Saturday 25 December 2010

Christmas at home...

It is 00:22 at Christmas... I'm sitting by the Christmas tree as I'm writing this... arrived home just a while ago after having had dinner with good friends... the food, the wine, their one-year-old sweetheart with her amazing smile and her first steps around the living room, everything was perfect! Better than I could ever imagine! When I decided to stay here alone for Christmas, moths ago and mostly because I have been so tired I could not bear the thought of traveling this time of the year, I had not hoped for more than just having some time for myself, time off work for staying at  home... had hoped for hours of knitting... hours of laying on the sofa...

Turns out, I must have done something good in my life because the Universe is paying me back with far more than I had hoped for! Today's dinner, tomorrow's lunch, yes, we are having turkey, how much more traditional could we be, another invitation for the second day of Christmas, friends who have become family, smiles and toasts and wine and great food and warm hearts (so what if the snow outside is still making things difficult...) and presents and children and Christmas trees and joy, so much joy and simplicity one could not have wanted for anything more! I'm home... and it's Christmas... and it is better than shoes!

I wish I could be with all the people I love today... it is not possible, such is life and the choices made that this wish will not come true this year...  perhaps the next... One thing is certain... I am having a wonderful time and I have not felt lonely not for a moment! Feels good spending Christmas at home, feels right... So I will wish to all my loved ones Merry Christmas, remind them that my home is theirs whenever the wind brings them this way and hope that, these holidays, they all have as good a time as I'm having! And better!!

PS. Merry Christmas to all of you and your loved ones!

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Preseeeeents!!!!

Yep, that's it, it's back, 't is the season to be jolly and get presents for those you care about!! I know, there is the opposing argument that a present is an obligation offered to the other person thus it should be avoided like the restrooms of McDonalds in down town Beijing (don't ask how I know... just avoid if ever there... trust me...) but I am not convinced! Ever since I was a child I loved getting present for my family and friends, I loved the process of finding out the best choice for everyone and always within a budget so limited sometimes it seemed impossible to manage :)

And then, there would be the wrapping! I would spend hours trying to wrap my present the best way possible, the papers, the ribbons, always doing it myself because, well, these girls at the stores don't know how to do it properly, right?... hmmmm, it can also be that I have always been a control freak who knows best... Anywhooo, the point is that this time of the year is one I cherish and the present-giving is certainly one of my favourite things in the world... surely a "better than shoes" thing :) and yes, it is better than receiving the gifts for me!

I know that these are difficult times for all of us, I do not live in a bubble, and these holidays will inevitably remind to many people what the consequences of the economic crisis are (if they have managed to forget so far...) but a present is not about the money it costs! Not at all!! Surely if your bank account can afford it your lady friend would greatly appreciate a pair of Louboutins but if not, who cares??!! A great gift can be a voucher for hugs and kisses, it can be something hand crafted, it can be a drawing, a free electronic card, it can be a cooked meal or the offer to do the laundry or empty the dish washer... or, if you really aim to impress, install her wireless home network!! It really is unimportant how much it costs, all that matters is that there was thought put into it, thought of the other person... and thought means love!

Isn't this what these holidays are all about ;)

Monday 13 December 2010

Home cinema...

...and I do not only mean the actual "home cinema" device! Surely, one of those hi-tech costly (almost as much as dreamy pair of evening Louboutins) thingies is worth the investment (and the time you will spend reading the manual before you actually have it working...), can indeed offer a great sound experience while you are watching The Matrix Reloaded (am I tooooo outdated.... I wonder...) in Blue-ray and can make you feel like you are actually IN the Matrix yourself (...and quite a bunch of people believe this to be true... I googled it...) fighting the Smiths... but there is more into what I'm saying than a device!

I am talking about the concept of home cinema... That which involves chosing to stay in on a weekend with a load of films, put on your most comfy clothes (yes, I know, they are not the most flattering ones but that is part of the concept too, you are not dressing for others but for yourself and you just want it comfy ;)  make sure you have enough snacs, preferably the unhealthy kind that comes out of a very colourful bag but if you want to nibble on carots, hey, who am I to object??!!, nest yourself on the sofa and let the viewing begin!

I just had one of those... ok, technicaly it did involve the home cinema installation and some trips to the DIY shops in order to get all the necessary for the set up which took place on a Saturday, but then, the pleasure began! Comfy, cosy, hommy, warm, immersed into the sound and the image, it was the best! I know, I know, we are still young and we should go out and live a bit but, let's face it, the city is old and boring (my city, I don't know about yours) and the winter is cold! So, there is not a lot of competition against a warm, cosy, home cinema weekend! And, you will know when you try it, it is better than shoes!

Saturday 4 December 2010

walking in the snow...

Well, I have written before about my love for the snow... how much I would miss it as a child and how envious I would get every time I watched snowy white Christmas films on TV! My Christmas usually would be sunny and warm! Admittedly, after I moved here in the north, I discovered another side of the snow, one that I never knew before... the ugly side... that which involves not being able to drive a car either because it is slippery or because you get stuck in a traffic jam or both,  or walk in the frozen sidewalk, the muddy snow which takes about 15' to clean up from your shoes before getting inside the house...

However ugly though this side is, I still love the view of the white scenery outside my windows! The beauty of it!! And there is the other thing about the snow... the silence!! Have you ever noticed how the world goes silent when it starts snowing?! It is so quiet, so calm, so peaceful! You can hardly hear any noise except for the sound of the snow cracking under your boots, if you are so mad (or blessed, or lucky or... you choose the adjective :) as to go walking outside!

This morning I did it... It started snowing, the big white flakes were dancing in the wind, the word went silent  and I got out to go to the supermarket! I know, it takes a fair amount of insanity to do this but hey, no harm done, I'm here, safe, with a fridge full of food and fresh bread, did not break anything and managed to have the memory of walking in the snow storm, not being able to see very well, meeting practically no one on the street and having this feeling of being in someplace I'd only experienced by books or films... it was very cool!!! It was better than shoes!

Wednesday 1 December 2010

get a hobby...

...Well, I have always found excuses for not having a real hobby... it would either be that "I shop as a hobby" and "I loooove to discover great discounts on-line, it's my hobby" or I would just say that I don't have any time to have a hobby... What a load of crap! I mean, yes, I know that shopping can take a lot of time and it is pleasurable and kind of addictive but, let's be honest, it's not a real hobby!

On the other had, it is a very poor excuse to say that I don't have time for a hobby because of all the things that I have to do! I know I have to work to get money, I know I have to clean my house and wash my clothes, I know I have to work out to keep... well, not fat (thin, I would never even imagine...) I know all that... but these are things that I "have" to do! Not necessarily things I like to to do! And to name as "hobbies" only  a few things that are fun to do like seeing a film or reading a book or try on a pair of patent leather moccasins from Marc Jacobs (and even better, buying them!) is like hiding behind one's finger...

No, the truth is I never had a real hobby, hidden behind my excuses,  but now I do! And no, I will not try to convince you that it is the one for you... I could not convince myself that it is the one for me for many years! But now, I knit! Like crazy! And yes, I have mocked it, I have resisted it, I have ridiculed it and now I stand corrected in all my shame! It is lovely! It's better than shoes! It is, for me, the most relaxing thing ever, it is like the coolest meditation I have tried (plus you can actualy meditate while knitting anyway!!) which leaves you calm and zen and wearing a new, brilliant shawl! The possibilities are endless and there is nothing like putting on something that you made yourself, I guarantee you!

So, unless you are one of the wise ones who already knew it all along and forgot to share with the rest of us,  what are you waiting for!? Get a hobby! :)

Wednesday 3 November 2010

better than shoes?... you bet!!!

My affiliation (no, no, I will not admit obsession...) to shoes is known to more or less everyone who knows me personally... and to all of you who read me, obviously ;) My friends often tease me about it, especially because I will not think twice before buying  a pair of 10cm stiletto heels and then leave it in the box, in the wardrobe, for the following 4 years without ever wearing it... because, supposedly "the right occasion never came up"... booooo.... yeah, that was me boooooing me... who am I kidding?? Surely not my friends...

Anyway, boooooing and teasing aside, the subject of shoes comes up every now and then in our discussions and sometimes even in the electronic ones :) So it was not a surprise when a dear friend of mine sent me this picture of chocolate shoes mentioning that it depicts "two passions in one" :) And indeed it does!! I could not agree more! I mean, there are very few shapes in which chocolate looks more delicious than a shoe shape... and I will not, repeat, WILL NOT mention any of those, use your imagination... As far as I'm concerned, chocolate shoes are better than shoes and deserve to be mentioned in this blog ;)

So, I take the opportunity to thank T. L. for letting me know about this delicacy, making sure I will be sending him the bill from my order which most certainly will take place soon, and I post the picture I got for all of you to see and covet!

Thursday 28 October 2010

having a stock of good thoughts...

...helps!!

I woke up this morning and my mood was as dark as the sky outside my windows... The familiar crack in the curtains which normally lets about three rays of light sneak in to my room and help me get out of bed, was only giving way to a grey so thick it could only compare to the thick grey curtains themselves... No, getting up was not easy nor did it get easier when I went downstairs to have a cup of coffee... And there was no improvement while I was taking my shower and got dressed for work... In my car, on the way to the office, my iPod decided to entertain me with Nick Cave and his dead wild rose... right... why don't you give a razor with it, will you?...

