Fighting Kings, Queens, Midgets and Dragons…(Game of Thrones)

 It all started in an ordinary evening when we were wondering in a café, what movie to watch. The weather was hostile outside, it was clearly not the day for a night out (should have though that twice). So a friend (until that time, now he is just another foe) suggested a new series called Game of Thrones. After eating a giant soulvaki we went home to check out what was that all about. I was feeling kind of tired, because the day was long, work seemed as 10 hours in hell so I didn’t have the will to watch the first episode until the end but guess who did…

Start walking man...there's nothing for you in my home

It was the begging of the end. She was so into it that it started to become an obsession. One episode became two in a row and two became three. It all changed those days. After trying to smash her computer (unsuccessfully) our nice ordinary life became something surrounded by swords, plots and an unlimited desire to watch the whole thing until its last…drop. You know, I was happy when it ended…I said to myself ‘’can I really be so lucky that these guys have filmed just 10 episodes’’.

this was my competition

I assumed naively that we would return to our ordinary life, filled with our silly funny moments that keep you going and that make you feel cool. Well, it wasn’t like that at all. When I got home one evening suddenly 4 huge books were on our bed. I thought that they were romantic novels or books of alternative medicine, stuff that women read. When I picked up one of them I saw the face of this guy…and I laughed….a lot, don’t get me wrong but he seems funny. Then full of confidence i saw the front page and the title was…..Game of Thrones.

One of her personalities at the time

 

I felt almost like crying, screaming and smashing. After the invasion of all these ‘’ happy thoughts in my mind’’ she came in the bedroom, she shut down the lights, a kind of apple candle was lit and after looking at me in the eyes she said…full of…(not love anyways) warrior spirit….’’ I don’t know what plans you have for tonight but 4 sure I am not in them…have fun’’. I felt like she was cheating me with the warrior queen, with the midget and the dirty and barbarian kings…and with that fat guy (the writer) that he didn’t seem that funny anymore. Throughout the trip in this barbarian saga she was someone else, I’m telling you. It felt like I was sleeping with Jeanne D’Ark and instead of a sword she had a Samsung mobile that the wallpaper on it was the midget from the series. No flowers, no corny dinner, no favorite songs, nothing I did could save her from the mischievous story of the fat guy. Luckily, she is a fast reader and because she loved the books she was reading them faster than Superman.

I will kick your regal a@# man!

After all of the books ended I was afraid that she wouldn’t be the same. The idea of a female Conan wasn’t that great but I was lucky enough to have her back the way she was before.

If you guys find yourself in a similar situation…..leave. Go on vacations or find a place to stay for a while…trust me!

  

Game of thrones is a game for one.

.*Glue b*

funked updates

We are all rock stars...

 1-5/2/2012 Lurrie Bell &Matthew Skoller meet Blues Cargo 
                   Half Note Jazz Club (Tivorianou 17,Mets, 2109213310/2109213360) www.halfnote.gr

3/2/2012   Bar 9
                 Goya-Plus Ex Blend Athens (Aristofanous 11, Psiri) 10 euro at the door

  16/3/2012   Infected Mushroom 
                  Entertainment Stage,25 euro,30 euro at the door,presale at Tickethouse,Public and Ticketarena (www.ticketarena.gr) 

  4/9/2012   Red Hot Chilli Peppers
            O.A.K.A (Olympic Athletic Center of Athens) Pitch F.O.S SOLD OUT, Arena 45 euro, Presale Tickethouse (www.tickethouse.gr) and Ticketpro (www.ticketpro.gr)

  *Alex Their Law*

fast track updates

• The Diesel shop in (Monastiraki, next to the metro station) has turned into an outlet...jeans for 50 euro
• Mc Arthur Glen Outlet (Spata) have the lowest prices they ever had
• The government is falling apart but that is not that new...they just keep up the good work
• 27/2/2012 don't forget to get your kite and go to a beach or to a hill and flyyyyy...more updates on that soon.We'll prepare a special guide that will help you on this important day.It's all about Clean Monday...prepare your vegetarian food!
• Several countries in Europe are buried under snow, please pray that the worst thing that can happen here is....rain!
• Future posts are ''the city has 2 faces'', ''hands'', ''animals in winter'', ''urban art part 2'', ''to greek or to geek'', ''a matter of taste or a matter of waste'' so stick with us...remember to share whatever you think is helpful, funny or good to know and any feedback would be much appreciated 
• For those who are working tomorrow or on Sunday...here are some tips to get some rest

Be safe and happy...take care
*glue b*

Rocking the floor

we are all rock stars...in our own way

26-28/1/2012 Boom Ough Party
                       BIOS (Pireos 84, 21034253365) free entrance

28/1/2012       Big Tattoo Party vol.2
                       Gagarin 205 (Liosion 205,2155400888)  free entrance

