Flowers of the forest...

Beautiful Sunday morning after a raining Saturday. Somehow it feels sweet. And it deserves a song:



And the lyrics (it's been a while, since the last translation, has it not?:p)

Ξύπνα λουλούδι του δάσους
πουλί του λιβαδιού
που σεργιανάς στον ουρανό
που ‘χεις τα μάτια μικρού ελαφιού

Wake up flower of the forest,
bird of the valley,
that takes strolls in the open sky,
that has the eyes of a young deer,

Σαν τα λουλούδια που πίνουν δροσιά
έτσι χορταίνω όταν με κοιτάς
σαν ευωδιά λουλουδιών πρωινή
σαν ευωδιά μαραμένου φύλλου
είναι η ανάσα σου

Like the flowers, that drink dew,
that's how I get full when you look at me,
like the morning smell of flowers,
like the smell of a dried leaf,
your breath feels to me

Κοίταξε με, κοίταξε με
αίμα της καρδιάς μου
Η γη χαμογελάει
τα νερά χαμογελάνε
τα σύννεφα στον ουρανό
όλα χαμογελάνε
αγαπημένη μου

Look at me, look at me!
Blood of my heart,
Earth is smiling,
water is smiling,
the clouds of the sky,
are all smiling,
my darling

Ξύπνα λουλούδι του δάσους
ξύπνα ξύπνα αγαπημένη
wake up flower,
wake up love!

I really like this song. Its the only Greek cha-cha I have danced, and every time it brings in my mind all the forest flowers of my life.

Talking about waking flowers, yesterday I was once more at an Awakening party. I advise anyone with an ear for electronic music, to check these parties out! Good music (techno), amazing lighting effects (even for the non-believers:-)) and a very active and well mannered crowd. Not too young, not too old - perfect:-).

Recollecting one's coolness

Straight to the music



The job interviews are postponed for mid October. That's not that bad - although till I am settled I will be worried about it.

It shouldn't worry me though - cause after all I am very cool :-).

That was the last party's revelation. I remembered I am very cool and therefore I deserve good treatment:-). And even more. You are also cool, and you should treat yourselves better! Forget the constant "stay humble", "don't show off", "who do you think you are". You are cool!

Yes, you might be infinitely small. And live so little that, for the universe, it is not even an instant. And probably, your life affects only a few things around you. But on the other hand, from your personal point of view, you are the most important person! You are the first role of the movie. You are the star. And as a star, treat yourself with the following things for next week:

1. Before you do your job set the end time. Then, start and finish without letting anything interfere. Then, don't let your work affect the rest of the day either.
2. Don't push yourself to make other people happy.
   
3. Arrange one less TODO per day. Use the remaining time each day to:
   

• Cook a good meal, and enjoy it at the proper temperature, with the proper friends and the proper wine.
• Call the people that care for you. Talk about their life as if you have nothing else to do.
• Give a long evening to your partner. Lick them. Taste them. Hear their breath and look in their eyes.

Yep. This stuff might not mean much for the universe, nor for the rest of the world. But how does your viewpoint feel like right now?

Yes... Cool... So cool...

I am back, you knew it!

Back back back...

After a long summer vacation (yes, almost two months!) I am back in Amsterdam, and back in blogging.

I am not going to write about Mexico or Greece right now. One was better than the other, but, the happenings, stories and ideas will pop up in future posts. As they should.

One of the most interesting facts is that I moved in with VasiL, a figure sometimes closer to fiction than reality, a figure that gives rise to many interesting posts. Lately, he suggested me buying a voice recorder and record where I would like to live - he claims this changes constantly.

I am not going to buy anything, don't forget I am unemployed right now, but instead I will spend a post on this interesting topic.

Currently I am 26 (almost 27). The next big thing in my life is working for the Man. That is, work for someone else. Consequently I would like to live in a place where I can work 40 hours a week, have at least 25 days of a year and earn a salary that will allow me to live as I want and save some money. Anything else comes second to that.