At work, things only got worse, as expected... not even the usual breakfast chat or the 11:30 ciggy break helped... And then, as I was sinking deeper into the blackness,  I got an idea... All this time, for about three years, I have been piling up in these posts all the good thoughts I have been making! I have been listing all those things that have put a smile on my face day after day and have made me see life as the great gift it is! Well, then, that was it, that was the solution, right there staring at me! That was the way out of today's misery! I should read them!! So I started reading... No Hemingway stuff, of course, I would never even claim I am a writer (though I have secretly dreamed about it, I must admit...) but a lot of good stuff, all of them ready to remind me of their existence and make me feel better!

Kid you not, it worked! Ok, not entirelly... after a lunch with my friends, I still feel blue and today would certainly not be the day to share with you another one of my usual "beter than shoes" experiences... But I have come to terms with the fact that today it is a day to cash in on all those that I have been saving here! And it is indeed the day to realise that having a stock of goof thought does actually help on days like this when making new ones seems impossible! And that cannot but qualify as "better than shoes", can it? What do you think ;)

Friday 22 October 2010

"No, no plans for the weekend..."

... is perhaps the most misunderstood phrase in the world of phrases! There is such a discrimination against it, it makes my heart ache! Having lived here in the north for ten years now and having been working in an International Organization which employs a lot of people from the north, I have faced many a time the raised eye brow and sad look that this phrase produces to them... I mean, I'm Greek, I grow up never having plans for the weekend and, especially in my Uni years, always being busy as a bee!! Though I have left my country for a long time, I still take pride to the fact that we do no use our agendas normally in order to go out with our friends... we just call them on the day and meet them!

So, yes, the weekend... I have passed the last three months (more or less) being away for almost every other weekend... And yes, I has affected my writing, I am not the type of person to keep blogging while being in a car doing 230Km/h and heading to Munich for the Oktoberfest (I promise to tell you the story...) so I have been rather quiet lately... And to tell you the truth I have enjoyed every one of my little escapes, may that be for the beer festival, a cousin's wedding, home to see my brother or whatever... But I am not that young anymore (although I am the only one allowed to say it!!!) and all this has taken its toll on me... I got tired!

That is why I  adopt the little phrase from now on and for some time... No plans for the weekend and proud of it!! I will just spend my two free days without any specific schedule, I will just stay home, go to the cleaner's or the supermarket and watch films and stay in my pajamas or... not do any of these things!!! And I will embrace this state of freedom and I will defend the argument that not having plans for the weekend is better than shoes (and gives you time to go shopping for them...) until... well, until I change my mind and feel the buzz again and hope on a car or an airplane to get away for two days ;)

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Cooking for friends...

... is one of the most relaxing things!! And I didn't even notice until last week! Well, I have always liked cooking and many a time I received compliments for my food. Mostly though I have enjoyed playing in the kitchen during the weekend, when I have time and I'm not tired from work. One of the things I love is to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon, cooking something special and looking forward to enjoy it with my friends later.

But last week, I found myself cooking a rather demanding meal on a Thursday evening... and it was great! Though I had been busy as a bee the whole week, in a seminar which would start veeeeeery early in the morning for my standards (yes, I'm still one of the lucky ones who can sleep late...) and suck out every bit of energy from my body, I offered to cook, inviting also a friend who had been visiting for  couple of days. So, after having been in the most booooring presentation in German (and please do not ask what did I understand...) and also stuck in traffic for about an hour because of a demonstration which paralysed the whole city, I went to the supermarket for supplies and then home to cook.

And as I was joggling with the pork stew, the salad, setting the table,  lighting the candles and smoking a ciggy I just realized that... I was not stressed!! My shoulders had finally come down, I was singing and smiling and looking forward to receive my friends!! Hurray!!  The universe was being kind to me and later even kinder as I got offered an amazing wine which accompanied the food magnificently and had a wonderful evening altogether!

So, yes, cooking is better than shoes and when combined with the company of good friends is unbeatable! Just perhaps not recommended to be done in high heels... at least not for me :)

Monday 4 October 2010

Happy children!

Well, it's no secret that I am not a fan of kids... Still my maternal instincts have not kicked in... not quite sure whether they ever will but not stupid enough to exclude the possibility I still get by without really giving it much thought... Now, when it comes to other people's children, I do have clearer views...  Some years ago I have been attacked and kicked in the leg by a kid in a super market, without any other reason than being there and please do not ask where did this happen, the answer is obvious... I have to say I hated it... and I do hate it when kids scream, cry, fight or shout in my vicinity, always coming to the conclusion that their parents are doing something wrong for the children to behave like that... the same parents that usually remain apathetic towards the above mentioned kids' behaviour...

Obviously some of you may be tempted to tell me to "keep quiet as I do not have children of my own and thus should not be so judgemental"... Ok, I respect your opinion. But hear me out, I do have arguments for this view point. I have not yet met children of happy, calm and loving couples, of parents who shower them with love and attention and respect them and each other, who scream, kick or shout!! Children need attention, because, let's face it, a child when very young, only has its parents! We, adults, have friends, family, partners, colleagues, in one word lots of people to share our life and experiences with. Children, until a certain age that is, only have their parents to share their, numerous, experiences with. And when their parents do not give then enough attention and love and support, usually they scream for it :)

Some time ago I visited a friend's house. He and his wife are of different nationalities and have three kids, all less than eight years of age. Two of them were up when I went to their place and were playing in the living room with us while we, the adults, were having a cup of coffee... such beautiful children with amazing, bright smiles on their faces and polite as can be! They made a castle of pillows in a corner in the room and kept playing in our company, practically invisible but obviously content. They had their fun, we had ours! No screaming, no arguing between them, no interruptions, no claiming attention... just fun! Now, that says to me that the parents are doing something very right there! Happy children are the product of happy parents and happy, fortunate unions and that, my friends, all that, IS better than shoes!

Saturday 28 August 2010

a positive outlook on life...

I have a very good friend back home... well, I have many and I consider myself privileged for that (I have already expressed how I feel about my friends in this blog, will not repeat...) but I just wanted to talk about this specific one: She is the one who taught me the importance and the benefit of having a positive outlook on life! She had not have it easy in her life, no sir... But she always manages to see the bright side (no Monty Python stuff...) on almost everything. She is not a saint nor a martyr and she is certainly not always happy but she helped me see that things are what they are, some we can change and some not, but how we look at things (and life...) is up to us! Entirely! And this is a marvelous thing!!! A "better than shoes" thing!

Surely it is easier to be sour... it is easier to have a nasty, bitchy, negative comment than a nice one... "yeah, sure she is young, tall and pretty but look at those ankles!!!" Ok, perhaps it is true that the goddess next door has chubby ankles but... who cares? Why feel the need to point that out?? Can't we just see her beauty, wherever that is, and stay in that? It is easy to be sarcastic and pissy and negative but what about just being positive? Surely we can disagree with people, but why be so insecure and childish as to try and ridicule their views? Surely we can tell a friend that she looks fat (and perhaps it is true that she gained a bit of weight lately...) but what do we gain?? Why not just say "you look great" and not as a fake, empty compliment but because she really looks great in out eyes! Because we see her as beautiful!! Because we choose to see her as beautiful!

And no, by this I do not mean to see it all roses!!! This would not be true, nobody likes everything and everyone! It is not possible to agree with everyone all the time! All I'm trying to say is that maintaining a positive outlook on life has the advantage of improving our life for real (no placebo effect...) and that sometimes it would be better not to say anything if we have nothing good to say... the world as it is is full of negativity anyway...

I have chosen to try to be positive... And this blog is a grand proof of my efforts!! I have promised to keep positive and I have not disappointed myself yet as  have managed NOT to pass to you all the bad (or just the annoying) stuff that has happened to me over the last two years... No, I do not manage to keep positive always... I, too, tend to whine and be grumpy and moody and complaining... In those moments though, I do make an effort to find the bright side of things... it is always there to be seen!And if you can't see it at first glance, look again ;) And if that fails, put on a pair of high heels and look at the world from a different angle :)

Dignity...

The Oxford Dictionary defines dignity as "the state or quality of being worthy of respect"... if I were to try and define it (well... in the improbable case that anyone would ask me to define "dignity"...) I would just mention a name: Vanessa Redgrave

Of course I had seen her films... and TV series... and heard about her theater work, though never had the pleasure to actually see one of them... I did know that she comes from a theater family and that great talent has been the "family heirloom" and that her brother and sister were also actors and I had known them too... But all of that did not prepare me for the overflow of emotion that I was to experience while watching an interview she gave to the BBC some time ago. It was late at night, on a Sunday I think, I was already in bed (yes, no party animal here...) and I saw it being advertised that the interview with this amazing woman would pass. Needless to say I stayed up, excited I would get to know her a bit better!

And I did! What a lady!!! The soft, almost seducing, warm voice, the movement of her hands, the smile on her beautiful face, the grace of her manners, the wisdom of her words and the humility and love with which she expressed herself about acting.... I was charmed! A political person with strong views, an actor who has played all that it was worth playing, a mother who lost a child, a sister who lost two brothers and a sister and, above all in my opinion, a woman who appeared, for lack of a better word, complete... And the way she spoke, calm and steady and composed yet passionate... I could not stop thinking that that is dignity!

