I could write a book

...but I won't.

Routine

There is something amazing and scary at the same time with things we tend to do daily. I'm a person who gets bored easily but at the same time indulges in doing the same shit again and again. Confusing, isn't it?

For starters, that would be my cup of tea. When I have time at home, there's always a big one around. And when I say big, I mean around 0,3-0,5L. Probably green tea with some flavoring.A tiny tiny bit isn't drunk, to remind me that the cup is too big for tea.

Then, the web. Architects tend to be stuck on their laptops, but I think that I'm one step further than that. It keeps my away from books, which I dislike.

And, of course, cooking. I cook almost daily. Today, I managed to burn a bit of my stew once again. Stew is a food that still puzzles me.

In the end there's Tapas. The place where you can find me most of the nights. It become something of a guilty pleasure. I try to avoid going there and in the end I still find myself there, tidying up at the closing. What the hell?

I bet this was the king of nonsense posts. But there's something really mysterious about the things we swear to hate and still do. And doesn't everyone have them?

Just a few tips from a second time visitor and Vienna-lover

For starters, my tips are very subjective, but that's obvious, isn't it? So, let's begin.

1. find a place to stay in the centre, or at least at walking distance. Let's just say that I'm not an avid fan of the metro when it comes to tourism. You lose your sense of direction and all those amazing things you could see on foot. Plus, it usually costs you a lot of money. And in Vienna it's kind of superfluous to use it, since it's quite a small town and the usual sightseeing is done in a very short distance. Plus, you have the bonus of being able to walk home at night and not having to use the nightbus. And I know there are some very reasonably priced hostels close to the city centre.

2. Visit the museumsquartier. I've been in love with this pace since my first visit and it hasn't diminished ever since. Even if you're not very fond of museums (which is not my case), it has events, and restaurants and ateliers, and shops and amazing gluhwein in the winter months. A must see.

3. Learn a little german. I was always embarrasingly fond of my languages and thought I could conquer the world with them. But when I went to a lecture of n Austrian architect-writer I couldn't understand a thing. And then, when the conversation with people I've met here went to difficult topics, I comfortably switched to english. But there was a problem with that: not everyone was fluent in english! so, if you'll just do tourist talk around here your english will probably be fine. But if you have other aspirations, it wouldn't hurt knowing a word of german or two.

4. You need cheap, plenty and delicious food? go to dewan! It is a place near the university and very close to the freud museum, in which you can fill (and refill, if you want) your plate with different kinds of pakistani food. After 3 days of expensive eating, this was heaven.

4. Visit the musa. After three days of extensive museum-visiting (when I wasn't busy with the symposium), I can assure you that this was the best art exhibition I saw in Vienna. And the entrance is free.

5. Be wary of the christmas markets (if it's that time of the season). Having been to this kinds of things a lot since I was a kid, I am quite sure that the Viennese ones are on the expensive side (I mean, gluhwein for 4.50? no way!). And since I know that all those chocolate strawberry sticks must look amazing when you first see them, I wouldn't say "don't buy a thing". Just try to be frugal.

6. Walk! As I sais in point 1, Vienna is a small town. And a very beautiful one at that. So walking or biking is the best way to see it. I believe ther are even some free bikes in some corners of the city (but you'd have to check that with someone who's actually tried to use one). There are many roads to take. My favorite one would be from the Museumsquartier to Votivkirche via Herrengasse and Stephansplatz. Another one could be a tour of the Universities, from die Angewandte to the University of Vienna, via the polytechnical school. Or anything else.

7. Drink Booze. I'm not saying you must do that. But sofar Vienna has passed my alcohol test with distinction. It has great local wine, even when it's cheap, great beer and great cocktails. Visit the Loos bar and you won't be disappointed. If you're interested in Architecture, even better. I'm not even talking about the gluhwein, because it's an obsession of mine.

8. Go home early. Clarification: when I say early, I mean by Greek standards. Because I always believe in "doing it like the locals" and being sober while everyone else is already dead drunk is never pleasant.

So, that's it from me. And 9. Don't forget to have a nice time!

Second time, pretty time

I've started writing this blog the summer of my first year in university. One of the first posts like, four years ago was about our trip to Vienna. Guess what: I'm back.
Thouroughout these years I've been to a lot of places and to some of them a lot of times. But I've always longed coming back here. And I jumped to the first opportunity that I had (which I hope is as promising as it looks like).
Truthfully, it wasn't the right time for a trip at all. But maybe the scenery, the homely feel, the different experiences, the gluhwein (exageration, especially since it's not that cold) will help me settle down. The gigantic schnitzel that I ate in the evening definitely helped a bit.
So,I'm leaving you to sleep because a long day of museums, delicacies and symposiums awaits me. too-loo!