In this perspective, I have looked for (and will probably get) a job in the Netherlands. The working conditions are great, during my interviews I met some very interesting people from whom I can learn a lot, and the salaries offered to me so far are more than satisfactory. Yes, Berlin or London could also be the place, and they will be if I don't find the job I am looking for here:-).

At some point, unless Fate things otherwise, I will be 40. By that time it would be great to have a family and, moreover, not find myself working for the Man - but rather be the Man. Obvisouly I will have clients for whom I work, but I would see myself more as an associate or manager of a company rather than an emploee.

The second factor that affects my life at that point will be the Woman. She will probably be making a carreer[1] and I would love to have the freedom in terms of working hours to stand by her and raise my kids properly. Moreover, I should be able to communicate with her.

These observations make the ideal place to live more involved:

1) A place where I can be the Man

2) A place where I can communicate with the Woman in the main spoken language

3) A place where I feel safe to raise kids

4) A place where the Woman can make a carreer

Under these circumstances, the potential places are English-speaking (e.g. London, U.S.A.), German-speaking(e.g. Zurich, Berlin) and Greece.

Yes, maybe I will learn Dutch by then and Holland might enter the equation - or maybe Mrs Noula takes the family to Australia. Remember that the question is where I would like to live:-). What am I asking for? A chance to go to paradise;-)

Phew, new category added: Voice recorder

[1]I like women with a past and men with a future ;-)

Little Sista'

In between all the mess, I have a little sister. Or "little sista' " as people would call her in the 'hood. And I have to get her married, before I can settle down myself.

The post is obviously flooded with delirious happiness - I am off to Greece tomorro, and I will see my mum and my little sis. After a long discussion with a stoned friends, watching football, we both proposed are favorite groom. One is african-american, one is african-african. She can choose for herself:

Simao Mate Junior vs. Mike Batiste!!!

SIMAO:

BATISTE:

Our choices are clearly affected by the second stupid song we were listening to in Manchester:

Basically the song story goes like: I fell in love with an African, who came to Greece from Africa on a canoe.

We fell in love, he was a god in bed. I started sleeping with his friends too. He found out, and he beat me up. Now I am also black (bruised)

singer Efi Sarri ... little Greek slut :p...

The chorus:

African, African,

let's connect :-D

Summer hits

Ah, summer is closer - it is actually only a few days away.

On Tuesday I fly to Greece, and summer will be waiting for me there:-).

I remember last year, Urbanek visited me in Greece. I asked him when did he last go to the beach, and he told me 3 years ago in Holland! Oh, my god! I though quitely... HE HAS NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH :-). Because if you consider the dutch August and the dutch coast, summer and beach respectively, you really don't know the meaning of these words. In any case, Urban did find out the meaning of these words, and I had the best summer of my life.

It had been a while till my previous really good summer. It takes time to get used to the loss, but that's a whole other story - and I need at least 60 sessions with a good therapist to start talking about such things.

I pushed myself to write a post this morning, I don't want to loose my rythm. Jobs keep on calling in, and appointments are made with Executives. This gave me again a feeling of comfort that everything will turn out great. And when I am happy, I don't feel like writing.

This morning, I was procrastinating, and here I am with an idea! I will put a list of songs for the summer. These are songs for the car, songs you can hear when you drive back from the beach - or the club:-). Or when you drive to an island very far away. The translation is too long, so I will only write the chorus:-).

"Far, very far I away, I wish to travel,

and the sun will find us alone (not in a crowd)

you will smoke your Camel cigarettes,

and I will be in a corner (withdrawn) drinking whiskey"

(she tells her car)

"Don't drive me by home,

do you listen?

TAKE ME TO GOD,

you smell like catalyst,

but you are the only one who loves me!

Time (as if time is a person), you punk,

you pull apart people and loves,

DON"T BRING ME HOME,

do you listen?

take me somewhere else"

"La ra laaaaaa

Na ra na naaaaa

The king of powder!"

"The whole island,

a pebble between your legs,

the whole earth,

lying in your arms"

That's about it - just four so YOU LISTEN TO THEM NOW!

Manchester...

So many things to write about these days...

