Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
How many times...
...can a sane person listen to jingly music and the following recorded messages at 20 second intervals and not go crazy?
Due to high call volume, it is taking longer than expected to answer your call. Please continue to hold and your call will be answered as soon as possible.
Our agents are busy at present. You call is important to us and will be answered shortly.
I lasted 18 minutes. It's a new record as far as I'm concerned so I'm really proud of myself. Didn't have much success once I got through, but that's another story.
God, I hate Oyster.
I mean honestly, what do you answer to the question "how did you take the train"? Ermmm.... went to the station, waited on the platform for a train to arrive, and once the doors opened I hopped on? How else could anyone take the train??
For those not in the know, Oyster is the clever way our local transport chiefs have come up with for overcharging unsuspecting rail and bus passengers. You put money on a charge card that looks just like a credit card and you have to tap in and out every time you make a overland train journey so the correct amount for your fare can be deducted. Most train stations aren't gated, so it's up to you to remember to find a machine to tap on entering and exiting the station.
If there's a snow blizzard at the time you happen to be exiting your station and you're carrying a cake in a paper bag and no umbrella, chances are you'll forget to tap out. If you do, the system automatically charges you a penalty fare, which could, if your balance is low, mean that you're left with no money to pay your bus fare home.
In order to have the penalty fare reversed you have to call the Oyster helpline 24 hours after the incident (to allow their computers to catch up, because these machines were made in the 20th century and are staying there thank you very much). Once the 24 hours have passed and you try to ring, you're subjected to the jingly jangly music and recorded messages telling you how important your call is to them.
Well, if my call is so important to you, why don't you answer the bloody phone? Eh? And how about being able to help me once you do answer? That would have been nice.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Signs of the times
You know you're homesick...
...when you put up your Xmas decorations on 9th January to celebrate new year's eve again with your friends. The neighbours may think you're mad, but who cares.
You know you've had too much of the white stuff...
...when you see snow falling from the sky and your first thought is that people won't be able to come to your party if the roads ice over.
You know it's too cold...
...when you decide to store your cold drinks on the balcony rather than the fridge, and it works because the temperature on your balcony is way lower than that of your fridge.
Happy new year -- once more! If you're in the UK, make sure you wrap up warm. It looks like it's going to be another frosty night. Brrr.
...when you put up your Xmas decorations on 9th January to celebrate new year's eve again with your friends. The neighbours may think you're mad, but who cares.
You know you've had too much of the white stuff...
...when you see snow falling from the sky and your first thought is that people won't be able to come to your party if the roads ice over.
You know it's too cold...
...when you decide to store your cold drinks on the balcony rather than the fridge, and it works because the temperature on your balcony is way lower than that of your fridge.
Happy new year -- once more! If you're in the UK, make sure you wrap up warm. It looks like it's going to be another frosty night. Brrr.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Mushroom? I ask you!
This morning, as soon as I logged on to Facebook, I noticed that a number of my contacts had started talking in colours. At first I thought it was the latest fun thing -- "post your favourite colour" like "pick up your nearest book and post the third word on the 10th line on page 54" which was doing the rounds not that long ago.
Then, as the caffeine from the morning cuppa hit my brain, I noticed that some of the colours couldn't really be favourite colours at all. Sure, I have no trouble believing that Sal favours Emerald Green, but Eleni loving Baby Blue over and above any other hue or tone? No way. Plus, what sort of colour is Pink and White, unless of course you're a strawberry cheesecake?
So I emailed my friend Sal and asked her what was going on. And I stopped myself posting Barbie Pink until I got a reply from her.
As it turns out, women Facebook users are posting their bra colours on Facebook is an innovative way to promote breast cancer awareness. You can read all about it here.
All for a good cause, all the more reason to participate. Thinking back to what I'd put on earlier that morning, I realised that my bra was a weird grey/taupey colour (not from washing whites and coloureds together, I might add). So I figured I'd check the label to see what the colour's called. The label said: MUSHROOM.
I am now the only one amongst my friends who instead of posting a colour on her Facebook status bar, has posted a vegetable. Nice one, M&S!