Respect for others makes us better human beings, I think. And since dignity is the state of being worthy of respect, then, dignity of others makes us respect them hence becoming better... and if, just if, we could make others better by our own dignity, what a great power this would be! In any case, and for fear of starting to talk nonsense, as these concepts are rather complicated and it is quite late,  I will just stop now by simply saying that dignity is better than shoes and leave you to your conclusions...

Monday 9 August 2010

In vino veritas...

...and that is the truth!! Though the effects of wine on walking in high heels have often been disastrous since the beginning of time... or at least since when the high heels were invented (some say the inventor was Leonardo Da Vinci, but then again most inventions are accredited to him...) and rightfully so, as anyone who tried to balance on a 10cm stilettos after 3 or 4 glasses of wine will testify, the fact remains that a good wine is better than shoes!

I love wine... and the universe has cursed me not to be able to drink the red one... some sort of allergy, don't know exactly what, to the tannins which makes me have the most horrible migraines when I drink it... The connoisseurs will tell you that the true masterpieces of wine have a ruby colour... and they will be right. However, since I discovered that I cannot tolerate the red, I have also discovered the  wonders of white wine! And there are indeed so many to choose from! Sweet ones, dry ones, desert ones, the list is long and some of them are really amazing! Personal favourites include the Riesling, the Pouilly Fumé and the marvelous Sancerre and not to forget the magical Ice Wine for which I have written before!

Luckily, my alergy excludes the wonderful Port wine :) which, by the way, is one of the great pleasure in my life! Many times, on a Friday, at the end of the working week, I have skipped proper dinner just to enjoy a glass of wine with a good cheese! And I have not regretted it at all! During my recent holidays I have had the opportunity to enjoy some great wines and this is the reason why I decided to write about it now. And yes, as said before and unsurprisingly, I have not been able to combine succesfully wine and high heels, but this has never been a reason not to appreciate both of them :)

Friday 6 August 2010

walking by the water...

I have always associated my holidays with the water... Water of the blue sea where I would dive for hours and let only my feet show (and have them tanned always more than the rest of my body...) and and then carry marks from the mask all over my face for the rest of the day... Water icy cold that I would drink greedily after having played under the hot sun with my friends... Water melon, perfectly prepared from my mum, that I would devour in the afternoon, after the siesta... Water that would fill my eyes when the holidays were over and I had to say goodbye to my friends and promise to meet them at the same place next year...

In these last few years, more water features have been added to my list of favourites... walking by the water of the ocean for example... We got to know each other only very recently and it is true that we are not the best of friends yet (tooooo many sea weeds, to many waves... tooooo much of a wimp I am...) but walking next to it is one of the pleasures that I can not have enough of... And the rivers... No, I did not grow up next to one of them nor had many experiences of them as a kid but now that I got to know their beauty, and the usual beauty of the landscape around them, I am smitten for life!

During my recent holidays, one of things I enjoyed most, was (obvioulsy...) walking by the water... Stary sky, the city lights reflecting on the water mirror, the calmness of the view and the pleasant smell, things that put a smile on my face and made me think "...this, is better than shoes!"...
And you will know what I mean if you give it a try, go to the nearest body of water (no, the water boiller does not count...), take a long walk next to it and savour the experience... and if it is beach you find yourselves at, take your shoes off... you don't want sand all over them Alaïa sandals, do you??  :)

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Holidays are better than shoes!!!

True, the title is self explanatory... and I have the feeling that none of you is going to disagree with me... but since this is the last post before my break -and no, it is not going to be a very long one, just enough to get more "better than shoes" experiences to share with you- I will elaborate a bit...

So, we all made it through the long, cold and dark winter, we made it through the last weeks before the break when magically about a billion things to take care of appeared out of nowhere, we made it through the (unfortunately unavoidable...) diet and exhausting workouts in order to fit in that swim suit again (if ever...), we made it through that period when colleagues and friends are already on holidays and we are still working (and there is almost no one to have lunch with...) and after all that, our time has finally come!

And we got the suitcase out of the closet and we packed our favorite flat, embellished sandals and our jeans and all (but, really, ALL) our T-shirts along with lots of sun screen and we are ready to go! And no, not everything is finished work wise -we knew it would not be, who are we kidding- and no, we did not manage really to lose weight -did we??- but who cares?? Soon we will be under the sun, preferably by the blue sea without a worry in the world, preferably near great food and drinks and, above all, good friends! And this will charge the batteries until the next break...

Holidays are better than shoes and they combine very well with them... I hope you all enjoy yours, shoes and holidays that is, and that you remember to always look for things that tickle your fancy and make you put on a smile :)

Wednesday 30 June 2010

Day trip by train!

I love travelling! This is not a secret and I have shared with you my travelling "better than shoes" experiences more than once :) After all, if finding the things that are better than shoes in life is my quest, I better get moving! Sitting on a sofa all the time does not get you very far when it comes to experiences... So, yes, I love travelling and I have the privilege of being able to do it very often... well, according to my mum too often!

Though taking a plane and going to a far away place is magical and exciting and a great pleasure for me, I have another, smaller but very significant, pleasure too... train trips! Some time ago, I decided to go and spend the day in Antwerp! This Belgian city is a gem! Not only is has a market which a lot of world capitals would be envious of, and yes, you can find almost everything there as well as red sole masterpieces, but it also offers a great variety of cafés, restaurants and cultural events! So, in out "neighbourhood", Antwerp is a definite must to visit! On top of it, it's just an hour and a half away by train!

So, Saturday morning, sun shinning up above (yes, I will be praising the summer and write about it as often as it allows me... for when it is over, it will be a looooooooong, cold and dark time before it comes back...) and I rushed to the train station. Got my ticket and my magazine, had my breakfast and my morning ciggy (I, too, have bad habits, what did you think?...) and when the train arrived I made myself comfy in my seat and read the latest shoe news while listening to music...  Just perfect!! Arrived in Antwerp at about noon, walked around, did a bit of shopping (because train trips are not only better than shoes, they bring you closer to them too!!) and then headed back...

The trip back home was even more pleasant! Tired from the day, I dozed off while listening to my iPod and took a nap... mmm... I could not have asked for anything more! The soft sound of the engine was like a lullaby and the afternoon sun was warming me and making me relax and feel so sleepy... Overall, a true "better than shoes" experience!! And, truth be told, the best part of the trip was the train part, I kid you not!!!

Monday 28 June 2010

summer full moon...

Summer is my favourite time of the year... partly, I guess, because it is the season I was born in... Though back home the heat can be (and often is...) unbearable, I have always found that I feel at least 20% happier in the summer than in any other season... ok, except for the Christmas season that is always beyond competition! Now, living in The Netherlands for the last 10 years (goodness me!!!) I have learned that summer is a rare commodity... and as I have written before, I have learned not only to appreciate it more but also not to overlook it when it comes!

So, a few night ago and while in a lovely summery weather, I when out with my friends for a dinner by the marina! We sat outside and enjoyed some good sea food and an even better bottle of wine (or three of them but who's counting...) as well as the early evening sun and a great view to the boats... and though I hate being on them as I get ridiculously panicked, just the view of them is very relaxing!! After dinner I took the bus home... no, I never drink and drive in case you are wondering... So I got on the bus, found a great seat at the front, practically next to the driver and I got lost in my thoughts... until the bus took a turn... and then I saw it!!!

The biggest, fullest, prettiest moon I have seen all year!! Was it the most beautiful I have seen in my life?... no...  I come from the land of the Parthenon and the Aegean and I have also travelled all the way to the "end of the world"... in my wanderings I have had the luck to gaze at the moon while being surrounded by the prettiest earthly sceneries... and that does make a difference... But, comparisons aside, just the full moon by itself provided an amazing picture!!

It was like it was lighting out way, low above the buildings and the trees and as thought he road we were on was going all the way up to it!! The man on it was smiling as always, a bit of a melancholic smile but comforting to see it as I remembered it... Living in a mostly clouded country we forget that the moon is always up there as most often we just don't see it... But that night, oh, it certainly was there and it certainly was impossible not to see it!! The view was breathtaking and the beauty of it put a smile on my face! Now, if that to you is not better than shoes, combine that beauty with the warm summer night, after a great dinner with good friends and see if that works ;)

Wednesday 23 June 2010

walking home from work...

...does not sound like a "better than shoes" thing... not if it means walking home on high heels because you forgot to get your sneakers along in the morning and now you've missed your bus (or tram, or metro or... whatever...) in the rain, without an umbrella (that was in the same bag as the sneakers -in the hallway next to your house door- which you forgot to take when left...) or a raincoat (because the one you liked was hugely expensive and you are still waiting for it to be on sales while you are not buying anything else...) and without a taxi in sight...

No, this is certainly not better than shoes... in fact it is really bad! But, what about this image: You've left work after having finished a chore that was waiting to be treated for the last six months simply because you just hated doing it and you had been procrastinating... until today when not only you got to do it but you actually completed it! You've put your sneakers on that you did not forget to take with you the same morning and no need for an umbrella whatsoever as on this late afternoon, the sun is shinning and the weather is warm and you don't even need a jacket!  So, you walk by a peaceful canal where every now and then you see a little boat... and though you don't particularly like being on one, the view is calming and pretty!

