Anastasia

Kyriacou Pelagia

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Kyriacou Pelagia from Paralimni, Cyprus has made a career in our traditional folk music and singing at an age when other singers feel old and wouldn't dare think of singing in public. Kyriacou Pelagia has kept our tradition alive for the last twenty years or so. She is one in a million! Anna Vissi - the Greek ..Madonna - has acknowledged Kyriacou's amazing talent.

TV or Not?

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without the telly? To me it would be a much better place to live in. We'd read more newspapers and learn the real news without all the show and drama TV news seems to promote and, unfortunately,  this seems to attract viewers. We'd entertain friends or play board games more often, we'd go to the theatre or to the cinema more often, we'd attend a sporting event rather than watch it on TV. We'd even read more books or take up a creative hobby or listen to the radio every day! In short, we wouldn't be victims of passive entertainment.

In my childhood and teenage years, there was only one TV channel in Cyprus - the CyBC - Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. The programme started then at 7:00 pm and ended at 11:00 pm. And yet, there were so many TV series and cartoons worth viewing then.  As a child, I really loved : Casper the Ghost, The Flintstones, Peyton Place (possibly the first soap opera worldwide), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Well, I used to have an argument with my parents who wouldn't let me watch that! ) , The Man from U.N.C.L.E - I was in love with Robert Vaughn and hated David Mc Callum!

Back to the present. There are so many TV channels now most of which broadcast ..trash! I hate all this horde of reality shows such as Big Brother, Survivor and WipeOut   not to mention all these cooking reality shows announced on the greek TV! What I love on our TV is Greys Anatomy  , Vimata Stin Ammo based on a story by Korina Avraamides which I happen to like very much. That's all I watch on TV right now. Get On Stage 2 and Greek Idol    

Superstitions

The most famous of all Greek superstitions with very old roots in Hellenic culture from the time of paganism is, by far, the evil eye.  Paintings of Greek triremes over two thousand years ago have an eye painted at the front of the trireme in an attempt to ward off the Evil Eye.  The Evil Eye is known widely throughout Greece and the  Greek Islands.  The Evil Eye is said to be able to strike anywhere without notice and no one can be the wiser. 

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Think back to a time when someone complemented you on how nice you looked only for you to have a painful headache immediately after. Happenings such as this are attributed to the Evil Eye. To ward off the Evil Eye several things can be done.  An eye is painted into the middle of a blue charm; this charm is then worn as a necklace or as a bracelet.  Blue beads can also be  worn instead of the eye charm in the form of a necklace or bracelet. The reason the color blue and the painted eye are used is that both are thought to ward off the evil of the eye.  Unfortunately people who have blue eyes are thought to be exceptional givers of it. Believers of the Evil Eye are weary of compliments received from a blue eyed person.

It is also said that a clove of garlic has the ability to ward of the evil eye.  Many people keep the clove of garlic in their clothes or in their pockets.It is customary for Greeks to use Garlic to ward off evil.  Garlic is believed to ward off demons and evil spirits in the same manner that incense does.  Demons and evil spirits are believed to fear it. If you find garlic hanging in Greek businesses or houses it is there for the purpose of warding off evil.

 

In Greek superstition, if you sneeze it is believed that somebody is talking about you.  Since you do not know who the person is you may try to figure out by saying out people's names.  If you say a name and you stop sneezing it is thought that that is the person who is talking about you. Another way to find out who is talking about you is asking someone for a three digit number.  You then add the three digits together and come out with another number.  Using the final number, you count down from the start of the alphabet.  The number you get must be less than or equal to the maximum characters in your alphabet, in the Greek Alphabet this is 24, in the English 26. If it is more you count the numbers together once again to find a smaller number.  The letter the number falls on is the first letter of the name of the person that is talking about you.You can then think of people you know whose name begins with that letter.

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Tuesday is considered the unluckiest day of the week for the Greek people.  It was on  Tuesday May 29th 1453 that the unimaginable happened and the city of Constantinople fell to the Osman Tribe, the "Ottoman Turks".It is often said that  businesses that open on this day have a black mark against them, and many Greeks who believe in this superstition will not venture into a new business on a Tuesday. The number 13 is considered lucky by Greeks in the setting when it stands alone. However, when Tuesday and 13 are placed together they are considered unlucky in the Greek culture. So Greeks  will watch out for Tuesday the 13th not Friday the 13th.  It is the combination of the date "Tuesday"  with the number "Thirteen" that is considered very unlucky to the Greek people. 

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Crows are seen as a bad omen, often foretelling death. Upon seeing crows cawing, it is believed that the crows are announcing the death of an individual.  Greeks believing in this superstition will often say to the birds, "Go on your way, and bring me good news."

Source - GreekSpider

As far as I am concerned, I am superstitious to some degree. For instance, I believe in the evil eye. I remember an occasion when I was complimented by a friend while shopping. Soon afterwards I fell down and sprained my ankle! Although I love animals, I'd never have a black cat with green eyes for a pet. And I'd never make important decisions on a Tuesday 13. However, I don't consider sneezing a superstition, yet it's fun to play the alphabet game.