Then, as the caffeine from the morning cuppa hit my brain, I noticed that some of the colours couldn't really be favourite colours at all. Sure, I have no trouble believing that Sal favours Emerald Green, but Eleni loving Baby Blue over and above any other hue or tone? No way. Plus, what sort of colour is Pink and White, unless of course you're a strawberry cheesecake?
So I emailed my friend Sal and asked her what was going on. And I stopped myself posting Barbie Pink until I got a reply from her.
As it turns out, women Facebook users are posting their bra colours on Facebook is an innovative way to promote breast cancer awareness. You can read all about it here.
All for a good cause, all the more reason to participate. Thinking back to what I'd put on earlier that morning, I realised that my bra was a weird grey/taupey colour (not from washing whites and coloureds together, I might add). So I figured I'd check the label to see what the colour's called. The label said: MUSHROOM.
I am now the only one amongst my friends who instead of posting a colour on her Facebook status bar, has posted a vegetable. Nice one, M&S!
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Greek Epiphany carols
OK, this is a self-indulgent post, I'll admit it and give you fair warning.
Today is the Feast of Epiphany. If I were in Greece, I'd be having the day off, and kids would be knocking on my door all morning long to sing the Epiphany carols in exchange for money to buy presents.
Carol singing is an important holiday tradition in Greece. It takes place on Christmas eve, New Year's eve and on the Feast of Epiphany. I have many fond childhood memories of singing carols with my friends and using the money to buy presents for my parents or contribute towards my own Christmas present.
This picture, painted in the 1870's by Nikiforos Lytras, is the most well-known Greek painting with a Christmas theme and one of my personal favourites.
Since I'm in England at the moment, no one has turned up to sing on my doorstep, so I'm having to recreate the sounds of the day via the magic of YouTube. This is what the Epiphany carols would sound like (if a children's choir paid me a visit):
The lyrics roughly translate as follows:
Today is the day of light and enlightment
There is great joy and holy blessing
Our Lady the Blessed Mary
Is down by the Jordan River
She's carrying a harp, a candle she's holding
She's pleading with St. John
St. John, lord and Baptist,
Baptise me, make me a child of God
So I'll be able to ascend to heaven
To gather roses and incense
Good day, good day!
Good day to you, master and mistress!
Since this is an indulgent post, I could even close my eyes and imagine that a cute Cypriot singer turned up to sing for me. This is what he would be sounding like:
I think I know which version I prefer ;-)
Today is the Feast of Epiphany. If I were in Greece, I'd be having the day off, and kids would be knocking on my door all morning long to sing the Epiphany carols in exchange for money to buy presents.
Carol singing is an important holiday tradition in Greece. It takes place on Christmas eve, New Year's eve and on the Feast of Epiphany. I have many fond childhood memories of singing carols with my friends and using the money to buy presents for my parents or contribute towards my own Christmas present.
This picture, painted in the 1870's by Nikiforos Lytras, is the most well-known Greek painting with a Christmas theme and one of my personal favourites.
Since I'm in England at the moment, no one has turned up to sing on my doorstep, so I'm having to recreate the sounds of the day via the magic of YouTube. This is what the Epiphany carols would sound like (if a children's choir paid me a visit):
The lyrics roughly translate as follows:
Today is the day of light and enlightment
There is great joy and holy blessing
Our Lady the Blessed Mary
Is down by the Jordan River
She's carrying a harp, a candle she's holding
She's pleading with St. John
St. John, lord and Baptist,
Baptise me, make me a child of God
So I'll be able to ascend to heaven
To gather roses and incense
Good day, good day!
Good day to you, master and mistress!
Since this is an indulgent post, I could even close my eyes and imagine that a cute Cypriot singer turned up to sing for me. This is what he would be sounding like:
I think I know which version I prefer ;-)
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
The world's gone to pot
Today is the 12th Day of Christmas - the last day for decorations to be taken down, as Christmas celebrations traditionally end on Twelfth Night. So I guess, technically, in England it's still Christmas.
In Greece, the holiday season is going strong, culminating in the Feast of the Epiphany on 6th January.
In Russia, most people haven't even celebrated Christmas, as the Russian Orthodox church still uses the Julian calendar, which has Christmas falling on 7th January.