I spent my weekend in Manchester - and I saw some old friends. Good old friends.

The first guy has a gf. They will move in together. He has a high profile job as a consultant. It seems that's exactly what he is looking for - if you'd ask him two years ago. And he is so stressed. So unhappy... His life passes through his fingers like sand. It is the third time I see him since he started working. And the third time I see him like this :-(. Either he didn't know "what he wants" or ... I dunno what... :-( I tried to give him some hints to snap out of it - but I have never been good at psychological comfort and shit... If things with him change after my advice, I will report it here. He is going for vacation back to Greece

The second dude, pretty versatile. Working in the public sector of the UK government. Going up, little by little. Unfortunately, his social life seems like a desert. On the bad side, it has mainly been a desert the last years. On the good side? He knows about it, and he looks determined to change things - even by small everyday things, like playing football, or inviting me to London to talk to girls for him:-p. He is not going to Greece this summer.

The last, but definetely not least, is trapped in Manchester. Working the last months on an internship salary, under the typical excuse of the crisis. He tries to be ironic about it "I am xp-ing, not farming" in warcraft terms (for the newbies, this means he is not playing for gold, but for experience). It is always hard to understand if this is lack of ambition, or realism. I hope for the latter, but believe in the former. He is going back to Greece this summer - and maybe permanently this October.

I spent some thought on them. Well, they are not doing that bad. At least they are trying. The issue, here, is whether it is worth to try at the expense of your happinness. I don't know. It seems to me that the foreign lands have drained them, made them older, and, ultimately, used them. But then again, none of the would change their life for the life of our friends who never left Greece.

Or maybe, it is the fact that they haven't really left Greece that tortures them. The people who will go back, have a harder time. Maybe that's the problem.

I am going back to Greece, and the situation doesn't feel that bad for me. I had the second interview and went fine, but since my blog is connected to my personal website, and that to my CV, I have to keep work-related staff off-line, at least until I decide what I am doing next.

Back in Manchester, we spent the first evening at home. The second evening we bar-crawled till midnight. We were not allowed in bars after midnight - " No-trainers policy, mate! ". I forgot how bad it feels to be fashion-measured by the worse dressed up nation of the world. And being found short!!!

In any case, we chatted, and drunk (a lot...) and that's the general vibe (one more song coming on tomorro's post, the order is random):

Short translation:

You want tra la la

I want tra la lo

You like lolipops,
And ice creams in cones

You want tra la la

I want tra la lo

I will be your girlfriend

to play tra la lo.

Yes, I am happy and I am glad I met my mates:-p.

- to be continued from previous- agents in the Netherlands:

I have been speaking with agents. Some I liked, some not. I wanted to be long on this, but the CV->site->blog chain does not leave much privacy. I am just wondering with my simplistic mind...

How can an agent judge better than the employer if we should talk? Next time, the groom should ask the priest: Will I marry her?

Why should the agent arrange the salary? It is going to be an issue in the future - if I am the employer I definitely want to see how someone deals with this staff before hiring him. The priest doesn't take part in the discussions of a couple, does he?

Why are agents ALWAYS lying? Let me answer this one:

Have you thought, that agents are lying on purpose, in an obvious fashion? Then, all the little lies they have said, seem like truth in comparison?

Bottom line, and tip of the day regarding your job search: Trust only your employer/employee. The couple is happy because of the marriage. The priest is happy because of the wedding.

Selling Out

Intro:

sell out

1. To put all of one's goods or possessions up for sale.

2. Slang: To betray one's cause or colleagues

The rejection was hard, but it already in the past. As Rocky said, (Rocky VI which is not that bad:-) ) In life it is not about how many [punches] you can give, but about how many you can take and keep on going!

So noulo goes on. One door is closed, and this actually opened all the others. Most of them, are doors of multinational companies and trading firms. Companies that can welcome my skills but not my attitude. And since I decided to sell out, I sold out compeltely. Thx to Ieva for the pics:

Corporate Noulo Vs. Academic Noulo

I don't think I look that bad on the left - I might have actually hired the dude on the left myself. But buying this suit I though all the hope is gone. I am ready for a life of smiles, PR and executives, instead of papers, conferences and parties.

