears. the musicians Vasilis Galazoulas – bouzouki, Eirini Lasithiotaki – guitar and the singer Sofia Savvoukidou performed non stop for almost five hours. what a nice trip in entexno, laiko, rebetiko land. some talking, some laughing, some singing, some dancing, some wine… hmmm a glass of wine is good. two - three glasses of wine are ok. four – five make you happy. six and more make you super happy… nooo… guess what… make you sad! well me at least. all my small, unimportant problems seemed big and important. stupid me! thank God the first aid kit was nearby. my sweet A. I just had to look in her eyes. magically I forgot my problems… in fact I forgot everything, and start thinking how beautiful those eyes can be. and when after a few hours ER’s Dr. A. arrived and we drunk together the last glass of wine, well it was more a medication, I felt much better : )

photos photos photos !!!

Athens Photo Festival 06/11/2009 – 06/12/2009. the Athens photo festival was way more interesting than I could imagine. 120 photographers from 22 countries, 11 solo and group photo exhibitions, 21 video projects, 6 performances, lectures, seminars. even short films. I especially enjoyed Crossroads. a Petros Sofikitis’s piece of art. frugal with great atmosphere + I loooved the Scottish accent.

lots and lots of things to see in a huge building of 5.000 sqm. in fact too many things that I didn’t have the time to see them all as I arrived a couple of hours before the closure and I didn’t find the time to go back the next day, which by the way was the last one... bad timing as always… especially the last few weeks of my life. don’t understand… what’s going on?! eee?! oh! wait a minute. I know! it’s me and the storm inside my head going on.

V. agreed to become my secretary and write down the names and titles of almost all we saw. poor V. if only he knew. I still can’t understand where did he find the patience?! hey V. THANK YOU. although your spelling mistakes almost cost my credibility… ha ha ha. oh and sorry for not answering your phone calls or not calling you back. I become rude sometimes… hmm, rather most of the times. especially with that storm inside my head, remember. hope you are still talking to me when we meet in about 12 hours…

http://www.hcp.gr/exhibitions_program.html

http://photographyandfilm.co.uk/film_petrossofikitis.html

 

theater & movies

theater

Sunday. it was a lovely warm evening. like if we were in the middle of the spring although we were at the end of the autumn. I went with friends to the theatre, to a tavern, to a bar with live music and to another bar after that… in that order. quite a long night out. the play was the amazing Tennessee Williams’s Suddenly Last Summer, in the Amfitheatro of Spyros Evaggelatos in Plaka. Katerina Xelmi, Marina Aslanoglou and Thanasis Kourlampas in the leading roles. Also Zoi Rigopoulou, Lefteris Polyxronis, Popi Lymperopoulou, Marianthe Kyriou. All very good. Thanasis Kourlampas as Dr. Cukrowicz, neutral, frugal, dissent, gentleman and very handsome shall I say too. Katerina Xelmi as Violet Venable, a very experienced top actor, almost a legent, did her best. Marina Aslanoglou as Catherine Holly, simply amazing! well done!

http://www.hellasgr.net/20091006195956.htm

http://www.tovima.gr/default.asp?pid=2&artid=302085&ct=34&dt=29/11/2009

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=17024933321

movies

Tuesday. don’t know if it’s warm or cold. I’ve been in the house all day. ah… I wish I could take all the pain and tears away from you my lovely, lovely friend. I wish I could stop all that crying and suffering. ssshhh my dear…ssshhh… stop damn it!!! I am watching a movie and you interrupt me! it’s the second movie I watched with the talented, as he proves to be, and very ugly Paul Walker. no I haven’t watched all that fast and furious crap movies. I have watched Running Scared and now The Lazarus Project. Running Scared is a way better movie though, plus Cameron Bright’s actting is amazing in that movie, but The Lazarus Project is ok too. not something great, but ok. oh, did I mentioned that Paul Walker is very… ugly?!

http://www.newline.com/properties/runningscared.html

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thelazarusproject/

remember:

1. never answer the phone during the most crucial point in a movie.
2. always find time for a friend in need… love you baby.