3/2/2012        Frenic
                      SIX D.O.G.S (Avramiotou Str.Monastiraki) 12 euro, presale Tickethouse

28/2/2012      Scorb, Ianuaria,Iraklis Mindphaser,Soner 
                      Goya xblend-plus (Aristofanous 11, Psiri) presale 15 euro and 20 euro at the door 


18/2/2012     Pendulum
                     Fuzz (Pireos 209 & Patriarhou Ioakim, 2103450817) presale 20 euro Ticket House and 25   euro at the door

*glue b*

lost in the bazaar (Piraeus)

Nowadays, things are pretty rough, your job is not that safe, cash flow is a term that begins to sound like a big joke and on top of that you have to deal with your angry boss and your permanent friends that never forget you each month.....bills.

Rings a bell?

Everyone though has the need to get something every now and then, even the most minor thing, to feel better and maybe a bit refreshed...are you feeling me? 

As it seems bazaars lately have become a trend, most of your friends might deny (in a Donatella Versace way) that are actually buying from there but it if you go, there is a large possibility that you will probably meet someone you know and possibly that someone will try hide or say a lame excuse....you know what i mean yes?

The Piraeus Bazaar is well known and it used to be larger but all these reforms managed to shrink it. Still there are many things to see, bargain and why not buy. Just grab a coffee early in the morning and get off to the Piraeus train station.If you will go late (in this case ''late'' is 11.00 am) you will probably have to battle through the crowd, your coffee will become a nuclear bomb destined to change someone's jacket and you will probably see 30% of the whole things because your feet will cry for your home slippers. 

After getting off at the Piraeus train station you will have to find Retsina street which is behind the train station and walk through until its end, it is about 70-80 meters.You will then see the Bazaar just in front of you. Dive in and see what you can find. One thing is for sure, it doesn't get cheaper than that.You can find just about everything clothes, underwear, socks all sort of tools, hand bags, candles, jackets, carpets, pets even antiques. If you are searching for a kind of acceptable quality at a very small price then that's the place.  

You can get t-shirts for 5 or 6 euro, shoes for 10 or 20 euro, tools (screwdrivers, hammers for 1 euro) all sorts of knock off sweaters for 10 euro, jeans are about 5 to 10 euro, women's underwear 1 euro and bras for 2 to 3 euro.

You probably know how bazaars are so if i were you i wouldn't buy mobile phones or laptops from there. It would be wise not to exchange any currency or get into things that you would regret and cry for 2 weeks.
Keep in mind that the Piraeus bazaar takes place ONLY on Sundays.

Friendly advice...see-evaluate-buy.

 .*glue b*

best purchase gents!

Urban Art part 1

''We live our world through walls of paper
  we create life with color in its eyes
  only something great could depict
   the richness of our artistic heart''
     Frederik Samuelson

*glue b*

How about some free stuff?

 

  

Check out this green concept that has spread its wings all across the world and has also landed in Greece, as we feel it is most interesting in these times of economic hardship: Freecycle.

A social network that connects donors of free objects and willing recipients living in the same area, a virtual market that witnesses supply and demand for free items, a community of volunteers that help themselves, but also help us all by reducing excessive consumption worldwide.

 How does it work?

You send a request to join the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AthensGreeceFreecycle.

You have now access to emails sent by other members, either donating or looking for various objects. You can either stalk the group messages and jump in if you find something that interests you or you can already post your own offer/wanted message.

 Almost everything can be brought into attention, it just needs to be advertised for free and find itself in a decent condition.

Not cool to post a message where you donate “gently used” clothes and let the poor recipient cross the city only to find a pair of trousers with a big (even small..) hole in the anal area and your favorite t-shirt from 20 years ago.

This is not the way to get rid of those things. Say RIP and let them go.

   Items on offer are picked up by recipients from the donor’s area or from a meeting place on which they mutually agree. If you need a sofa and you found one, you will need to find also a way to take it home.

Here is a selection of items on offer this week: a Playstation remote control, 3 SD RAM 64B memories and a 21 inch old TV in Ampelokipoi, 3 Harry Potter DVDs in Faliro, two blue armchairs with yellow flowers in the center (oh, who wouldn’t want that, wonder what colors they will choose next), an Internet Zyxel router in Glyfada, a Motorola mobile phone in Nerantziotissa and a blue baby bath tub in Piraeus. 

Wanted items are however far more glamorous and fancy: Virginia is looking for a functional laptop "for simple use" (as I see it, she is being modest, she doesn't want to play latest video games on it),  Rania would like an exercise bike, "not older than 6 years", anonymous writer needs a piano as soon as possible, but the queen of recent ads is Lizzy, who would want an iPhone 3 or 4, if possible. Just in case someone has an iPhone in good condition and wants to get rid of it.