I uploaded my CV to efinancail careers, and many "good friends of mine", a.k.a. agents, called me to offer me positions. I turned down some, some turned me down - in one way or the other. And three of the cases looked pretty interesting. An internet startup, a company a friend works, and a random company an agent proposed. Three interviews to go. Three interviews to see, who is willing to buy what I am selling out.

The first interview was with the random company, and looked the least promising. The guys had no website. I arrived there 10 mins late (THANK YOU AMSTERDAM FOR THE ENDLESS WORKS ON THE STREETS). To be honest, I thought it would be good training - nothing more.

And then... LIGHT! From the last horse of the race. The least favourite!

It turns out, they are a group of smart kids - PhDs, in Physics and Biology. Oh, and one trader. And they work as a team. And they are a small team, but they are willing to teach and be tought, share their knowledge and acquire yours. Talk and listen.

And I feel for the first time, I might enjoy working in the industry. I might actually make friends there - and learn! It might not be that bad after all, and it is probably good that since Berlin is off, I will check out what's going on outside the Unis.

Hey but that's enough for tonight. More on my options, after all three interviews. One thing is for sure - I got really happy from the interview I expected the least from. The guys coming up, that DO have expectations, must do great or dissapoint me :-).

And the show goes on...

P.S.: Soon on noulo.blogspot.com :

1. Agents in the Netherlands. Who are they and what do they do. What do I think about it.
2. Good questions for an interview, for all these employers that read my blog. Donations welcome.
3. If time allows, Sensation White afterefect.
4. Feedback from the interviews.

P.S.2: So many friends sent a good word after my last posts:-). Thank you all!

Berlin Zwei

Once more about Berlin... This time, the rejection is not that fresh and I have taken a look to my options. Regarding the latter, the market seems to welcome me, but more on that on the next post.

I would like to focus now on the remarks of my friends about it. More specifically, a guy told me "worse things can happe", and the regretted it. He though he sounds cold and doesn't sympathize with me. A girl said I shouldn't worry, I would rather be a househusband anyways. I know I say so, and I would love to be one, but this is not connected to Berlin really. And I think if she reads the comment twice, she won't like it that much anymore...

I though about it for a moment. Both of these friends love me, and they don't mean any harm. Then why does my heart feel so bad?

I colncluded that the reason is I had never shown to the people near me how much I wanted to go there - and I did! More importantly, I never shared all these little dreams I made on my own about it. Dreams that are not going to be true. I am pretty closed by nature. Time to open up, and share these little dead dreams...

1) I was checking daily the prices of a used A5 cabrio in Germany. Yes, I did save money for it. And I got as much as I could from my insurance. And yes I planned to go to Greece, sell my loyal Auris and get the A5.

2) I was dreaming of announcing the good news to the guys of the group. I checked on line to make sure my German haven't let me down. I was planning to say I am coming, ask help with housing and with my German - specifically I would as if "Haben Sie Shampoo für Locken?" is correct :-D (Do you have shampoo for curly hair?)

3) I checked the housing information. Aparrently there is a multifloor building next to the Uni, with parking, and super low prices.

http://www.tu-berlin.de/abz/menue/internationale_gaestebetreuung/unterkuenfte/parameter/en/

and the upper three floors are given to visiting researchers. The rest to students! Does it get better?

4) Well, it does. I asked around how I can get soundproof floor cover to make sure I can play music in my flat there - it is not that hard actually. Great view, students ready to join the party, view from the 8th floor and noulo spinning...

5) I checked back with the institute I studied German in Kavala, if my favourite teacher (Elisaver:-)) is available for private classes this summer. She is not. That's really bad luck;-)

6) I planned to spend September here in Amsterdam, seeing friends, taking it easy and writing a facebook applet I have in mind.

6 little dreams. Dreams on which I invested time, hope and expectations. It's not that the dreams will not coem true that I mind. It's just that my heart feels so bad. [:(]

Moutza from Berlin

Moutza, or in Greek Μούτζα.

