Mobile Madness

Many of you may know that since 1,5 months I work on a store specialized in selling mobile phones, as well as other pieces of tech (flash drives, handsfree sets, etc.). It is a small shop, but part of a big company. This is reassuring, but comes with a price: They need results. Results = €uros...

This gives me a lot of stress. A LOT. To bging results, that means I have to sell cellphones, make costumers sign a contract with a cellphone company (understand that I cannot write any brand names, because, ok, it's a blog, but you never know who might read it), sell other stuff, but mostly cellphones. This should be no problem, since mobile phones are more popular and important in Greece than water is on the desert. Should you respect yourself, you'll have more than 2 devices, often for no particular reason, as some customers say to me.

The problem, as I see it, are the customers themselves. I am a customer as well, and I often wished that I would be served and informed better from a salesman. Now that I am one, I honestly try to be honest and help people find the solution that suits them. Why the hell are they giving me such a hard time? It doesn't matter if they are Greeks or immigrants, people nowadays think that the big companies like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG or Samsung own them big time. If I had to summarize a random customer's wish it would be:

"I want a cool cellphone. 5 Mpixel camera, MP3, Bluetooth, Radio FM, Memory Card included, 3G (because everyone is doing video conferencing with their phones nowadays!) and I want it for free! Oh, I also want to talk for 6 hours per month, also for free"

Dude, this will never happen. Accept it. No, I am not a wizard that will give you all the above. I wish I could tell you "Screw you", but, alas, I can't. Yes, leave without buying anything. Yes, go to the competition, I am sure they will give you anything for free.

You have to realize that all my work happens on a very fast way. People will literally storm into the shop, breathing heavily as if they running the Marathon. They want "a cheap cellphone, if possible free" or "quickly, pay the bills". And I have to explain to them the benefits of having a cellphone on contract, our new offers, the bonus sms, the necessity of internet, the family or bussiness packs... Yeah, right, give me a break.

I also believe that people got more cautious after the recent elections (pwned!) and are more careful with their money. After 2001 it was difficult for everybody, but as the years go by, things get more dangerous for our pockets. Few people, in my opinion, want to have something to do that forces them to pay a monthly fee. Even if it covers a basic, as it seems, need, like communication. They may still buy a cellphone worth 400€ (it's a fashion statement, after all), but they won't pay 24€ per month. They will however pay 50€ per month by using phone cards to recharge their cell... There was a guy yesterday, he bought 40€ in cards for his cellphone. I asked my boss what's his story and he told me that the guy won't do a contract as long as he lives, even if its against his pocket. He just wants to spent 100€, but also KNOW he spent them on his own free will.


The truth is, a contract is worth it. You get free talk time, cheaper sms and value bonus if you decide to buy a new phone. But the only rule is: "All you have to decide what to do with the time that has been given to you". Gandalf's advice is the key. Calculate how much do you talk on the phone, keep it that way and none will cheat you on this. You will pay the same amount of money every month, if you just check your call duration.

A Serraic Trip

With the danger that this blog might turn into some sort of the Greek "The Long Way Round", I am posting this week's impressions from a one-day trip to the city of Serres. Once again, my friend Mitsos brought the idea and the car. This time, we had some beautiful company as well: My girlfriend Nikoletta joined as, as did our long-time friends Evi and Stavroula, which I was happy to see again.

We started at early morning, and Mitsos drove the same road that almost one year ago lead me to the Army. It was just as I remembered it: Hundreds of crows nested left and right of the road, waiting for their prey. Mitsos stepped on the gas and we left as soon as possible. We only stoped to catch our breath in a small church near the road. And Mitsos to scare Nikoletta, as he imitated the hunting cry of a demon. Well, what kind of person thinks that a demon can wait outside a curch, under the sunlight, don't ask me...


Reaching Serres was not difficult. Reaching our friend Irenes's village was. Neos Skopos (which translates as "New Purpose" or "New Watchman") is a big town in fact. Houses here and there, restaurants, cafeterias, schools of all grades, as well as two English teaching centres, one of which I was happy to find out that was Irene's. Congratulations to her, she's done what I can only now think of doing sometime in the future (or maybe I won't). Her teaching school was small but nice, with bright colours and a spacious classroom. There is no need for more.

We left New Purpose for Serres. We made a stop in order to eat and drink, among other bodily needs. Oh, and we took photos. Lots of them. Thankfully, I found an unexpected ally in Stavroula, who was willing to take photos; she even pursuaded Mitsos to stand and pose!

