The Power of Will

There are times in our lives when we feel wreckless and depressed because of various circumstances that affect our peace of mind. Consquently, we develop a low self-estime and think that there's nothing really that we can achieve. There was a time in my life when I felt completely useless and unable to resist temptations like surfing the internet, chocolate or simply eating too much and mostly fattening and unhealthy foods. With the help and support of some good friends - one of them is a very successful psycholigist - I started to seek ways to strengthen my willpower and self-discipline. This did not happen from one day to another but it was a slow and gradual progress depending on perseverence - a topic I talked about in a previous blog.

Perseverence helped me to stick to my goal . So I gradually started cutting down on the internet, on chocolate and on food - my three main addictions I was unable to resist to. Physical exercise and meditation kept me going. I went on a diet and lost weight while at the same time I adopted a healthier eating pattern, I stopped bringing chocolate home - I used to consume a bar every day! - and also cut down on the internet for my entertainment. There were times I really felt like giving in to one or more of the above temptations but in the end I managed to control them instead of letting them control me. It was certainly not easy to achieve these goals, it took time but in the end I learned that when there is a will there is always a way.

Our World

Science and technology affect us in many different ways. They have invaded every part of our lives, have changed our lifestyles, and improved our physical and mental abilities. The technological explosion which we witness in our daily life has made it possible for us to free ourselves from tedious manual labour and see life as more than a continuous struggle for survival. We are constantly developing and enhancing our knowledge and this has an impact on every aspect of our lives. The mass media provide us with news as it happens and new technological advances mean that various forms of transport now get us to our destinations faster and more comfortably than ever before.. We have even developed our physical strength and stamina with the use of digital body building machines. Our life expectancy has also increased due to advances in the field of medicine, and these have also improved the quality of our lives. Ironically, in our eagerness to improve our standard of living, we have been irresponsibly indifferent to the side effects of progress, science and technology. We are rapidly poisoning the world with toxic fumes, effluent and waste. Wherever we look we see the devastating consequences of pollution: the blighted landscape, the grimy water of our rivers and lakes and the sickly brown air which covers many cities of the world. As a result, we have drastically reduced the quality of our lives, endagering our very existence. One of the saddest consequences of pollution is the way it is destroying natural beauty. In a world where more and more space is taken up by concrete, we cannot afford to lose areas of natural beauty.. Yet that is precisely what is happening. Acid rain, a combitation of factory fumes and rain is causing vast areas of virgin forest in Sweden, Germany, Poland and other northern and central European countries to die. On the other hand, climate changes due to global warming which is caused by pollution lead to water shortage, floods or hurricanes. The time has come to say enough is enough! If we want to save our ravaged world, we must act now, before it is too late. Otherwise, in a very short time we will find ourselves living in what will be little better than a rubbish bag!

Perseverence

We rest here while we can, but we hear the ocean calling in our dreams, And we know by the morning, the wind will fill our sails to test the seams. The calm is on the water and part of us would linger by the shore. For ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for. — Song "Ships" by Tom Kimmel & Michael Lille

Life is like an ocean which is sometimes calm and inviting and sometimes rough and menacing. And we are ships sailing along. As long as the waters are calm, we have nothing to worry about - no fears, no anxieties, no stress. We just sail with the wind and enjoy the voyage. But very often, we have to sail against the wind and even fight against huge waves. Otherwise the ship will sink and we'll drown. When we first begin working toward a goal, we are filled with passion, fire and excitement. We feel invincible and we just know that we can accomplish whatever we desire. We take off running toward our goal, determined to make it happen, and we know we CAN make it happen. Then we begin to encounter some obstacles. We may struggle through a few of them, but then we begin making excuses for not working on our goals. Perhaps we lose interest and get overwhelmed with daily activities. Before we know it, our goal has been placed on the "back burner" and we are no longer working toward it. Worse, maybe we no longer believe that we CAN make our dreams a reality. What happened? In my own experience, there are four key ingredients to making your dreams come true: perseverence, tenacity, courage, persistence. One of the best ways to get through difficulties is to simply persevere day by day. Huge projects don't seem as daunting when we focus on one element ... completing that before we tackle the next phase. As Napoleon Hill said, "Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2009

The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held last night in Moscow, Russia on May 16 2009.- last year's winner. Like most Greeks I was very disappointed because Greece came only 7th. I think, however, that Sakis Rouvas - Greece's greatest pop star- did his very best. The big winner was Alexander Rybak from Norway who really won the hearts of all Europeans with his Fairy Tale which he wrote himself based on a true personal experience.... and the incredible record of 387 points. It was a great song and a great performance. In an interview after his victory, he said : "I won because I had a story to tell". My favourite song, though was the UK entry "It's My Time" by the amazing Jade Ewen who got the 5th place.