In Spain, kids are waiting to open their Christmas presents tomorrow, during the Fiesta de Los Reyes Magos.
The Met Office is predicting snow all over the UK (up to 15 cm in places like Manchester and Ceredigion, Wales).
Meanwhile....
...supermarkets across the UK are selling Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. You may be blissfully unawares, but it's only 88 days to Easter - that's a fact. If you don't start buying your chocolate eggs now, you may soon run out of time and have to endure (shock, horror) a chocolate-less Easter.
In case you think this is too weird to be true, I have photographic proof for you. Yes, I bought Easter chocolate on 5th January. Unbelievable but true.
In my defence, it was for a noble cause (i.e. blogging) - and I managed to resist the temptation of the buy-one-get-one-free packs of freshly baked hot cross buns.
Those Cadbury's Dairy Milk Caramel Bunnies are actually rather nice. Just saying.
In Greece, the holiday season is going strong, culminating in the Feast of the Epiphany on 6th January.
In Russia, most people haven't even celebrated Christmas, as the Russian Orthodox church still uses the Julian calendar, which has Christmas falling on 7th January.
In Spain, kids are waiting to open their Christmas presents tomorrow, during the Fiesta de Los Reyes Magos.
The Met Office is predicting snow all over the UK (up to 15 cm in places like Manchester and Ceredigion, Wales).
Meanwhile....
...supermarkets across the UK are selling Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. You may be blissfully unawares, but it's only 88 days to Easter - that's a fact. If you don't start buying your chocolate eggs now, you may soon run out of time and have to endure (shock, horror) a chocolate-less Easter.
In case you think this is too weird to be true, I have photographic proof for you. Yes, I bought Easter chocolate on 5th January. Unbelievable but true.
In my defence, it was for a noble cause (i.e. blogging) - and I managed to resist the temptation of the buy-one-get-one-free packs of freshly baked hot cross buns.
Those Cadbury's Dairy Milk Caramel Bunnies are actually rather nice. Just saying.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Festive Athens
Happy new year 2010!
Syntagma Square in central Athens at 12 AM on 1/1/2010When things go according to plan, hubby and I spend Christmas in England and New Year's in Greece, getting the best of both worlds. Christmas is the bigger celebration in England and a relative non-event in Greece. The opposite is true of new year's eve. This is why we try to see in the new year amongst our Greek family and friends, something we decided against this year (I don't know what we were thinking).
Unsurprisingly, we had a very boring new year's eve and an even more boring new year's day - it was so bad that I've promised myself never to spend new year's eve in England again, even if it means I fly out on the 31st December and back on the 1st January!
In case you're wondering why Christmas isn't celebrated much in Greece, this is because in the Eastern Christian (Orthodox) tradition, Christmas isn't considered to be the biggest religious celebration of the year. This position is claimed by Easter, on the basis that it's the ressurection of Christ, not His birth, that made a difference to humankind.
Even Epiphany, which falls on January 6, is considered to be a more important religious feast than Christmas. So from a celebratory point of view, Christmas heralds the start of the holiday season which culminates in Epiphany and has New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in its centre.
Add to this the fact that the Greek Santa Claus brings kids' presents on New Year's Eve rather than Christmas day, and you can see why the 31st December becomes the biggest party day of the year, for children and adults alike.
Preparations are slow before Christmas (no Santa chocolates appearing in Greek supermarkets in September, thank God) but the atmosphere between Christmas and new year is amazing. Everyone's out shopping for new year presents, but not with the same consumerist fervour you see in England. When we lived in Greece we used to go out and do all our shopping in just one day - none of this "147 Shopping Days To Christmas" malarkey that seems to send everyone in the UK in a frenzy round about October time.
Anyway, I digress. The point is that this morning I was feeling rather sorry for myself for not having spent any part of the holiday season in Greece. Then I logged on to Facebook and found that a friend of a friend had posted a load of beautiful photos taken in Athens during December. So here they are: instead of am extra-long new year's day tirade, I've made a photo-post instead.
All photos have been taken by Antonis Toutouzis, who has kindly given me permission to post them on my blog. Many thanks, Antoni, and a happy new year to you!
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