3. definitely watch more Paul Walker’s movies…

4. oh and, 24 days till Christmas...

the magical realism of Iannis Nikou

a very interesting exhibition ended today in Technopolis - Gazi. the artist, Iannis Nikou. his paintings big, beautiful, impressive, with subjects from mythology, history, religion. walking along the walls and looking at the paintings was like if you had stepped into another world for a while. a controversial world. a world full of sound, energy and passion. a world full of calmness and silence. a world full of light even if that light was mostly a ‘dark’ one. mystery, pain, pleasure, lust, good, evil, seduction, choices, catharsis… human nature.

http://www.iannisnikou.gr/

Prometheus Bound

Iannis Nikou 2008 mythology - historical cycle

the passage of Acheron

Iannis Nikou 2005 mythology - historical cycle

Incubus

Iannis Nikou 2003 allegorical - paganistic cycle

the fall of Lucifer

Iannis Nikou 2007

the fall of Lucifer - detail

Iannis Nikou 2007

the fall of Lucifer - detail

Iannis Nikou 2007

the red apple

Iannis Nikou 2007 - transfigurations

from dusk till dawn

good cult movie but in this case from 1:00 am actually till dawn.

can’t sleep… hmmm what's best to do than plant myself in front of the tv. well… lets see… old serials broadcasted for the 100th time = not one I like. travel series = nice but I'm not in the mood. music channels = not always a good choice. thriller = yeah!!! middle budget, kinda splatter, vampire Hollywood movie, with cute leading actor. at last! a shallow movie, exactly what I was looking for. best choice… or maybe not…

the scenery dark. small Alaskan town, freezing co... co... cold. the girl, don’t like her, Melissa George. the leading actor is way better, Josh Hartnett, plus he is ho... ho... hot. I should be acting next to him instead of her. the co – actors, nothing special but their acting was ok. some action. the stunts quite good for the budget of the movie. make up and special effects, ok too. the story, predictable. you knew what it was going to happen in each scene. nothing unexpected, so not that scary after all. not that scary… not that sc… shit! what the fuck was that?! no! no! don’t go over there you fool! it’s behind the door! yack! too much blood. geez they are too fast… run run! what’s that scary voice?! where is it come from?! don’t understand… oh! its my voice. shut up and go and make some tea.

not that scary… right!

of course when it was over, I had to follow the 4 ‘must do’ rules after a scary movie.

1. check the rooms. hold a pan or something in case of emergency.

2. don’t look in the mirror. there will definitely be someone or...
    something behind you.

3. leave a light on… or two… or all.

4. watch silly things afterwards on tv.

I ended to fall asleep with two lamps and the tv on, after I watched telemarketing ads for at least 1 hour. hair extensions… don’t need them, incredible grater… hmmm I should get one, special juice diet that gives you a killer body in 7 days… definitely should get that, face cream which turns you into a supermodel after just one use… wowww what’s the number, I am calling right now!

thank God when I opened my eyes it was a beautiful sunny day. sun the best remedy for nerves… and against vampires, not for zombies unfortunately… way much scary I should mention.

sun is shining, birds are singing along with the cars, the aroma of the roses and the garbage truck. nice, nice, niiice.

I think I’ll go out for a walk. well, I am going…

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/30daysofnight/

some music therapy

bad mood. friday night out. some music therapy.

to begin with, classical tunes.

Athens Concert Hall. the Athens State Orchestra performed works of R. Strauss, J. Brahms, F. Schubert. violin soloist, Danae Papamatheaou - Matschke. orchestra conductor, Stefanos Tsialis. hands moving bringing instruments to life. sit back and listen. visions and thoughts. ma che melodia, ma che virtuoses, ma che bello uo… ehmmm… oups… well ok. it was nice.

http://www.megaron.gr/#

http://www.koa.gr/

to continue with, rock strings.

Stauros Tou Notou. Eleonora Zouganeli – Dimos Anastasiadis. beautiful, talented singers with good voices accompanied by very very good musicians. all of them. Andreas Mouzakis - drums, Costas Gagastathis - bass, Giorgos Tsiboukis - electric guitar, Mati Palaiologos - keyboard, Dimitris Karagiannis - saxophone, Tigran Sargsian - woodwinds. Giorgos Tsiboukis though, the guitar player, was more than good, he was awesome. he was living it! music run through his veins! bravo!

the musical journey had apart from the artists’ own songs, songs from Alkinoos Ioannidis till Kraounakis and Amy Winehouse. it was very nice.

http://www.dimosanastasiadis.com/

http://www.geoboukis.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/geoboukis

so what we have is: classical, rock, jazz, entexno music + talented artists + good friends = best dope for bad mood

my first photo shoot

when I grow up I want to be a marine biologist, a director, an executive chef, a graffiti artist, a choreographer, Mercury's runner Faith Connors, ... and I reeeally want to be a photographer.

hmmm... when I grow up ?! wake up! I am grown up! in fact I am too old and nothing from the above... damn.

well, this morning I had my first photo shoot. experimented on black and white. forgot all my teacher was saying 3 weeks now about diaphragm, shutter speed, depth of field and other UFOs (Unknown Foto Options… ha ha). I was the worst photographer ever. a camera? what the heck of extraterrestrial technology is that?

my muse. gorgeous A.

after four hours, lots of badly focused pics and half roll of film surely destroyed , we got bored and went for a hot chocolate.

remember:
pay more attention in photography class.
be better prepared.
buy some milk.

I just escaped...