Alexander Rybak from Norway - the winner My favourite song. The Greek entry - This Is Our Night by Sakis Rouvas

Shadows

Sometimes we see an entity in the periphery of our field of vision. In the duality of our reality, these entities can be positive or negative. They may look like a spark of light, (a soul spark and our true essence,) most often viewed as white light moving between grid realities. On occasion one sees a dark form, or forms, referred to as Shadow People. This is about consciousness momentarily moving between the grids that create our reality. There are many grid experiences simultaneously interacting with our own. Sometimes we get a glimpse into another, if only for a nanosecond. Some people are more aware, while others just move on. Shadow people (also known as Shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are said to be shadow like creatures of supernatural origin that appear as dark forms in the peripheries of people's vision and disintegrate, or move between walls, when noticed. Reports of shadow people are similar to ghost sightings, but differ in that shadow people are not reported as having human features, wearing modern/period clothing, or attempting to communicate. Witnesses also do not report the same feelings of being in the presence of something that 'was once human'. Some individuals have described being menaced, chased, or (more rarely) attacked by shadow people. There have also been reports of shadow people appearing in front of witnesses or lingering for several seconds before disappearing. Witnesses report that encounters are typically accompanied by a feeling of dread. Most accounts of shadow people describe them as black humanoid silhouettes with no discernible mouths, noses, eyes, or any expression whatsoever, though purported witnesses have also described child-sized humanoids or shapeless masses. Some reports also include glowing red eyes. Generally, they are described as lacking mass, though their specific nature varies from a two-dimensional shadow to a vaporous or distorted three-dimensional form. Their movement is often described as being very quick and disjointed; they may first move slowly, as if they were passing through a heavy liquid, and then rapidly "hop" to another part of a witness' surroundings. Some witnesses describe this movement as though the shadow entities they have seen "danced" from one wall to the next, or as moving around the room "as if they were on a specific track". Some accounts differ from the above and instead describe a completely black creature with red eyes, a cloak, and a gentleman's hat. This variation has become known as "the hat man".

Galaxidi

Galaxidi is the prettiest of the low-key resorts on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth. The town is graced with narrow cobblestone streets and two small harbours, and makes a pleasant base from which to visit Delphi. Galaxidi is reasonably tranquil except during summer and holiday weekends, when its charm is tested by car loads of Athenians. That's where I find refuge when I want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I have a small cottage there overlooking the harbour and I really enjoy spending time there with friends and family or just by myself when I need some peace and quiet. I recently spent a week over the Greek easter there with the kids and some friends. The existence of Galaxidi dates since 1393 BC. The various events, the inscriptions,the finds, the graves intermingle with the legends and it is very difficult to disentangle them. The city was originally built 130 m above the sea, on a hill, near the location of today's church of St.Blasius and it was called Oianthi. This church was destroyed by an earthquake and it was rebuilt from preexisting old walls. All the surrounding area is an archeological site. The city was built two centuries before the Trojan war by Locros, a descendant of Defkalion. After his death a monument was erected to his honour by the Oianthians, called "the Locrion". In one Delphic inscription though it is written that the only sovereign was Armodamos. For a little while the city was also called Katakuzinoupolis, in 1444 A.D., from the name of Constantine Katakouzinos. Oianthi had signed at that time a treaty with the neighboring city of Horakion (Itea-Xeropigado) for peaceful coexistence and resolution of their differences, which proves the degree of civilization of the two cities. Oianthi was a nautical city and was connected with many cities by sea with which it had commercial and diplomatic relations. The regime was an authoritarian one, under a tyrant.Later on, the city of Galaxidi was founded by the sea and remained the main residence city of the people of Oianthi until today. In the beginning the people were living of piracy against enemy ships and caves were constructed to hide the ships in the location of Kavos and Potamaki. During the Peloponnesean War, Oianthi was an ally of Aitoloi and Philip,wanting to take revenge of Oianthians, declared war against them and conquered them. In the 3rd century B.C. Galaxidi became a nautical center and made alliances with other cities. Old texts found in Galaxidi talk about the nautical city with the marine history and heritage of the passion for the sea which until today remains a characteristic of all people of Galaxidi. Rigas Fereos' charta (map) in 1797 presents the name of Oianthi and Pentayi for today's Galaxidi. The presence of a small forest of pine trees, which are used in building ships, indicates the growing art of constructing means of marine transportation in Oianthi. The cultural growth of Galaxidi became quite evident after the independence about 1830 and remained until today with writers, painters, scientists who became known in Greece and abroad. Among them was Constantin Sathas, historian and writer who was born in 1842 and died in 1914. He conducted his research for 50 years in the biggest centers of his time: Venice, Piza, Florence, Genova, Paris. He published more than 20 books( in french), 75 papers which helped him in research of Greek history. France presented him with the golden metallion of the Academy for his distributions. Eva Vlami-Lekatsa is anoter famous writer from Galaxidi. She studied literature and music and became famous in the literary circles even in her first appearance as the writer Spyros Melas said. She was honored with the Ouranis award for the book "Skeletovrahos". The most recent writer from Galaxidi, Costoula Metropoulou, studied law and has written 11 books. She was awarded the Ouranis award for her book "Faces and Figures". In painting Spyros Vassiliou created his own school with his personal style. He studied in the Ecole des Beaux Arts and in 1930 was awarded from the Academy of Athens for his designs for the icons of the church of Saint Dennis in Athens. He published the book "Ships from Galaxidi", where beautiful pictures (mostly painted) of the ships are presented. The churches of Galaxidi were constructed before 1821.The biggest one St.Nickolas was rebuilt in 1827-1902. Its temple is well known throughout Greece as a masterpiece of sculpture in wood. The church of St.Paraskevi presents a simpicity and a mysterious atmosphere. It was built before 1821 and graves with roman tombstones were found in the churche's grounds. The church of St.John Prodromos was built before 1821 as well. It is very picturesque and it has an icon drawn by the Byzantine painter Michael Damaskinos in the 16th century showing the holy family.