After we dined (not in Helllll!), it was time to visit Serres downtown for the traditional afternoon, digestive frape! Serres reminded me a lot of Larissa, which is good. Looked like living there would be comfortable enough - aha! Another city for me to choose as a future teacher!


First we took a good view of the city from its "Acropole" and took some more photos, then we drove inside the city. With more than just relief, I watched as a small platoon of soldiers got ready to honour the flag. Heh, long time no see.

The cafeteria was cool. Very nice deco, beautiful people, and the city bus passing just a few centimeters away from your table. It's toilett also had an original thing going on: It is the first WC that happens to lead to a spooky dungeon


When the night came and I escaped the dungeon, we left Serres back. I am sure, as Mitsos drove, he was planning the next big road trip... Stay tuned to find out where we are gonna be next week!

Beowulf Review

Some hours ago, I've returned from viewing "Beowulf", which also marked as my initial 3D viewing. It was great! Never before have I witnessed a movie like this. Not witnessed, experienced!

First things first, the movie is a must-see. The story is simple as it is archetypal: Hero slays monster. Hero becomes king. Hero commits hybris. Hero must face consequences. But how can it not be archetypal? The story is so old, it even inspired some guy Tolkien to write a short story called "The Lord of the Rings".

But you don't go to watch "Beowulf" for its story. You go because it is a magnificent technological and cinematic breakthrough: Fully shot in 3D, with 3D animation, projected either normally or in 3D, the movie features near-life digital actors and settings. It has an all star cast, featuring the, relatively unknown and underrated Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovic, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover and, oh, a naked Angelina Jolie. The acting is more than decent, Winstone gives his Beowulf an aura similar to Gerard Butler's Leonidas, dominating with his presence and voice. Crispin Glover as Grendel is amazing and he is the most terrifying monster since a long time. He even speaks Old Anglo-Saxon or something, I am not sure.

Furthermore, if you watch it in 3D, like I did, you are in for a treat! It was amazing: Spears, swords and arrows looked like they came at me, people passed in front of me, flames, snow and rain moved in front of my eyes. And the best part of it is that it is fully coloured, not some green/red combination over a black and white film. This is REAL D, baby! :)

I won't spoil the film for you. It's not my style. I won't even write a summary - the internet has plenty of them. I just urge you to go and watch it, in Real D if possible. The movie shows one of the ways Hollywood will follow in the future.

What I want to comment though is, once more, the sad, bitter situation in Greece: "Beowulf" is rated PG-13 here in Greece. Very hard decision, since it features so many dissmemberments that I lost count. Rivers of blood fill the screen. Grendel is hideous/scary/disgusting. There are words (in the greek translation) like "cock", plenty sexual innuendos, Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone and even Hopkins have near nude scenes. Now, explain to me: What.The.Fuck were all those 7-year, 8-year and 10-year olds doing in the movie theater?

• Distribution and rating companies rate it as an "animation movie", meaning: "Finding Nemo" was animation, "Beowulf" is animation, thus both movies are suitable for kids. Bollocks I say.
• Ticker counters gave a guy tickets for the 7 kids he was accompanying. The oldest of them could not be older than 12. Ask for some ID. Give them the option to watch "Ratatouille" or something. Even if the movie is OK for 13-year olds, those were NOT 13-year olds.
  
• Well, it is obvious that I am gonna bash the guy with the kids.Stupid guy, do a research about the movie and stop buying tickets for it, "just because the poster looks cool"! I was scared 2-3 times, really scared. Imagine how the kids felt.
• And now my favourite part: The kids. Once more, the lack of proper education and raising has shown its teeth. The audience was perhaps 45% children - in my opinion UNACCEPTABLE! Those kids were restless during the whole movie, expressed their impression about the 3D loudly, they whispered to each other and changed seats. 8-years old they might be, but ALL of them knew Angelina Jolie. (Fortunately, none expressed his impression about her, when she came naked out of the water)
• I could write about the guy who saw fit to crash a plastic bottle of water during the movie or that, when epic music was heard during an intense scene, a cellphone was heard, with "My dream/is to fly/over a rainbow/so high". It took me 30 minutes to get my self back to the movie's feeling. Oh, wait, I actually wrote about them!
  

A Drama-tic Trip

Well, the title is quite wrong, but what can I do? I love word play!