You walk along and you come across people running, walking their dogs (and actually poop scooping!!! yes, they DO exist, I have seen them!!! It is not an urban myth!! ) or  lying in the sun or sitting on a bench reading or fishing and all of them have a smile on... more or less like yours... You have your music with and though you've just chosen one song to begin with, technology has done its part (thank you iTunes...) and all the rest that followed that first one are ingeniously equally, if not more, good! And to top it all up, it's a Friday and the weekend has already started and you have great plans to meet with your friends and you look forward to that! And, last but not least, you know that by the time you reach home, you will have burnt the calories of that little chocolate bar that you did not resist eating with your coffee after lunch!
Now, isn't this better than shoes??

Monday 21 June 2010

The World Cup IS better than shoes!!!

What?? You are actually wondering "which World Cup..."?? The football WC obviously!! And yes, for those of you who think that someone else took over my blog, perhaps a bearded guy with a very heavy voice and a beer in his hand, no, it is still me and, apart from Louboutin's divine creations I also love football!!

I was born 17 days earlier... I like to think that I did that because I did not want to miss the World Cup! And since then, ok, technically not exactly since then but very shortly after, I have been watching football! I do know that it is not a very girly thing... most of my female friends hate it... or to the limit, they just don't get it and, eventually, hate watching it (because, ok, try to watch something you do not understand absolutely nothing -grammatical mistake intended for emphasis- about, for an hour and a half, and see if you like it or not... happened to me with rugby... I just don't get it... despite the various attempts of friends to help me understand, it still is a pointless, mysterious and terribly boring game to me... and I do apologize for my ignorance but the fact remains...)  so, yes, I guess I am a bit different then the norm... but it is true that I love football and it is also true that it watching the WC brings me lovely memories from my childhood when I would watch the games with my father...

Every four years when the great big party of football takes place I am as happy as can be! I run home to watch the games (and yes, I have also taken an afternoon or two off just to watch a game...), I follow the results, the standings, the players' condition, I make calculations and attempt predictions... Mostly though, I just have fun!! I love the sport, I love trying to guess the next move, to follow the development of the attack and to shout at the TV when the defense is open... I enjoy the conversations afterwards with my friends and the long discussions as to whether there was an off side or not... I love to see they celebrations of the players when they score goals and their happy faces when they have won (and it was the team I was supporting that won... the other way around, not that joyous...)

So yes, these are indeed happy times for me... perhaps to some of you this does not make any sense at all... then again, perhaps other things I write about do not make sense to everyone... no worries, there is enough space for everybody's views in this world :) As for football, all I suggest is give it a chance... a real chance! Now is the time :) Watch a game between strong teams (you pick, I personally prefer South American football :) and try to follow... who knows, perhaps it will win you over ;) Alternatively, just browse the sales that most fashion websites have at this moment and shop for some flat gladiator sandals :) sooooo cute!!

Saturday 5 June 2010

Dinning "à la belle étoile"...

I will not repeat my opinion of the Dutch weather... if I were to do that I would not avoid writing very bad words which have no place in these attempts to find (and write about...) the best things in life! However, it is a truth universally acknowledged that, well... it sucks!! Most of the time... But every now and then, a couple of times a year more accurately, it doesn't! Because then, it's summer! Briefly, but for real!! And, yes, we are in one of these rare moons right now!!!

The sun has been shinning, the temperature has risen, people took the summer clothes out of closets and put on their sandals (yes, me included, what did you think??) and everyone has a big smile on!! It is amazing how the weather affects people's moods... Even the ever grumpy ones become a bit more friendly, a bit more happy when the sun shines in this place... Even politeness shyly makes an appearance!! And of course, we all run outside!!! Anyone who has lived in The Netherlands for some time (say, more than a year) knows that they need to save some annual leave to use when the summer comes here... a couple of days are usually enough... and then, massively we go out!!

Most people like the beach... I don't... it smells like wet dog and it is very dirty and crowded... Not to mention that the sea is never blue which does defy my definition of "the sea"...  So, on sunny days I avoid the beach and head to the city center... Often I take a book and I go read on a bench under a tree, I go for shopping (because, hey, summer may be better than shoes but it's also the best time to buy shoes... ;) and it's exactly on those summer days that I love to go out for dinner with my friends!! And when I say out, I mean "out"!! Under the starry sky!!

That's exactly what we did last night! A lovely small restaurant, the chef and owner of which really knows how to please a palate, a good wine list and a friend who is a sommelier by hobby (could we be more lucky??) a table outside by the canal, a great conversation... who could ask for anything more? Let me tel you, it does not get much better than this in this place... And yes, I could think of many places in the world that offer a far better scenery for eating outside... But after all, when you have nice company, good food and wine and a warm evening, there is not a lot to complain about, is there??.. And I would not be fair if I were not to classify this experience in the "better than shoes" category!!

Monday 24 May 2010

Tea at five o'clock...

...well, was not exactly... First of all the invitation was for 4 o'clock which totally differentiated everything!!! Secondly, the food was far too good for a tea party, even a high tea!! Delicious eggs filled with curry cream, yummy meat balls (I think I ate about 17 of them... stopped counting at some point....), cheese pies with sesame seeds on top, tiny sausages, bread, chips, crisps, nuts... and to finish it all, the best cheese cake I ever ate in my entire life (and yes, I did have two pieces and yes I did walk 14Km today to burn the guilt... if not the calories...)!! And finally, there was not a cup of tea in sight!!! Instead, there was gin n' tonic, Cuba libre, lots of Coronas and a great muscato d'asti to accompany the divine cheese cake!

So, yes, overall NOT a tea party exactly... but the best party I have been in a long time!!! Hosted by my best Greek friend here in Holland and his partner in their garden which, just like the rest of their house, is just perfect! The sun was shining as we had the best day so far this year, warm and clear and amazing! The guests, well, the rest of my Greek friends here, everybody in their best mood for being together and also because of the great weather!! So, no, it could not have been much better than this!

We ate and drank (perhaps even a bit too much drinking in my case... I do not metabolize alcohol the way I used to ten years ago, man... was not my fault, though, A. kept making me cocktails!!!)  we played card games, we talked, we laughed, we danced, we took silly pictures... it was the perfect way to spend the first really summery day of this year!! And, no doubt whatsoever, it was better than shoes! One fantastic garden party with the best group of people, in a lovely house,  with fabulous food and the best of hosts!! All I can say is "thank you, S." and "when is the next one???"

Saturday 22 May 2010

Freedom and Independence...

...are not just the names of the two spaceships from the movie "Armageddon"... nor just concepts people of the centuries past liked to declare and even gave their lives for... they are not urban legends... They are what every one of us deserves and is responsible for... I have always striven to be free and independent... Since I was very little, I did not allow society, religion or family to impose on me restrictions of the "conventional" type, I imposed my own on me and I have lived my life following the basic rule of "treat others the way you want to be treated"... 

I left my parents' house at 19 to study and 7 years later I even left my parents' country, following exactly these two: My freedom and my independence! I have not caved in to social conventions and I have kept free from political, religious or social pressure to lead a certain life that follows their rules... I have never, ever,  thought that because I'm a woman there are things that I will not be allowed to do and I have never felt, nor will I feel, inferior to any man merely because he has testicles. The qualities of human beings are not defined by their reproductive organs and their freedom and independence does not, and should not, depend upon them organs either.

So when I see a woman, under the hot May sun (which finally blessed us all here in The rainy Netherlands) covered from head to tow in black cloths, I do not see freedom nor independence... and my heart weeps for all those women who fought for our right to get out of the covers, out of the house, to have the right to work, to an education, to our choices, to have the right to do what we decide with our bodies... I weep and I feel that all those women are being betrayed every time one more of us has to cover up to get of the house, every time one more of us chooses to give up freedom and independence this way...

Yes, I have heard many times the arguments of the other side, I have heard women say they chose to follow these rules, they chose to behave like this... I don't buy it!! And your comments are all welcome but, being a free woman, I have the right of my opinion and I have this forum to make it public. And my opinion is that it is a disgrace for women to have, or to choose (if you prefer...) to cover up their heads and bodies with bed sheets to go out in public, like ghosts! So I will state the obvious and say that freedom and independence are better than the best shoe ever made and even the ones not made yet and that it is the responsibility of all of us to cherish them... because if we give them up on our own, in my opinion, we will eventually lose the right to them...

Sunday 16 May 2010

long walks...

Well, I'm not entirely a couch potato... Though very fond of my couch, given that it took a gigantic crane and three men to lift it up 11 floors and get it in the apartment from the window (the damn thing would not get into the elevator... nor the stairs... reminds you of that episode of "Friends" when Ross had a similar experience?? LOL... well, I did not return it to the store....) and I do spend a lot of my free time on it (like  right now for example...) No, I refuse to except the title as I do own a home trainer and I do bike 3-4 times a week while watching cooking programs on BBC (otherwise I would be eating with quite the opposite results...) and I do love to walk!

No, not jogging, to cumbersome for me... But walking, yes, with great pleasure!! Last summer I walked home from work at least 3 times a week and the distance is about 6,5 kilometers! I have my iPhone to keep me company, choose one song and let technology create the rest of the playlist and I go! On a nice day, there is nothing (ok, almost nothing... or at least very few things...) that I like more! It helps me clear up my mind, relax, I gradually feel my shoulders come down from being shrugged up close to my ears all day and I get my smile and my good mood back! This year, I'm still waiting for the weather to warm up a bit, it still is very cold to enjoy the walk home...
 
