Τρίτη 28 Μαΐου 2013

Blog no.5: Beyond the horizon.

Dear remaining readers,

  It's not my usual writing hours but my sleeping schedule has been so messed up lately, time doesn't even matter anymore. I haven't posted for quite a while, due to my full schedule and the upcoming exams which I'm obligated to take seriously if I don't want to end up playing the guitar in the streets and hope they don't throw shoes at me. I have some spare time now though, so I'm using it to write something for you guys to read. Yeah, both of you!  
  It has been difficult coming up with a subject to talk about. It almost seems like my brain has ran dry. However, the best conversations always start with the most random questions. They have to be spontanious, unexpected and even weird. I remember a cold December night last year, me and my friends were staying in a lousy hotel. There was tension because of the bad quality of the hotel, so I decided to go outside for a bit, to get some fresh air. I took a chair and a blanket with me and just sat there. Minutes later, one of my best friends came outside aswell, brought his chair and sat next to me. We were both tucked under the big, warm blanket. We sat there, silent for a while. Suddenly, my friend asksed me "Do you think there's something else out there?" What was going to be just a small break for a breath of fresh cold air, turned out to be one of the longest, weirdest, most awesome conversations I have ever had. 
 It doesn't always have to be about a particular subject. This is basically me talking to myself through written word. Call me crazy. Call me lonely. Aren't we all, though? Nobody can see the world through your eyes. Think about it, the only person who understands you better than anyone, is yourself. Everybody wants someone to talk to about everything and nothing. Someone who will not judge them, who will not call them weird, who will simply "get them". Someone who can ask them "What are you thinking?" and they will be able to answer with something different than "stuff". I have found that someone. I see him everytime I look in the mirror. He has that troubled, concerned look but he never forgets to pair it with a reassuring smile. He's a neat guy, we get along really well!
  Now you must be sure that I'm a schizophrenic with a torn personality who talks to himself. It's nothing like that, ask the other guy! Right, man? All jokes aside, if you think about it, you can all relate. Haven't you ever been in a situation where you just wanted some time for yourself? Not because you were depressed, angry or concerned about something. You just wanted some time, you and your thoughts. In a hot summer night, sitting on the balcony, looking at the stars while listening to songs with meaningful lyrics you can appreciate. Μaybe not even listening to music. Total silence.
 Observing the stars makes me think about how small I am compared to what's out there. It really makes me wonder. It makes me forget about every tiny, insignifigant concern I have. It makes me escape my reality, even for a little bit. It puts a smile on my face. 
 The sky in general is my favourite thing on earth. It amazes me how a little bit of imagination turns all the shapes of the clouds into anything you can think about. Each one has a story behind it, a journey to go through. Each one is unique. For some people they are not that fascinating. They are just clouds. Random shapes. They don't mean anything, right? No! If you use your imagination, you can give a meaning to everything. After all, it's your most powerful weapon to escape reality. Use it wisely.
 That concludes today's blog. I know we are in difficult times and we have to worry about a lot of things nowadays but in case you want to forget about them for a bit, you know what to do. Sit back, relax and observe. Open your mind, escape reality. I'm leaving you with this famous quote from the first man on the moon, just food for thought. Thanks for reading and have a nice day!


"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small".


Neil Armstrong


Yours faithfully, 
Stelios Zesiades

Πέμπτη 16 Μαΐου 2013

Blog no.4: O tempora, o mores!