Last week, my friend Mitsos had the wonderful idea to take a trip together in the city of Drama, where our friend Natalie resides. Although I was quite feverish the night before, on this Sunday I was OK and ready to go. Thinking back a bit, this was the first time I did something like this: Drive with a friend or friends to a city of Greece, visiting it for the first time.

Mitsos was waiting for me in his Renault Clio, equipped with all the things a driver and his companion could need for a long distance trip: Chocolate milk, croissants and CDs of Paschalis Terzis.

The first pleasant surprise came after about 1 hour of driving away from Thessaloniki: The sight of Asprovalta, a town near the sea, left me speechless and breathless, but not brainless. The town looked empty, like a town in western movies, but also gave an aura of piece and quiet. I don't know how else to express it. After the first impression, my second thought was that I would be cool if I went there and worked as a school teacher... I am sure that I will visit Asprovalta to draw better conclusions and impressions.


As black clouds gathered in the horizon, we met the dread of everyone who drives without a map: We kinda got confused. At least 3 signs pointed to Drama, all of them froom different exits. Mitsos remembered otherwise and so he followed his gut instinct. He was right: We could still make it to Drama, but before that, we needed to cross over Mount Doom:


It was an amazing sight and the picture doesn't do it justice. As this wasn't enough, various signs pointed out that Nigrita was near! For those who don't follow my blog regulary, Nigrita was the place where I was trained as a soldier, almost one year ago. But Mitsos drove forth steadily and without fear and soon, we arrived at Drama.

Natalia welcomed us and, first things first, we went to honour the customs and traditions of Northern Greece, namely we went for a coffee. And what a coffee it was... We went to one of "the coolest places", according to Natalia, "although not as cool as 'Remvi' ". We nodded in approval, even if we didn't had a clue what or who 'Remvi' was. It is probably some kind of biological watch, that makes the residents wake up at 13:00, only to go there again until late night. Still, I can't remember the name of the actual cafe we went on and that's the waitress' fault. The name was probably "19OO" and you probably know where I am heading: Huge. Boundless. Barely hidden. Boobs.

I used to know an Irene from Drama who was anatomically equall as this waitress, but my friends restrained me from asking her is they were related. I also thought to ask Natalia what was Drama's famous export but the sight of the waitress answered all my questions. The day was starting good... Read the comment of a guy who posted it on his blog, concerning the situation in "1900". It can only be written in Greek, there is no other way!

"Tελικά θα μου πείτε και σε μένα τι έχουν τα σκαμπό στο 1900 και τσακώνονται οι κοπελιές να παρκάρουν τα κωλαράκια τους?
Το Σάββατο είχαμε ένα ακόμη κρούσμα καβγά για μια θέση στο bar με θεϊκή ατάκα της βραδιάς "μάζεψε την κωλάρα σου μωρή απο το σκαμπό μου". Αμα βάλει και ρινγκ με λάσπη το μαγαζί θα είμαι κάθε μέρα εκεί να παρακολουθώ"

We then went for the usual sight seeing, although, from my point of view this was completely pointless, after visiting "1900"... After finding a rather strange company...


... we drove up to a mountain, where we could enjoy the view. Mitsos got pissed off with a bus that was in front of us and once he passed it, he transformed into the late Collin McRae. Thankfuly, this didn't last long and we took a good look at Drama.




We went to some sort of central park, which was very peaceful, with trees and ducks and rivers. We also went for dinner and it was a bit too much. Delicious as it may was, the food was more than we needed and soon I found myself drifting away. So, what better way to fight sleepiness, than a cup of coffee...again?

Unfortunately, "Remvi was closed" as Natalia reminded us, so we went for a drink somewhere else. Meeting two friends of Natalia, who were also sorry because "Remvi was closed", we drunk a cup of coffee, when suddenly both me and Mitsos felt our footballsense tingling: The hour (19:00) drew near and Super League, the world's most exciting championship was about to begin. So, we hastily said goodbye and left, promising to return for a cup of coffee in "Remvi" next time.

Evanescence - In The Shadows: A Kind of Review

Those of you who know me personally, you'll know that I am not considered an emo, a term much popular these days. So, what brings a guy like me to nearly worship the latest album of the most emo band ever?

Yes, I am talking about Evanescence. The hard rock/poetic/alternative band, whose lyrics are familiar to every 15-year old. I still remember sitting with my friends Thomas and Babis to a friend's house and listening to a rock radio station, when suddenly our ears were mesmerized (sp?) by the unresistable combination of guitar and piano. Yes, I am talking about "Bring Me To Life". The song was cool, as was the ballad "My Immortal". Musically speaking, I would love to have more rock songs like that, but that's just me. The lyrics don't bother me that much, but if they make sense, they are welcome.