Nevertheless,  I have been walking, wrapped up in my jacket and fleece shawl, every chance I have had since last month... Not yet just as pleasurable because of the cold wind, but the rest of the pros are there! And give the holidays over the past few days I have had lots of time for walking! Went to the beach, a substantial distance from where I live, went to neighbouring suburbs and these long walks have really been great fun! Not to mention the calories burnt!!! And though some of you might be skeptical as to whether long walks can be better than shoes, well, the only way to find out is to give it a try, my friends! Put on your sneakers, get your music player and walk... I'm sure you will agree with me eventually :)

Thursday 13 May 2010

more thoughts about cars...

Some time ago I was wondering if cars are better than shoes... and the conclusion is that some are (no more details, go read previous posts in the archive, darlings :) Now I'm back on the subject because I have more evidence that indeed they can be!

I have been fortunate enough to travel to two different countries in two consecutive weekends (hence the plethora of "better than shoes" experiences... it's a quest, people, I have to pursue!!) and I managed to get rain everywhere!!! Here, there, everywhere!
Ok, perhaps this is my bad Karma, I have been naughty lately, but all this rain made me appreciate cars even more! Yes, you may end up stuck in traffic for 1 hour because a spiritual leader decided to visit the city you are in... on your way to the airport...) and yes you may be suddenly informed that the coveted new car you just bought will cost 2850 euros more than agreed because prices increased (only to be told 3 day later that no, it won't, after you've had a slight stroke and the right side of your body is still stiff... good thing you got an automatic, right??) but regardless of all that, you (and your shoes...) stay dry!!!!

And since I found myself in the city which is the Mecca of my favourite brand, I could not but go visit the temple! A store, not just any but the flagship store, a museum and a factory... this latter I didn't get to visit but I saw the rest! Shinning, gorgeous vehicles, the latest available technology (no, I'm not crazy about it but, what the hell, as long as they look good!) and an atmosphere of immense luxury! No, the global economic crisis does not look to affect them (they just increase prices...)...

Anyway, the most interesting part was the museum!!! Cars from the beginning of the last century, cars with the power of 15 horses (yes, just 15!!) looking amazing, like new,  motorcycles, engines (even plane engines) and even Formula 1!! I was looking around with a big smile on my face, recognizing models I remember from my youth,  pointing from one to the other, thrilled to see again cars I used to admire secretly because in my family we were all supposed to be fans of the competitor manufacturer just because my dad was... And my chin dropped to the floor when I got to see the most wonderful part of the exhibition which was the  original 007 cars!!! Proud owner of one of them (well, the model, not the exact one that Pierce Brosnan drove... that is the one in the museum...) I felt part of it all and got even a bit emotional... My goodness, they looked good!! Better that Alaia's high heel sandals!!! And here is a picture to prove it!!

Wednesday 12 May 2010

He-Art-s...

I am not the most artistic person... When I visit a city, usually I have a list of shopping places to visit and a list of museums... Having said that, it is true that I did take the train and traveled one and a half hours from Barcelona to visit the Dali museum in the little village of Figueres... but that is Dali... I like modern art... though I appreciate the classics usually they do not interest me but modern, abstract art has always been my favourite... I have found my self crying in front of a mostly black painting in Brussels, full of emotions I could not express... And, ok, I have to admit  I have been laughing in front of a refrigerator pretending (in my humble opinion...) to be art work in a museum elsewhere, as I though I was being punked! My definition of art did not agreed with the artist's in this case...

But sometimes... sometimes art just sweeps me off my feet, sometimes I found myself looking at the work of an artist that either was put myself, along with him or herself in their art, and then all these warm feelings fill me up and I am just happy and sometimes I get to know someone's work that is light years away from me, is all I'm not but yet it makes me feel the same!!! Weird... But art can be weird...

Some days ago I got to see the work of an artist who I can describe only as "bigger than life"... an artist that, judging from here work, she is all I'm not! Full of colour and daring and provocative and so obviously a woman with a capital W!!! Her name is Joana Vasconcelos and she is simply amazing!! Unprecedented and creative and imaginative!!! Her work is not only better than shoes but... has also been a gigantic shoe made of cooking pots!!! But what I found mostly impressive were her hearts made of plastic cutlery!! I will post both pictures here (forgive the amateur style...) as I believe that they are better than one thousand words...

"red" is better than shoes!!!

ok, ok, those of you who know me will not be surprised by this statement... after all, I do have a red wall in my home!!! And it would appear than the only exception would be in the case of red soled shoes... when the statement would not make any sense... all this is right but, what if I say that "red" in this case has to do with football?!... Then exactly those who know me for a long time will say, wait a minute, this can't be right, you have been all and only for "yellow" all your life when it comes to football... ok, even blue and white in very rare occasions... meaning that only one time at 2004 when no one knows exactly what happened but we got to be European Champions...

Yes, I have been all for "yellow"... and then... then, I got to know "red"... and it started to grow on me, I started to watch them and know them and like them, then I started to cheer for them and gather up all my witch strength to help them when they played and I got happy when they won... And as the "yellow" and the "red" are from different countries (and they only got to play against each other only those two times and got one victory each) it does not feel like a betrayal... After all, when one has enough love to share there is not crime in sharing it, right?... granted, when it comes to lovers, this becomes a veeeeery long discussion...

But this is football... and last weekend it was its celebration in a certain part of the world... And I got to be there and share the love and the joy and be part of the celebrations! Nothing and no one had prepared me for what I experienced, it was bigger than anything I had imagined!! So much red gathered in one stadium, so much red in the streets, a red sea of happiness and pride!! Who knew were all these people came from, it felt like the whole country was there, dressed in red singing "we are the champions" (and most probably it was...)!!! And I was there singing with them!!! "Red" is my second love, when it comes to football teams, but love it is, and being there with them to be part of their party last weekend was incredible!!! And better than shoes!!!

Thursday 6 May 2010

lunch with a friend...

... sounds very simple but it can be better than shoes, I assure you! Sometime ago, I was visiting one of Europe's most interesting big cities (and no, I will not reveal which one here... people who know were I was will recognise it and for the rest, and for the purpose of this post, it really does not matter...) and I took a day to just walk in the centre, indulge in the wonders of window shopping and do a bit of actual shopping as well... The weather was not fantastic, ok, it could be a lot better... But that did not stop me, I thought, I'm here on holidays, will try to make the best of it and enjoy regardless of the fact that I was wet for most of the time...

So, I went to the city centre in the morning and directly to a department store that a good friend of mine recommended I would love. She was absolutely right, I did! After a successful quest for the right underwear that I was in need (because I had cleaned up my drawer a few days before and had gotten rid of all the shameful, old, destroyed undies that I kept for I don't know which reason...) I had arranged to meet this friend for lunch. We met and she took me to this fabulous place, right in the heart of the city and next to all the designer shops (so that I can have more window staring...) were we had our lunch.

Though we mutually agreed that we would have cooked the risotto slightly more, the flavours were great and the atmosphere, combined with a good service, did leave me with a great memory... But, in fact, what was the really great part was being with my friend! We chatted, we laughed, we enjoyed the food and the time together. For me this was priceless! I hope she had just as good a time as I did! The thing is, were I live and work, these small escapes to the city centre are rather difficult on a working day so we end up always having lunch in the canteen... But there, it was so easy for her to get out of work and have lunch in the center, in a nice restaurant with me, that I was left a bit jealous for this quality of life... Well, who knows what the future brings, right? The point is that meeting a friend you don't see very often and having a nice lunch in the city while having a girl's talk, is better than shoes! And, it can be so nicely combined with them if you do a bit of shopping before or after lunch ;)

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Ice wine...

...IS better than shoes!! If some days ago the term was mentioned to me, I would only imagine wine with ice in it... or very chilled... Certainly did not know any details about this nectar!! Well, what it is is wine that is made of grapes that when they are picked, they are already frozen in the vine! Pretty risky business, pretty hard labour too, as the grapes must be picked up usually during one night while they have just started to freeze but, ahhhh, what a taste!!!

I had the great pleasure of dinning in fabulous small restaurant a few days ago where I tasted this magnificent type of wine... and it came at the end of a meal that is going to stay in my memory for a very long time... Everything was perfect: the ambiance, the company, the service, the food and the wine! A creative, imaginative and brave chef, very young as it turned out to my surprise, and a sommelier who knew his wines very well,  made the experience unforgettable. Delicate tastes, accompanied very nicely by the wines, and the culmination which came with the dessert and the ice wine... a light chocolate cake served with saffron (!) sorbet and perfected by the ice wine... sweet, fruity, refreshing and special... mmmm... orgasmic!!

I will never forget those tastes combined... never have I experienced such match made in heaven when I comes to taste though I have been privileged enough to have dinned in fine restaurants, some even with starry credentials... But this, this was simply amazing! And it all combined with the best company and the greatest of moods in order to produce a night to remember!! The best one out in quite some time! And all this was definitely better than shoes, better than Lanvin's already classic ballerinas, better than Chloe's new sandals...and I could go on and on and on...

PS. Those who want to know a bit more about this delicious wine, go to  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_wine

Sunday 25 April 2010

a good day...