Surrealism.

Inability to perform as expected. Sleeping late. Walking on thin soil. Having a smoke smelling exactly like it shouldn't. Being sleepy, because you sleep too late.

Good night. Good morning.

Living like a first year again. And getting over it.

The word "last" is a tough one usually. One that makes you want to enjoy it a lot more than all the previous ones. One that makes you anxious about what will be the "first" that comes after the "last". One that can make your head go round. It happened to me too. Being the last year of university life, I found myself partying like crazy. And going out on every occasion. And starting a bunch of new things. And somehow I found myself dazed and confused from all this shit. I understand that anxiousness can lead you to a lot of shitty decisions, but I couldn't concentrate on what I believed anymore. Plus the fact that I'm not in the end of the path but a mere step ahead. And then, I decided to calm down. Because, in the whole anxious rythms, I comletely confused what I wanted to prioritize. Plus, let's be realistic, it costs a lot to be a first year again. :P

PS. I hope the next thing I'll show you here will be a photograph and not my shitty personal situations

Time

One of the shitty things about capitalism and even more of neoliberalism is the mess that becomes of time. You have no time to think, no time to rest, no time to love. It is a system incompatible with human rythms.

And when you've got no time, except the one you work or the one you despair over not working, you have to squeeze everything else in the little time that remains. So, you have to hurry everything. Eat fast, drink fast, get drunk fast, fuck fast, sleep fast, wake up fast, fall in love fast. Except you can't. If you eat fast, you'll get a stomachache and you won't be able to digest for the rest of the day. If you drink fast you'll puke. And let's not even talk about sleeping fast or falling in love fast: they are nonexistent.

I'd like to live in a world where I'd have to work less and do something creative. Where waking up wouldn't be the end of the world and drinking wouldn't always lead to getting drunk. Where I'd take my time to eat and love wouldn't be connected with pressure.

End of a week with a lot of events.

About mood swings, expectations and disappointment

Strange post, considering that I've just returned from a very fulfilling weekend. But mood swings are a tough phenomenon, anyway.

The first thing you can do is accept their existence. Things aren't always rose-colored in our minds and in our environments, so being in a 24/7 joy would be abnormal. The gravity of the feeling depends on the person though. As does the frequency.

One could stay there but I'm not a believer of easy solutions. Next step would be get over it. But not in the form of ignoring it. Getting over it, for me means learning to live with it and not letting it get you out of track. Having violent mood swings feels like walking on a thread. One false step and you're hanging upside down. But, with the right push from the people around you, you can do it.

As for disappointments, they've been a very frequent occurence in my life for the past three years. I could even say that the past year has been a series of massive discouragement. These might be tougher than mood swings, because they teach you not to expect anything, in order not to get hurt. And what life, what struggle can exist without expectations?

Anyway, I'm done with the foolosophy for today. Let's catch a glimpse of the weekend.

Strange days, wonderful days

It's the time of the season (beloved song whose lyrics are always around in this blog) when you don't know if you have to wear boots or sandals. You get mistaken again and again. You start running when others are walking and appreciating the things around you. Eventually, you crash against a wall. You live with anxiety, everyone does nowadays. But you have to slow down, because otherwise you can't think. And these are tricky days which need a lot of brainstorming.

Shorts and boots, concerts, festivals, madness, alcohol, denial, laughter, decisions, arrogance, fatigue, cheesecake, birthdays, photography, this is what my days have been all about. Next wish: inner peace. Tough one.

First things first

I've had my first tooth filling today. And a job prospect. And a gazillion things to talk about, as usual. But it's only gonna be questions today.

Are we happy? are we making ourselves unhappy? are we fretting over nonsense? are we not concious enough? Are we afraid? do we have to hide our desires? would it be better if we all got on the streets until the end? How do we approach people that have left our camp? how do we fulfil the void? is sex a matter of concern, or is it just a sentimental defect? Do we leave people or do they leave us, or maybe both? Do we want to smash the security light next door or do we want to put it in our home too? Who's sane anymore? In the end, is it better to dig around facts or to let them be? This could be an eternal list of cries of agony. But one can answer on his/her own. And thus, humankind still remains. We'll see