Messages are moderated and members are not allowed to promote third party trademarks on Freecycle.

In other words, just check it out, whether you are an already active volunteer interested in reducing the landfills or whether you would like a sofa for free. I have a friend who furnished his 2 bedroom apartment thanks to Freecycle, as he was renting it and did not want to invest in it. He is very satisfied, since he saved a lot of money and it was just what he needed at that point. Might not work for everybody and certainly not for a lifetime, but in these times of crisis could be interesting.

I have a Darts game to offer and I'm looking for a garden barbecue (if possible, a wooden one, just like Jamie Oliver's), what about you???

* blue shrimp*

Funked Updates

Funked Updates

 For the past couple of years we have been running from a gas station to another faster than Michael Schumacher in his early days, in order to find the best price. The whole tornado in which we are unable to find the exit door (at least for now) is making things easy as a riddle of Ghandi. 

 

Don’t worry though because we have found some of the lowest expensive prices (that is making sense nowadays doesn’t it?) in certain gas stations. So underline the following information with red and put it next to your girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s photo.

1.642 euro -ΑΠ :Kiffisos 95, Agios Ioannis Rentis

1.628 euro-ΑΠ: Posidonos 42, Kallithea

1.644 euro-ETEKA: National Road Athinon-Korinthou 4^th km (more or less).You’ll find there some more gas stations with prices close to this one.

These prices are available theoretically until further notice however know that these spots have generally cheap prices. In other gas stations the price can climb up to 1.739 (unleaded gas), so hopefully this information will be helpful.

Make sure to check out www.prolaveto.com .They have great offers regarding trips and other stuff. For instance you could travel to Cuba for 8 days with 399 euro (including hotel and plane tickets) plus airport taxes. There are also great offers for European destinations such as Amsterdam, Paris and Constantinople.

P.S If you go it would be rude not to invite us...

You can also look into www.goldendeals.gr for products, restaurants and many more dressed up in hot prices sexier than Angelina Jolie.

Last but not least www.skoutz.gr is a site that can help you find the store that has the best price for a product you want to get.

That’s about it 4 now…have the best time wherever you are and be safe!

Cheerz...

*glue b*

Winter recipe for a perfect day

Best served on a sunny morning in Kallithea. 

 Ingredients:

-          -a nice gigantic cappuccino with cream and cinnamon on top

-         -  a warm and crunchy tiropita to go

-          -a good book that makes you dream away

-        -  a pack of bird grains

-         -  a warm jacket and sunglasses

-        -  a tram ticket towards the sea via Poseidonos Ave.

Optional: a bathing suit (winter swimmers in Greece are as common as olive trees).

 

Directions:

Gently mix all the ingredients on a warm beach in Faliro (Flisvos) and spice up with some sea breeze, sunlight and sand until they melt and smell like happiness.

Cooking time may vary from one person to another, but usually half an hour is enough to get a nice, roasted blend that will guarantee you a perfect start of the day.

Best served alone. It is too delicious to be shared with just anyone. However, for extra flavor, you can add a soul mate. If you don’t have one, choose carefully who you want to invite for dinner: excessive chit chat or vain gossip may alter the taste and turn this recipe into an ordinary meal. 

Very often, uninvited pigeons will join you and invade your little perfect cooking party, only to make it even more charming. Better have the grains with you unless you want to share your tiropita with them.

Tastes wonderful in all seasons.

Recommended for all, but especially for those hungry for harmony.

Possible side effects: 

- sudden need to smile for no reason

- much too regular heart beat

- fresh pink cheek colour

- unusually high energy level

Practical details:

- preparation time: as long as it takes to get to the beach

- cooking time: >30 mins 

- level: easy like a Sunday morning

- cost: 7 eur (3 eur cappuccino, 1.5 eur tiropita, 1.5 eur tram ticket, 1 eur bird grains)

Enjoy :)

*blue shrimp*

FUN-TASTIC talent!!

Tomorrow there will be a massive strike so it will be better to avoid downtown. The metro will not work for 24 hours and the buses will work certain hours so you will need to use your feet or ...lots of charm. 

Anyhow, here's something to cheer you up..!

This is a video that was discovered by a friend, who couldn't find anything that could make him laugh that day until this promising talent unfolded through his computer.

Watch the keyboard player and maybe you will learn some new hot dance moves. Enjoy....

 *glue b*

About how pomegranates and onions can change one’s life

  

Are you an optimistic soul that has just landed in Greece?

Not familiar with Greek New Year traditions, but brave and ready to fit right in? Willing to learn from the wisdom of ancient Greeks in order to become less poor, maybe even rich? Not afraid of fruit and vegetables?

Well, there might still be a chance for you to enjoy a glorious year, despite the tiny crisis and the apocalypse happily predicted for coming December.