...is better than shoes! And I will explain why in the paragraphs to follow, beginning by the definition of a good day. So, in brief a good day is one that from the moment you open your eyes in the morning you start smiling! Perhaps with a good reason, perhaps of the previous' night's memories (or company...) or even without one... You open your eyes, you start smiling, you get off the bed and when you pull the curtains you see a brilliant sun shinning and then you have a coffee that tastes just slightly better than usually and, yeah, I forgot to mention, it's a Saturday and you don't have to go to work!

And after a nice breakfast you get out in the city, cruise the shops, keep smiling at people and, sometimes they even return the smile, yes, even in this country where people are stingy with everything and politeness above all, sometimes they do smile back... And you find this amazing set of underwear that combines the right amount of cute and sexy and then you go do your hair and, miracle of miracles, the guy finally understands what do you mean by "I hate gold highlights..." and you leave the salon with the smile you had when you got in.

Then you go home and take a nap and then you get ready and you go out in a warm evening to see a film, that proves to be a gem, and on top you get to meet great friends there and chat and laugh and drink a glass of wine and when you get on your way home, under a starry sky, you realize that still you carry the same smile you had when you woke up the same morning...

And all this is a good day! Perhaps not a spectacular one, no... perhaps not one that you will remember forever but certainly one that made you feel happier than usually... And life is full of days like this... the spectacular ones are never this many but the good ones come often and sometimes go unnoticed while we are looking for those exceptional ones... So, the message today is do not look down on a good day... it is better than shoes ;)

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Carrot cake!!

Is it really the time to talk about it?... I mean, I suppose at a time like this, when thousands of people are still stranded in an airport somewhere, unable to return to their home and without a shower for far longer that they would admit (and I would want to know...), without money and without a concrete promise of a flight, and all that because Mommy Earth decided to, hmmm, fart... yes, admittedly, at a time like this it sounds a bit awkward for me to talk about carrot cake...

But, I have made a promise which I do not intend to brake and that is that I will be talking about the good things in life in this blog and I will not use it just to bitch about all the bad things that happen... Yes, I will avoid be talking about how my life very often sucks and I am pissed off and frustrated and sad and all I want to do it complain... I will refrain from using this podium to externalise my dismay or anger or to comment on all the things and all the people I do not have the guts to confront...  I will keep making an effort to find nice things to talk to you about, even when it is very difficult to do so...

So, today's post is about carrot cake! A reach, delicious, traditional carrot cake, filled and covered with mascarpone cream that I tasted in a little place in my city where organic, vegetarian food is offered... And, no, in case you are wondering, I do not do vegetarian... but I ended up in this place for a brunch and everything was yummy!! And yes, I will be revealing the name of the place on demand :)

Perhaps it is an overstatement to say that carrot cake is better than shoes... This specific one though, not only it was delicious enough to qualify but is was also eaten on a lovely sunny day, during one of the best weekends I had in a long time, with the best company I could ask for and in the best of moods! So, yes, under the circumstances,  it was better than shoes! It was better than my snake skin Jimmy Choo ballerinas that I had put on for the first time while I was enjoying the cake ;)

Monday 12 April 2010

to ditch...

...like when in school, when we would skip class to go and have a coffee... at a cafeteria!! Ok, admittedly I only remember doing this once, escaped from education with my (very briefly...) high school  boyfriend on his scooter and went to the city for coffee... it wasn't even a good day... was cloudy and cold... Anyway, the point is that I do not normally skip class... or work... Being an adult all my life, as my kindergarten teacher once said I was never a child (poor me... what a waste...) I always took my responsibilities very seriously and and now, as a professional, I do the same... usually...

Because last Friday I opened my eyes and the sun was shinning so brightly and the sky was so blue that it felt that it would be a crime to go to work! So, obviously not wanting to commit said crime, I didn't go... had a cup of coffee while chatting with my mom on the phone (yes, of course I have a mom, I did not come out of a kitchen sink...) and then got ready and went out... No, I do not have any amazing stories to tell about my day off, my name is not Ferris Bueller, but this is not the point... The point is not whether I did something spectacular, which I didn't (I didn't even indulge into shopping though I did visit one of the most interesting shoe stores in the area which unfortunately had only a very poor selection to offer... I mean, who chooses merely 4 pairs of Jimmy Choo's for a respectable store, huh??...) but it is about what I did not do!

And what I did not do was the expected thing, the usual... I did not follow the routine, I went out of the track even if just for a day... A sunny day that I spent walking under the blue sky, having a drink in little cafe and watching people pass by... no, not much, nothing worth mentioning... But what I think is worth mentioning is this feeling of ditching work (or school or any aspect of our everyday life) just for once, just for fun, just to spend with one's self... and this feeling is better then shoes... A mix of pleasure and freedom and rebellion and a tad of guilt... just a tiny bit of it... ;)

Saturday 10 April 2010

Bubbles... and candles...

You thought "champagne", right? Well, not today, people... though it may very well be the case that a good french bubbly is better than shoes, today's post is (mostly...) non-alcoholic :)

When I moved in to the apartment I currently live, about two and a half years ago, I gained a lot compared to the old one: A great neighbourhood with a shopping area with two supermarkets, a dry cleaner and a shoe repair shop within 5 minutes' walk, two trams stopping outside my door and taking me to the city centre in 3 minutes, a garage so that I can stay dry everyday when I leave for work and when I come back (not to mention that I no longer need to clean my car from the ice every morning during winter time...), a big guest room and lots of storage space for my shoes!

But there was one thing I gave up... my bathtub!! And the pleasure of taking a bubble bath every now and then!! And though most of the time I think that it was a good trade-off, sometimes I really do miss it so much!!
In my old house, I would come home on a Friday evening after work, usually exhausted, and I would finish the working week and welcome the weekend with a bubble bath! I would fill up the bathtub with lots and lots of bubbles and salts and scents and oils, put on some music (I even have a play list suitable for baths in my iTunes... true!!) and light up the candles in the bathroom... Then I would treat myself to a glass of wine and soak in there until all the tiredness would disappear and I would feel like a brand new person!  And that, my friends, was truly better than shoes!!!

Yep, that's it, a nice long bath... Relaxing and pleasant, helps clear up the mind and pumpers the body, not to mention that it's excellent for your feet after having been wearing a pair of stiletto's all day... if you are up to it that is... So I miss it... Especially after a busy week, I really miss it... Not that I would give up all that I gained in this apartment for it... But enough to make sure that I have all the pluses of this home AND a bathtub in the next house, whenever that is :)

Monday 5 April 2010

Primavera!!

or, if you prefer, Spring!! No matter what the name, the meaning is the same! The time of the year when nature is reborn, colour comes back to our lives, smells fill up the air and we get rid of the heavy coats and jackets... and yes, we take out of their boxes our pumps and moccasins and ballerinas and those classic converse all stars and we wear them with pride and joy! So yes, spring by all means is better than shoes and moreover it combines marvelously with it!!!

I fear spring came two weeks ago... and lasted for about 3 days... started on a Tuesday and was over by Friday... In this country you really have to pay attention not to miss the good seasons, that is spring and summer... the bad ones (autumn and winter) never go unnoticed as they last for sooooooo long you cannot but notice them... and hate them.... But the good ones, with the exception of last year when we had a wonderful spring and a lovely summer (bless global warming...) they can come and go as fast as the blink of an eye... and if you are for some reason away from here, say on holidays in a nice and warm place, then you just miss it and you don't even believe that it happened...

Anyway, this year I was here for it... the sun was shining, the weather was warm, the mood was great and then... it was over... The cold and the rain and the (borderline...) winter came back... along with my bad mood... I know I have promised to talk about good things in this blog (not only good but better than shoes...) so I should stop the whining and the misery and just hope that what happened two weeks ago was just a preview of the spring who is just about to come for good... so that I can wear those lovely snake skin Jimmy Choo ballerinas I have my eye set on ;)

Tuesday 30 March 2010

Time...

is better than shoes...

Ok, admitedly this is a weird statement... even for me... I will try to explain... When I say "time" I mean time for me... for you, for anyone for that matter... Time that we can spend doing things for ourselves or just not do anything at all (as I love to do sometimes, just lay on my back and stare at the ceiling while thinking weird stuff like the fact that time is better than shoes... or even more weird ones that I will not share with you just now... perhaps when we know each other better...;)

Most of us have to work... and as my father used to say "work is not a good thing... if it were you would have to pay for it instead of being payed to do it"... We have to work as I said and that takes a lot of time, in theory one third of our lives but if you count the time it takes you to go to work and back and the time that you think and talk about work while being at home or out with your friends and the time that you can't sleep because of work related stress, hell, it really takes a big bite out of our life!! And there is often nothing we can do, we just keep working and hope for pay day so we can go and ease the pain (of a whole month...) with a new pair of platform sandals... or a play-station... if we happen to be men ;)

So time we have little of... Not only because life, and this is a truth universally acknowledged, is short to begin with, but also because while we're at it we are just not allowed a lot of time for us! Time is precious, valuable, rare... and in today's view "better than shoes"...