Dear insomniac people,

  Yeah, all the 20 of you who stumbled upon this blog. Welcome! It's 3 a.m., I'm listening to sad, atmospheric music and I'm bored. You know the drill... I'm back for another afterhour blogging session, since my last one was such a huge success. As long as there's free and unwanted space in the world wide web...! Hey, I even bothered to use a latin phrase for a headline to make it look fancier. "O tempora o mores!" means "Oh what times! Oh what customs!". Now whether I have learned that from Asterix or not is a different story.
 I'm back to talk about something that has been an item of discussion since a long time ago, though it has gathered a lot of attention since all these funny content sharing websites such as 9gag and Reddit went viral. I'm sure if you occasionally check any of these websites, you have come across with some, if not many "only 90's kids will remember this" posts, ranting about how cool and superior the 90's kids were. Yes, I know you can relate to most of them. And yes, I know you were, most likely, born in the 90's. If not: go to bed! You have school tomorrow, what's the matter with you? Ah! I'm such a great role model!
 Anyways, I have to say that all of us who lived through the 90's agree those were awesome times that we all loved. Have you ever consider though that the 90's were more than a decade ago? Do you know what was great about the 90's? We were kids back then! Of course we had fun. Of course we played outside. Of course we remember them as "the best years of our lives"(most of us). Our only worries were: "Oh man, if it rains, I won't be able to play football today" or "Damn, I can't remember were I put my toy soldiers". It was fun and it was easy. But, you know, times change. People change. It's the logical continuation of things.
 We like to recall the 90's because it brings us back to these childhood years. We like to think that our generation was better than the next one and we like to blame the newer generations for being different than us. But the funny thing is that the 70's kids said the same thing about the 80's kids, the 80's kids about the 90's kids and so on and so forth. What is so special about being born in a particular decade? The music? The television? Nowadays with the development of the internet, we can listen to whatever we want to, we can watch whatever we want and we can find any information we'd like. I have to say that I feel lucky I get to enjoy music from several different decades and I get to watch any film I like by just searching for it in the web. There's nothing bad about technological evolution. If used correctly, it makes our lives easier and much more interesting, while opening infinite doors for us to discover. After that, it's a matter of the individual whether he choses to do so or just ignore the opportunities. Our boundaries are set by our thirst for knowledge.
 Some might say "Yeah but the kids nowadays never play outside". Well, the kids of today are raised by the previous generations. It is their duty to teach their kids how to use the tools given to them in a good manner. And besides, last time I checked there were plenty of children playing outside. That's just something we say to fulfil our image of the current generation. The other common phrase is "There is no good music nowadays". If you believe that, you obviously haven't searched much deeper than your local radio station. There was always good and bad music and we've proved that it's the good one that survives the tests of time.
  Wow, that was a gigantic rant! But hey, these are just my thoughts on the 90's nostalgia trends. I'm not by any means saying that I don't get nostalgic over my childhood. I even consider blogging about that in the future. I'm just saying that as an individual, you have to adapt to the current situations and appreciate what you have now, rather than imagining what it could have been. Don't be close-minded, don't generalize and accept change. And by the words of a great man, I bid you farewell.

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."


  - Walt Disney

Yours sincerely,
Stelios Zesiades.

P.S.: I swear, one day I'll leave a quote memorable enough to be put in Italics, in front of a random background!

Τετάρτη 8 Μαΐου 2013

Blog no.3: The little things.

Dear random citizens of the world,

 Greetings! Sorry for taking me so long to post a new blog, had some obligations and...oh who am I kidding, I was bored beyond imagination, stayed in bed and watched soft rom-coms throughout the weekend. Sometimes you get into a state where you have so much stuff to do, you just decide to do nothing and eventually get sucked into procrastination and mindless web-browsing, or how most people call it, laziness. I prefer to call it "weekend crisis".
 Oh well, enough about that. Today I decided to write about something that everybody can relate to, even though they might not realize it themselves. That is the little things in life. What I mean by that? The little things you do unknowingly that define your character. The little things you randomly stumble upon in your everyday life that might not be important or even noticable to most people but you notice and enjoy. The little things that can put a smile on your face after a miserable day. I for one, try to notice these as much as possible, in order to find a reason to smile even in the roughest of days. In order to be a happier, more positive person. Because happiness is something you pursue, not something you wait and expect to happen.
 And you are asking what are these little things? You might laugh at how simple they are. What might make your day? Making the perfect cup of coffee before a morning class. Listening to your favourite song when walking around the neighbourhood and singing along. Walking your dog while listening to music, practicing the air drums along the way, without caring about the guy who's looking at you as if you were nuts. Doing a special 5-minute secret handshake with your best friends.Trying to remember where you have seen that actor before and after hours of torturing your poor brain suddenly remembering. Getting a reference from a movie you watched which your friends didn't. Knowing the answer of a very difficult question because of randomly encountering it previously. These are just some examples and I'm sure you can relate.
 But it's not just the little things you encounter everyday. It's the little things you can do to make you a better person. Saying thank you to a stranger who held the door open for you. Giving your bus seat to someone who needs it more than you do. Helping an old lady carry her bags across the street. Giving directions to the tourists in font of you who are obviously lost, struggling with a gigantic map to pinpoint their location. Offering to keep a stranger under your umbrella on a rainy day. Basically, just being nice to others.
 Even though my examples may seem insignifigant for some of you, they mean a lot to me. Why is that? These little things help me stay positive no matter what the situation. They make life more interesting and they relieve stress. They make me a happy and positive person. People might say that being optimistic is being unrealistic. Well, I have to disagree with them. Being optimistic gives you courage, strength, hope. It helps you overcome every obstacle life throws in your path. It makes you a better person. If you manage find a balance between thinking logically and being optimistic, you are in the right direction. Don't expect things to happen if you don't have the mentality to pursue them. "When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade". No! You don't wait for life to give you lemons. You seek the lemons and you get them yourself. And then you make some freaking delicious lemonade and enjoy it with your friends. You can either go through your life or live it. It's your call.

My regards,
Stelios Zesiades.

P.S. Don't forget to enjoy the little things!