writing on a sunday morning

i think i am finally getting used to milan and this new way of life. going out during the week even when there is class the next morning, finding random concerts going on through out the center, finding MTV cameras making some show (actually MTV italy is looking for people, maybe i will apply), seeing giorgio armani ads in the subway, trying to speak italian and communicate in an architectural level during studio classes, enjoying the fact that there is no tax to be added at the end of your shopping because the tax is already included in the price!!! (this is by far my favorite thing), going to soccer matches that i never dreamed i could go see, and in general living the italian life.

wednesday i went to this little italian pub called "entropia". there was a little italian band playing live requests from the pretty drunk customers. they were mainly playing old italian songs that i happen to know (because i learned italian listening to them). so i had the pleasure of requesting two songs which they played for me and they reminded me of old times in albania and greece. the atmosphere in general was very friendly and happy and i think im definitely going back there.

next stop on my traveling schedule is rome. i am going there with my roomates for four days and we have a list of places to go visit. i really cant wait to to go there and discover one more italian city so famous for its architecture. i don't know what i am expecting to learn from these trips, maybe something about architecture that i will only realize years later.

ironic

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay
and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong
and everything blows up in your face

A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife

And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...

vacation is finally over - school begins

so i get back to milan and find my new argentinian roomate (Lu) and my two brasilian suitmates (Ma and Bi), my short cut is Isi as usual. they are the coolest girls ever, we all have different personalities offering something different to the group. Lu is the party girl, Ma is the responsible one, Bi knows all mass transportation, and I... hmmm.... i think i am the decision maker. ahhaaa.

in milano, one goes out every day of the week and by that i mean even sunday and monday. regular restaurants transform to clubs after 11pm and i just witnessed one of these transformations today. they also have this amazing deal they call "happy hour". so from 8pm to 10:30pm one can buy 2 drinks for the price of one and also enjoy huge amounts of tasty appetizers for free. so with 6-7 euros you get two drinks and endless food of your choice. very nice deal!

classes in italy are only once a week but also 4 hours long!!! it is the hardest thing to handle, staying focused for all 240 minutes. but hey at least i dont have to go to the same class twice in a week. my best class so far is my studio, in which i am building a huge transportation center in turkey and for that i am going to istanbul!!! how cool is that! i already got the tickets. i will post pictures soon. there is also this other class about sustainable architecture and about how much the USA sucks for using up so much more energy than the rest of the world. i am not kidding, this is the purpose of the class. lol

2 weeks in athens

athens was a lot of fun and a lot of relative meetings and a lot of food and a lot of feta cheese. so it was great. the first week was kind of chilly so i couldnt go to the beach. the second week i got my period...lol..so i couldnt go to the beach. but i got to take pics of it and that is still fun.

my conclusion is that we work our entire life to make money and not work anymore and we end up not working when we can't really enjoy our money at our full potential a.k.a. when we are old. the most beautiful places in athens, like loutraki and barkiza, which are by the sea and have wonderful clear blue waters, are so expensive to live at that only old wealthy people can enjoy. all this gorgeous locations are inhabited by so many old people and no young ones that is kind of not fair i think. i think old people should let young people enjoy the beach damn'it.


also greeks have this huge thing about eastern women who they think go to greece just to steal greek men from their wives and take their money. there is always shows about this on tv and it is just so funny when you hear them argue this rediculous subject.


oh i also saw santiago calatrava's olympic stadium which is gorgeous but i could not get too close. i heard he got paid like 4 times the actual amount he should have because the greeks asked him at the last minute. he is the bomb though.

but biggest thing i have to talk about is the how much of a party people albanians are. my uncle who is almost 50 is the first one to get up and dance at a party (which i think would sound unheard of for an american), he also almost slapped his son for not dancing and he forced him to learn how to dance. all albanians just dance to the slightest hearing of a note and are suckers for partying big time. it's kind of kool that i am part of this nation. ahhaha.