Personally I should not complain, I do have a job that allows me more personal time than most, but still, some days are hectic and full of things to do and time seams to fly away and at the end of those I feel drained and as if I did not have any time at all... though usually there are 24 hours in all of them... Not today! Because today I got home early and there was still light outside (yep, the days are indeed longer in case you did not notice... stuck in the office late, huh?...) and though there was nothing officially fun in my routine (which included doing laundry, dish washer set up, exercising, taking a shower, having a simple dinner and watching tele in between (that all until now that I'm writing this...) I really had a great time... simply because I had time!! ;)

Monday 22 March 2010

are cars better than shoes??...

well... they do protect them... the shoes I mean... no girl in their right mind wants to walk in a muddy and rough pavement wearing a brand new pair of delicate suede ballerinas with leather soles... disaster! Every step is a stab in the heart! So, yes, in this respect, cars are better than shoes... But on the other hand, ugly cars (and you can imagine any one of them that you think is ugly or all of them at once... for me is the Renault Avantime... "no time" more like... scary looking creature... huge bum... makes me think I should go on a diet... brrrr) could not be better than shoes in any way! Not to mention that with that kind of money you could buy a hell of a lot of delicious foot candy... so it makes no sense at all...

I am a lucky person in the process of buying a new car. Did not do any research nor read any reviews and specs or performed any comparison... No.... I did it my (Sinatra style...) way: Chose a reliable brand and I only had to care about the looks of it! As for the rest, well, that's why one chooses a reliable brand! And I went for the MINI (and since I went for it, I thought I go all the way and get the Cooper S... so that I can leave any jerk who provokes me behind at the street lights... my grandpa had a similar mentality, guess I inherited it from him... he could not stand anyone in front of him on the road... he would overtake and then murmur "go catch me now...") as I had my heart set on it for quite a long time.

So I did go through the process of going to the dealers, getting my facts right, doing a test drive and getting my quotes... so basically crossed every t and dotted every i... when it comes to the looks of it that is, as if you ask me whats under the bonnet... mystery... Anyway,  this process is fun! Even with the frustration of checking the quotes and comparing every little detail with those on the spreadsheet that was prepared for me (bless the ones who know how to do these things and have the kindness to help, my ignorance is immeasurable when it comes to things that have nothing to do with shoes...) and trying to make sure that options and "packages" and codes are all in order... even with this, it still is a fun deal... ok, the test drive was the most fun!!

So yes, conditionally, cars can be better than shoes and some of them, the ones that tickle your fancy, certainly are! So they are worth being mentioned here... As for me, well, here's a picture of the one that tickles my fancy ;)

Wednesday 10 March 2010

A woman's pleasures...

No, no, I do not mean anything naughty!!... Truth be told, if we go to that direction, we will have to pay tribute to quite a lot of things that are (or at least can be...) better than shoes... But I will not be doing this... at least not in this post... perhaps in the future, if I ever feel adventurous enough ;)

What I mean is all those things that make us feel pampered... precious and certainly taken care of! For example, a visit to the beautician for a facial,  a manicure, a pedicure, a new haircut or colouring, a relaxing massage with scented oils... or even the painful but undoubtedly necessary bikini wax! Yes, women the world over treat themselves to these little (or big...) pleasures (ok, I perhaps should not have mentioned the bikini wax...) since the beginning of time... or a bit later... in the beginning they were really hairy and ugly and surely did not look like they had been to the beautician... partly because there were no beauticians at the time...

But the fact is that we women love these things, the beauty treatments of all kinds, not only for their result (though we do look much better with them then without them) but also for the process, the experience, the time spent being looked after by a professional of beauty! And that, I bet, we all feel that in some level is better than shoes!

Some months ago, being on a small break in a sunny place to celebrate my birthday, I decided to take advantage of all that my hotel had to offer and I treated myself to the full blown beauty drill! The lots of it! I went for a facial and a relaxing massage, had a manicure and a pedicure and a cellulite treatment... not that I have any... just as a precaution... And at the end, to complete the treat, I did my hair! Boy, did I look super good afterwards! Amazing! Later, I went for dinner, wearing a nice dress and a pair of comfortable, so that I can go dancing afterwards,  shoes (amazing Martin Margiela cutout ballerinas) and I sparkled like a diamond! There was no doubt in my mind that the whole experience had been better than shoes... better than my lovely ballerinas!!

Wednesday 24 February 2010

growing old(er)...

I'm a huge fan of BBC programs! I'm crazy about cooking shows to the extent that I will hurry my work to finish on time to come home and watch "Ready Steady Cook" (and furious when the show is not on for a long time... like now... grrrr), I loooooove the show about people moving (escaping...) in a house in the country (though would never do it myself... go figure... guess it's because I really like architecture  and I'm interested in the different types of houses they show) and I'm fascinated by the antiques/auctions show... the one where people flog their attic findings and make lots of money of stuff that looks (usually) like crap to me!

So the other day I arrived home early (yes, have been working like mad in the afternoon to finish on time again... but it's so great to come home early, still with light outside, and enjoy this feeling that the one third of my life which is exclusively for me, my leisure time, is not an urban myth...) and turned the TV on to watch "Flog it". And there was this lovely couple, about eighty years of age, who said have been together for ever and they still have nicknames for each other!!! Obviously they were flogging something, don't even remember what is was, but that's not the point...

The point is that I started observing the old couple while they spoke... their long ears, the noses that appeared huge, the wrinkles (so many of them...),  the hatchbacks, the trembling hands... thinking about decay and deterioration of the body... And then it hit me... Boy, I wish I'm so lucky to reach their age!! Yes, I am aware that I will be looking like that, decayed and deteriorated and with huge ears but... who cares??!! I will still be enjoying life, I will still be laughing, I will still get angry and happy and sad and I will still feel love and joy and pain even... and if my brain works until then I will be able to acknowledge all this as a bonus!

A friend of mine once told me that "getting old is better than the alternative"... he is right! Surely being alive bits the hell out of being dead... partly because most of us have absolutely no idea how is it to be dead, so in the comparison, being dead looses as there is no info about it... But it's not just that... Getting old(er) is indeed better than shoes and it deserves being mentioned here. Not only because it comes with the extra bonus of experience and wisdom (which, let's face it, we might use or not...) but also because there can be happiness found in every day we live... and if we are lucky enough to get really old, that means having lived a lot of days and, thus,  a great lot of happy moments!!

Wednesday 17 February 2010

and God created the perfect shoes...

 


Oh, wait, it was not God... It was the grand master Christian Louboutin! (there goes any little trace of faith still left in me...) And these are the Lady Claude 120 pumps...

This post is a tribute to all these things that are better than THESE shoes... And it's not me this time who is going to report them... It's all of you... 
So today's task (and no worries, I intend to return to my usual self and be the one responding to the challenge of finding the better-than-shoes elements of life and writing about them in the future) is to ty to think what is better then these beauties in your life and at least acknowledge them (comments/testimonies are of course welcome more then ever... hey, don't be selfish, share!)... If you want, go even a step further, if they can hear it, tell them!

We all have precious things, people, thoughts, hobbies, interests, pleasures in life... But what I have noticed is that in our everyday routine, we somehow miss them... we forget them... we do not appreciate them enough (or even at all, sometimes). So my attempt today is to trigger all of you to think for a moment of all those things, people, thoughts, hobbies, interests, pleasures... and then feel the joy their existence gives you, smile, share the realization with them if this is possible... 
Yes, if it is your children that for you are better then  the above featuring divine creations, tell them. If it your girlfriend, boyfriend, let them know... If it is you car or mighty powerful sound system or your brand you Mac computer or your garden or your dog or cat, just take a moment to appreciate them, to remember that indeed you have such things of sheer beauty in your life... so, in other words, just take a moment to find and acknowledge the beauty in your life... so often we forget to see it...

As for me, I will not be sharing what in my book is better then these shoes... too personal, too private, allow me to keep it for myself... And for those of you who believe that I will not be revealing it merely because it does not exist... well, you are wrong... it exists... even if it wins only by half a millimeter... ;)

Friday 12 February 2010

Friends!!!

No, not the series... MY friends! My family of friends!

This post is dedicated to all of them... they know who they are... I won't name names... they are the intelligent, kind, carrying, understanding, fun to be with, bunch of people that I have the privilege of calling my friends! And they allow me to be their friend too... My chosen family... They should know that they ARE better than shoes but, just in case, here is a reminder!

So, here is to the ones who listen patiently to me even when I'm too confused to make sense of what I'm saying myself  and they actually manage to understand my blabbering... and explain to me what I was saying! Those who tell me the truth even when I do not want to hear it... especially when I don't want to hear it because I can be pretty intimidating in those moments and telling me the truth exactly then, takes a lot of guts! Those who love me unconditionally, no, not just "like" me, they actually love me and their love is so obvious by their actions that they don't ever need to say it... yet they do! Because they feel the need to!

The ones who say "count on me" and they mean it... and they do know how difficult it is for me to count on anyone, because, yes, I'm toooo independent and though I want to be always there for them, I do not want to ask anything from them... The ones who when they say "how are you?" they are actually interested in my answer... The ones who ask my opinion and advise and appreciate it though they might do the exact opposite... hey, it's their life after all, they wouldn't be my friends if they were incapable of taking their own decisions! The ones who worry, who care, who are there for me if I need to wake them up in the middle of the night because I need someone to talk to a bit... because I'm lonely... The ones who know me...