Moutza is a gesture coming straight from ancient Greece. In the image, the lady gives a moutza to the dude. In ancient times, it meant that I wish you loose all your five senses (therefore the five open fingers). In modern Greece it is used very often but means disaproval of ones actions. For example, I asked for funding to go to Berlin, and they gave me a moutza. When somebody is moutza-ed, this typically brings bad luck.

As you can see at the picture, the dude takes it with Stoicism (another ancient greek philosophy school). The stoics considered destuctive emotions to be the result of errors in judgement, and that a sage or a person of moral and intellectual perfection would control such emotions. That's more or less what I try to do at this point :-).

I can't say I am not dissapointed, but I can't say it is the end of the world either. It would have given me the possibility to take it easy for two more years, learn by a great researcher and upgrade my research CV. It wouldn't however be the solution to any problem - rather a postponing to facing real problems like a job.

I guess time will show if it was for the best. The only thing I can be sure of was that I was not ready (good enough?) for it. And as the song says, first you take Manhattan, then you take Berlin:

Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan

They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline
How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I don't like your fashion business mister
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
I don't like what happened to my sister
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby ...

And I thank you for those items that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practiced every night, now I'm ready
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I am guided

Ah remember me, I used to live for music
Remember me, I brought your groceries in
Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

P.S.: the song is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFBKV0zVXSE&feature=fvst and embedding is disabled by request (the bad luck of being moutza-ed we were talking about).

P.S.2: Thanks to romfea for an embedded link:-)

Leonard Cohen - First we take Manhattan
Geüpload door beautifulcynic. - Muziek video's, interviews met artiesten, concerten en meer.

Vreidag

In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it is Vreidag. You don't have to be an expert to see that this means Vrei + Dag = Free + Day. Unfortunately I have to work, and so do most of the people here.

Surpassing this morning flair of stupidity, I get to the main point of this post. Being an allochtoon. Allochtoon is a Dutch word straight from ancient Greek, derived from Greek ἀλλος (allos), other, and χθον (chthon) earth/land, literally meaning "originating from another country".

A friend of mine complaints in her blog about being one. She is Greek, moved from England to Holland, and turned from foreigner into allochtoon. Well, here I am, in an optimistic post after a while, presenting 10 reasons that being alochtoon is cool:

1. You don't feel guilty for anything. If Greece does something racist, you left. If Netherlands do something racist, you are an allochtoon.
2. You can speak just a few words, and still look sophisticated. You memorise a few dutch expressions like a parrot, and the autochtoons (locals) treat you as a intellectual
3. You can try whatever you want in bed. And then say, what's wrong with .... ? In Greece we do it all the time. (e.g. ... = coming in your face)
4. You don't know when the holidays are. So, when they come you are happy, without all this longing for the public holiday!
5. You don't have to know namedays, birthdays etc. I don't know why this works like it, but people always take it lightly, if you are an allochtoon
6. You are trully cosmopolitan. Once more from Greek, Cosmos = world and Politis = citizen. Citizen of the world. Such a beautiful thing.
7. You meet other cosmopolitans - allochtoons. Yes, locals also have foreign frinds. But believe me, if locals are racist ones with the allochtoons, international people are really looking down on the locals.
8. You have better chances for a happy wedding! Yes, when the main issues are "shall the kids speak English, Greek or ... ? And should they go to Greece or ... for the summer vacation? (e.g. ... - Lithuanian :-) )You avoid troubling yourself over divorce-bringing topics.
9. You take it easy with the police. I am a tourist, sorry:-)
10. You enjoy the city you live in! I have never been in museums in Thessaloniki. I have been going out in the sam eplaces since ever in the cities I grew up. Every day is a new challenge here in Amsterdam, or back in Edinburgh, or at the nect stop of the noulo train:-)

I would also mention, you can always go for vacation in Greece and speak the language, but the non-Greek allocthoons do not find it that easy. Apart from the blond allochtoon, who pretends to be light-brown, and will do so with me.

Life is not that bad after all. Fourth chapter finished. One (?) left to go...