Here is a list of precise instructions on how to invite good fortune and prosperity in your modest lives on the first day of a new year, as the Greeks do it: 

-Pay a visit to the local market. Forget all those fresh shrimps, the tempting octopuses, the juicy oysters and all the other Greek goodies, no, no, what you aim for is much more humble (and less expensive):  what you want is… an onion. Yes, an onion. And a pomegranate.

      - Back at home, put them aside and prepare yourself: it is a big moment, you might become a millionaire in a matter of months.

      -\Do some push-ups, you need strong arm muscles for what you are about to do with the pomegranate.

      -Ok, it is now or never, firmly grab the pomegranate, go together to the kitchen (or ideally a place with no carpet on the floor), raise your good arm, fake throwing few times, so you get the  move and smash the funky pomegranate! Smash it as hard as you can! The more mess you make, the more seeds you break (as the poem goes), the bigger your odds to a better life. Good luck awaits you, and so do the mop and the bucket.

-           Half of the job is done.

-          Second part is easy and relaxing. Take the onion, wrap it in tin foil, put it in a place where others won’t reach so it can’t be thrown away by accident (your wife might think it’s garbage) and leave it for a year. According to the legend, by this time next year it will go green or even flourish and along with it so will your bank account. In a less fortunate case, it will just rot and smell bad. Life isn’t always a fairy tale.

Should you feel uncomfortable with adhering to these habits, it is nevertheless useful to know them. Just in case someone invites you to their home for New Year, keep a safe distance from the pomegranate pitcher if you are dressed in white (so out of fashion, but accidents still happen).

*blue shrimp*

Rocking the floor!

 

 Here are some updates about live concerts...party on, rock on and mosh on!

we are all rock stars...in our own way

20/1/12 ARCH ENEMY

GAGARIN 205 (Liosion 205,2155400888) 30 euro presale (Ticket House, Public,  Hard Rockcafe) and 35 euro at the club

21/1/12 MOGWAI

FUZZ CLUB (Pireos 209 & Patriarhou Ioakim 1 Tauros, 2103450817)

28 euro presale (Ticket House, Public, Hard Rock cafe) or 35 euros at the club

  

4/2/12 ARCTURUS

GAGARIN 205 (Liosion 205, 2155400888) 29 euro presale (Ticket House, www.ticketpro.gr)

17/3/12 DEUS

 FUZZ CLUB (Pireos 209 & Patriarhou Ioakim 1 Tauros, 2103450817)

 29 euro presale (Ticket House, Public) 

 *glue boy*

KASBAH: A good coffee takes your thoughts away

There is a saying in Greece that you know how the day will be, by what happens in the morning. Well, mine started by the screams of my neighbor fighting with his wife and continued with a persistent cat outside a shop that apparently believed that I am the most suitable mate. After escaping from the cat-hunt, I met with a few friends and we decided to hide in one of our frequent places because their day wasn’t that good either.

So we met at the Panormou metro station in Ampelokipi in order to go to Kasbah. It’s 100m. away from the metro station and you can also go there by bus (036, 653).

It’s a cozy place with nice colors and good coffee. Music is at the best level in order to chat or even play backgammon or other games. By night it is working as a bar, in the same way the other places around do as well and it’s  nice to start your night-out there.

A freddo cappuccino costs 3 euro, you can have a beer for 5 euro along with peanuts or a drink for 7 euro. There is a variety from which you can choose and the prices are acceptable in these…hard times. There are loads of fast foods and tavernas around which we will introduce later on. Panormou is one of the hot spots in Athens especially during the hot periods of the year so going there to chill out won't be a waste of time.

Cheerz!\*glue boy*

Coffee: pretty good 

People: cool (you won’t find business executives)

Location: easy to find even if you are blind (metro or bus)

WC: clean as the toilet of your mum’s house

Service: straight and to the point

A new funk in Athens..!

We created this blog mainly for people who are foreigners living in Athens and tourists who are visiting because we feel that there should be an alternative source of information about the city.

 Its various vibes, its cozy places, its promising events and people have much more to say than anyone can find by getting lost, visiting clubs that the first thing you do is to search the emergency exist or eating a meal in a traditional restaurant that the food reminds you of Mc Donalds.

Plus, this virtual corner is an interactive place that we would certainly appreciate suggestions, exchange of views, arguments, opinions and experiences, questions and the need to just have fun and enjoy the city as much as possible without too much homesick drama.

We have much to show you, loads of suggestions, updates and things that you should definitely see. Later on this year, we will have contests with cool prizes and some interesting interviews of common heroes…no superstars here, sorry.

Take care and have fun..!

Contact us at: funkyathens@yahoo.com

Contact us at: funkyathens@yahoo.com