In the beginning, everything was cool: Evanescence were known only to a selected few people. Then, radios started to play their songs more and more and one day I caught my (then) 12-year old sister listening to them. For me, the band went instantly from a insider's tip to mainstream and then catapulted into über-mainstream, meaning even my grandma knew who Evanescence were.

Even worse, they didn't brought out a single or an album that equaled the feeling of what I've heard on the radio for the first time. They made more and more emo songs, Amy Lee "cried" and "whimpered" on her mic, blaming the world for everything. I've lost my interest on the group. If this wasn't enough, with Linkin Park's dissapointing LP "Minutes to Midnight", I've lost faith that this style of music could ever appeal to me again. I mean, if Linkin Freakin' Park make a mediocre CD, then what hope can there be?

I was wrong...

Evanescence's new album, entitled "In The Shadows" is surprisingly good. It's that good, that restored faith to a non-emo, non-metal, non-rocker like me. While the band never denies its emo roots, they've managed to create 11 songs that vary from very good to potential hits! The worst song of the album is an... acoustic version of their old success "My Immortal", and this says a lot.

Their sound is powerful and yet pleasant to the ear. The songs never try to be too rockish or too gothic, but maintain a style that was missing from these kind of albums. There is much more lyrical tone that in their previous albums, something that I like. Fast percussions, good use of samples, great vocals. Amy Lee sings like a woman in love, with energy and vigor and not like some angry, pissed-off bitch (and without a good reason, I might add). Their music is strong, lyrical and, I don't know any better way to express it, "well bound together".


Evanescence didn't try to make an album to prove they are "hardcore" or "alternative". They are now mainstream, but this doesn't mean they can't be so without quality. "In The Shadows" is a great album, with very good songs for everyone. Just the fact alone that I wrote a review for a music cd, speaks volumes of how good this album is. Do yourself and listen to it.

Last Army Days

After the “small ropes” (look previous post), the time came for me to leave Mitilini and go to Kastoria, a city near the Greek borders with Albania. I wasn’t expecting this third transfer, but it was a welcomed one. Anywhere was better than Mitilini. Imagine if I had stayed there, during the summer. Yeah, right, it’s an island and it is beautiful there, but the camp, man, the camp is bringing you to your limits!

Once I arrived with the bus to Kastoria, I was astonished by its natural beauty: Trees, trees everywhere, the great lake in the middle, beautiful buildings and quiet streets. If you haven’t visited the city yet, do it ASAP.

My new unit was not far from down town, only 3 minutes away with a taxi. As is the city, the camp was quiet and the facilities better than Mitilini, although not perfect. But in my eyes, it was like Hilton! To my surprise, I met people and friends from both Serres and Mitilini, who have also been transferred there! That helped my adapt very quickly, well, apart from the fact that someone stole one of my two digital cameras, but after 2 days, I’ve learned that I was to be sent to a guarding post, 15 minutes from the borders, as a second-in-command.

It was very, very far from the city, but at least it was near a small village. I may not go out to Kastoria, but I get to sleep more and spent my remaining weeks more quietly and without stress… Well, apart from inspections and visits from superiors, but even those don’t happen that often.

It was very quiet and idyllic there. There were 5-6 soldiers with me, all of them nice guys, but still, not all characters fit together. But you try to cope with the situation and be patient.

The “facility”, a former folklore center, is pretty nice equipped, with spacious rooms, a huge “entertainment room” with TV, DVD, an old pc, even an old coin-up arcade! We get to cook on our own, but with materials brought to us from the camp.

During my time there, I had the experience of knowing lots of people, in- and outside the Army, I got to know a battalion of Marines, who came by for training and I witnessed devastating fires, wiping out entire mountains clear from their trees. Horrible, really horrible…

With this and that, I didn’t realize how quickly the time has passed. During my time in Mytilini, time was passing due to the fact that everyday was a training day. In Kastoria, almost every day was about sleeping, relaxing, eating, talking and the hardest part was to choose which DVD we were about to watch.

And then came a glorious day, a bright day, a day of freedom and change. August the 7^th.

When I finally fullfilled my obligations to mother Greece and I returned to my previous life as a citizen. I must admit to have felt a bit sad about leaving the whole siuation behind. As hard as it was, you only keep the good memories in the end, memories that I still look upon and smile.