The Greek Easter

Today the Greek orthodox celebrated Easter called Holy Pascha. At midnight, Easter Martins and the Divine Liturgy are chanted. Our Lord's Glorious Resurrection services include The Resurrection Service. The church is lit by the candles of the faithful who receive the resurrection light and form a procession outside the church. The congregation hears the good news of Christ's triumph over death from the Gospel. The joyous hymn of Christ's resurrection is triumphantly chanted -"Christos Anesti Ek Nekron" - The Lord has risen from the dead The Pascha Liturgy and the Sermon of St John invite us to take part in the feast of the resurrection and to receive the Holy Communion.On Easter Sunday late morning we gather to celebrate the "Agapee" a Paschal vesper when we embrace and forgive our fellow Christians, sharing with others Christ's gift of new life. Then follows "to glendi" - the feast- during which we cook ovelias (lamb or goat on the skew) and kokoretsi consisting mainly of seasoned lamb or goat offal. Traditional Greek dances are performed all over Greece and we eat and dance and drink to our heart's content. Χριστός Ανέστη. Χρόνια Πολλά

Holy Thursday

Today and tomorrow are days of mourning for all the Greeks. Tonight , in our churches, we will commemorate the Crossing and tomorrow the burial of our Lord which leads to his glorious resurrection on Holy Saturday and the midnight Mass called "Anastasi" (=resurrection). I'll be away on this long festive weekend and I'll certainly miss you all a lot. See you again in a week. In the meantime , I would like to wish all my Greek friends Καλό Πάσχα και Καλή Ανάσταση.

10 Steps to Happiness

I have often wondered how one can find real happiness in life. I have read many books on the pursuit of happiness and visited many sites on the same issue. I certainly got out of them a lot of constructive information. The first step I took towards happiness was to stop thinking negative or feeling self-pity. Here are the 10 steps I took and which led me to happiness:

1. Learn to love yourself as you are with your pluses and minuses.

2. Be confident but not over confident.

3. Be creative. Start a sport , a hobby....

4. Forget your own ego and concentrate on your spiritual self.

5. Dream - dreams often come true. It's up to you to realise them.

6. Greet your neighbours even if you don't like them. This is not hypocricy since wishing anyone a good day will make your day happier too.

7. Don't forget to smile! (at least 20 times a day)

8. Respect others as you would like them to respect you!

9. Have fun! Meet your friends, go out, enjoy yourself!

10. Count your blessings.

And as Alan Chalmers said : The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

Music

Michalis Hadjigiannis is one of my favourite pop singers. He was born in Cyprus on November 5 1978 and very soon he became one of the most popular pop stars in Greece. However much I like him or any singer, I hardly ever go to concerts as I am someone who hates crowded places. However, I made an exception 3 years ago and attended one of his fabulous concerts. I recorded the video below in July 2006 during one of Hadjiyiannis' concerts in Larnaca. Hope you enjoy it despite the non-professional recording! Please note that I wasn't amongst the delirious girls who craved to touch him since I was recording the whole scene from a distance.