The ones who make me laugh, the ones who have made me cry, the ones who are close and the ones who are very far... The ones who don't pretend, the ones who don't lie, the ones who don't accuse and do not put themselves above all... The ones who don't judge, the ones who are not selfish... The ones who allow me to be part of their life... Here is to all of them, incredible people...

You are the best, you all are better the best shoe, better than a pair of all-time-classic Christian Louboutin black leather ballerinas! The super classy, super comfortable and super pretty! I love you all and I respect you and admire you and I miss you and I hope I'm a worthy friend for you!
And if/when I'm not, tell me! Pleeeeease!

The amazing world of movies!

I have been quiet for some time now... My last post was not as the usual ones of things that are, without a doubt, great (since they do win in the race against shoes...) Well, the thing is that I have not experienced any such good things lately... ooooor, so I thought!

As I was thinking my life these last few weeks, I reached the conclusion that not much has happened, no new experiences, no new spots in the city discovered, no new smells, tastes, views... basically what I have been doing in this cold (the worst ever in my entire life) winter is stay in and watch movies... And that's exactly when it hit me: That's it! Films ARE better than shoes!

Ok, to be exact, certainly not all films are better than shoes! In fact there are quite a large number of them that are horrible... and not just the horror ones! Everyone who had the extremely bad luck of ever watching "The limits of control" knows precisely what I mean! Boy, those were two hours of my life I will never get back!! (what?? wasn't two hours? less?? more?? an eternity perhaps??!!) My apologies to the creators, though they don't need it really, but it sure was not my cup of tea...

Those unfortunate ones aside, though, movies are better than shoes... or at least CAN be better than shoes! And these past few weeks I have seen some real gems! From the world of roller scatting/ fighting to the weird life of a veeeery frequent flyer, from the school of LA to the American South and football (not the one we have in Europe, THEIR football), from the (serious) war zones of the world to staring at goats and finally to the amazing world of fantasies that only Terry Gilliam knows how to create! And each and every one of them a true pleasure! Hours spent with smiles and tears and anger and joy, hours spent with emotions! And though I haven't been a great fan of those for years (emotions I mean) now I do know how to appreciate them!

So this is it for today! Movies! Choose them well, share them with loved ones so that you can comment about them afterwards, make sure you have some popcorn with if that tickles your fancy and enjoy them! I guarantee that the feeling can be better than those coveted beige patent leather Jimmy Choo pip-toes that you saw the other day ;)

PS. RIP Alexander McQueen... you will be missed...

Friday 29 January 2010

bad things and good things...

On January 12,  Earth decided to shake of her back some 100.000 people... who knows, perhaps they itched... well, who am I to judge, she is big and when she decides to move there's not a lot that can be done against that... when I shake off my leg a little ant that climbed up as I lay on the beach, the little creature has nothing to say about it... So, that's more or less what happened in Haiti... thousands of people felt like that tiny helpless ant as the ground moved and the ceilings fell and in a moment everything turned into rumble... homes, lives...  the pain and the loss are immeasurable and I will not even begin to try and understand what all those people there are going through...

When I started this blog, I promised to write about good things... "better than shoes" things...  things that bring smiles... I am aware of the fact that talking about death and pain and loss does not fit the profile... But it is done on purpose. For two reasons: one is that we should never forget that at the same time that we live a happy life, at this exact time, many fellow human beings live a miserable one... and though we cannot help everyone and we cannot fix everything that is wrong on the planet, we still can do some things and help some people... and this, I see as an obligation.

The other reason is to comment on what I find remarkable... and this is the sensitivity that the human kind shows right now, right at this moment of tragedy... Which to me it shows that we are not hopeless as a species! Doctors and firemen volunteer to the rescue, people all over the world help to raise money to help Haiti, children are breaking their piggy banks, Hollywood stars are answering phones, musician get together and veteran athletes are playing football for the cause... the (what appears to be) whole human community is up and running to give whatever they can to help those who got hit by the disaster... and this is hope! This is a good sign for the human race... and it is better than shoes!

So, help along... nothing is too small a thing to do... no one knows what happens tomorrow and it might be us who need help next time...

Tuesday 19 January 2010

A good night's sleep!

(no, this is not the continuation of the previous post.... :)

I opened my eyes and saw a bit of light sneaking into the room despite the heavy curtains... ok, it's not soooo early, there's light outside... turned to my side and reached to the bed side table to see what time it was... and was pleasantly surprised: 10am! Aaaah, Sunday morning! And me managing to sleep late! Stretched my limbs and stayed in bed for some more time looking at the ceiling and thinking how great it is to sleep well! Now, perhaps to some of you this sounds weird but I'm one of those people that my biological clock gets tuned the whole week and during the weekend, even if I don't have anything to do, I wake up early... and there is nothing more frustrating the opening my eyes on a Sunday at 8:41am... ok, this was a slight exaggeration, surely there are more frustrating things than this but you get my point...

Even when on holidays it takes me some time to get adjusted to the relaxed rhythm and enjoy my sleep until late... usually a couple of days but some times even more... So when I woke up this past Sunday at 10, you can imaging that I had every reason to get a big smile on my face! And I kept it during the rest of the morning, leisurely enjoying a cup of coffee and checking out Facebook and horoscopes and listening to some music... Nice! Very nice! No stress, no work, no reason to put on shoes... Because no matter how much I love shoes, and mind you, I do... a lot... still I need to have one day per week that I do no need to put them on! It's what I call "sleepers' day" :)

So, no matter how trivial this may sound to some of you, to me a good night's sleep is better than shoes... perhaps not better than ALL shoes as one could think certain foot candy for which any girl would trade a sleepless week, but most shoes... And as for me, I will be looking forward to next weekend hoping that again I will manage to wake up as late as possible :)

Tuesday 12 January 2010

following a dream...

...is better than shoes no matter what type of shoes you are wearing doing it... usually a pair of sneakers...
No, I will not talk about myself in this post... I will talk about a boy who at the age of 17 declared his independence from the family (and society) constraints and stated that "all he wants to do is make music" and he went ahead and did it for the years that followed... And it has not been easy for him since, not at all... lots of frustration, lots of opposition (yes, opposition, what do you think, the average Greek mother wants to hear that her son is not to become a doctor or an engineer and, on top of it, will carry on his life holding a guitar??? pleeeeease...) lots of work (lots and lots and lots of it...), lots of compromise and sacrifice...  and a substantial amount of pain... those strained tendons do hurt... No, not easy... So, why did he continue then? Because, along with all the above came at the same time lots of joy, lots of pleasure and lots and lots of music!!

So, there he is, some 15 years later, still holding a guitar (and as it turns out also keyboards and drums and microphone...), still making music, still following his dream and making all of us around him dream along in the process... and yes, to me this is worth mentioning in this blog... because  having dreams and following them is not just better than shoes... it is better than all-time-classics Christian Louboutin silver python pumps with 50% discount!!! I know what I'm talking about... because not only I have been following this boy very closely and have seen the fulfillment he has enjoyed over the years but I have felt the joy he has been offering to the people who are close to him in doing so...

I am convinced the whole deal is worth it... though I'm one of those people still in search for a dream (ok, those Louboutins do not reeeeeeeeally count...) to follow... or perhaps waiting for a dream to find me, if we assume that a dream finds you and you don't find it... no matter what the case, I do strongly recommend having one and seeing it through... so, get out and follow yours dreams people :) and do not forget to enjoy the ride!

PS. The boy is my brother... and I'm as proud as can be for him!! Which, in its own, is also better than shoes!

Wednesday 6 January 2010

The art of baking cookies...

Keeping my promise, I left The frozen Netherlands some days before Christmas and went looking for better-than-shoes experiences in the warm south... Not without problems was my departure... Though I guess I was the lucky one who's flight was not canceled on the 20th of December (those of you leaving near by already know what that day was for air and land transportation means... they were all white... and immobile!!) but we actually managed to take off in that small moment the snow storm subsided, only with a couple of hours delay. The horror stories I heard from people traveling that day... brrrrr yeah, I was lucky! And leaving the winter behind I arrived in the spring!

Indeed, it is not about where I arrived, but mostly when I arrived! And I arrive at that time of the year when the temperature is 21 degrees, the sun shines and one can enjoy a cold coffee outside without needing a coat or jacket! No lie, that was Christmas season for me: spring!
Though I can understand the complaints of the indigenous people who, perhaps rightfully so, think that this is no Christmas weather and they wished for a snow that was falling very far away, I have to say that I loved it!

And  I was out a lot and met family and friends and... baked traditional Christmas cookies with my cousin and niece!! I call them cookies but they are really special, delicious (well, if you get to do them right that is...) and covered with sugar! Every house in Greece has them at this time of the year! Never did it before as an adult, neither did my cousin on her own, so I guess it's good we had my 7-year-old niece to help us... the laughs, the jokes, the fun we had was unprecedented!! We kinda followed a recipe, we kinda improvised, we kinda forgot to turn on the oven at some point... yep, essential if you actually want to bake the little rascals, but at the end we made the best cookies ever!!!! Ok, perhaps not the best ones ever but surely the best for us three! And in the process we did have a better-than-shoes time!!! Totally! Experiences like this are priceless and they will always be in our memories... while that pair of snake skin Jimmy Choo sandals will fade...

PS. Happy New Year!!! May this one be the best of the ones past and the worst of the ones to follow!!