What kind of superstions do you have in your culture? Do you believe in them? 

Déjà Vu

  
You step into your new office for the first time, yet you feel certain you had exactly the same office sometime in the past. You have just met your new neighbours but you are sure you have met these people before even though you can't remember where. You have never been to Italy, so you decide to spend a holiday there. Once in Rome, everything looks familiar as if you have already been there before. This eerie feeling of being certain you have already experienced a new situation in the recent past is commonly known as déjà vu meaning "already seen" in French. It is also known as paramnesia from the greek word para (=near) and mnimi (= memory).

Arthur Funkhouser defines three types of déjà vu in an attempt to more clearly delineate between associated, but different, neurological experiences. These are déjà vecu (already experienced), déjà senti (already felt) and déjà visité (already visited). With déjà vecu not only do you remember having done this thing before you even know what will come next. The experience will include seeing, hearing, tasting, sensing, smelling, thinking, and touching; everything that would be present in a real life situation. (excerpt from Yahoo! Health and Wellness)

I personally experienced the feeling of déjà visité when I first visited Cuevas Del Drach in Majorca, Spain, in August 2004. I had never been to Spain or Majorca before and , certainly, I had never visited the Cuevas Del Drach - yet I was sure I had seen that very cave before.

Have you ever felt sure of having already experienced something actually being experienced for the first time? How did you feel? How do you explain this phenomenon?

Monday's Greek Recipe - Taro with Pork Chops- Kolokasi me Brizoles Hirines

This is a purely Greek Cypriot recipe. Taro is not widely known in Greece.

Ingredients

• 1 - 1.5 kg pork chops
• 1.5 kg taro
• 4-5 stringless celery sticks cut into pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree, dissolved in 3 glasses of boiling water
• juice of 1-2 lemons

Directions

• Season the pork chops and place them in an ovenproof dish.
• Peel the taro - do not wash - and wipe firmly with a kitchen towel.
• Cut the taro into pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the celery and onion, sprinkle with salt and mix.
• Spread the vegetables over the chops. Raise the meat slightly upwards so that it mixes with the taro pieces.
• Pour over the oil and the tomato puree dissolved in boiling water.
• Cover with foil and cook in a moderately hot oven (180-190*C) for about an hour.
• Uncover and stir so that the taro pieces on top go towards the bottom.
• Cover with foil again and cook for a further 20-30 minutes.
• Place the meat on top of the taro pieces. In this way, the taro remains at the bottom of the dish and is evenly cooked.
• After about 20 minutes, uncover and place the taro carefully on top of the meat. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes or until the meat is tender.
• Remove the foil and pour over the lemon juice.
• Place the meat on top of the taro again and continue cooking for about 6-7 minutes.till the chops are golden brown on both sides.
• Serve with a large greek village salad and fresh radishes..

Source: Cooking for Friends by Sandra Lysandrou

Happy Blog Birthday!

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Today I'm celebrating my blog's sixth birthday and, of course, six wonderful years on TypePad. Inevitably, as invariably happens on birthdays, I am unable to resist a walk down memory lane. On Saturday September 11, 2004, I published my first post on TypePad. All I managed to do then was type a few words and click Publish. I was brand new to blogging and didn't have the slightest idea of what exactly a blog is. Neither did I have the time to browse the net and find out. So, my first posts were diary entries and I didn't really care then if anyone read my blog, at all. It was more like talking to my diary rather than to other people. I also did not know how to...post photos!

It took me a long time to read through TypePad Help Knowledge Base and find out how to post photos. There was no built-in image upload then. On April 17 2005, I posted my first photos on TypePad. The photos appeared as thumbnails but if you clicked on them, they appeared larger! I was so proud of myself even though my first photos were in a mess! That was also when I got my first comment from my great friend Alex! In June 2005, I signed up at Sitemeter recommended by a friend and that's how I realised that other people read my blog!!!  It also took me some time to figure it out. Thank you all for stopping by regardless of the percentage of your visit.

 

Six years later, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart:

• Everything TypePad and Six Apart because I owe them my blog and all the great progress that has been made since September 2004.
• Ginevra in particular for making me realise that I have signed up to the greatest online community ever!
• The TypePad Team. I would like to thank them all for...putting up with me(!) and for their great support and prompt replies whenever I had a problem.
• All those of you who visit my blog from so many different countries!
• Last but not least, thank you for your time to leave a comment. It's always greatly appreciated.

But right now, it's time to celebrate. Let's dance....Syrtaki! It's easy. Just follow the steps.

Shopping Lists

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One of my least favourite occupations is shopping at the supermarket. However much I enjoy shopping for clothes, cosmetics and accessories, going to the supermarket is a chore I share with Alkis. Alkis usually does the shopping when I work since most supermarkets here are open till 8:00 pm on weekdays and till 3:00 pm on Saturdays. Alkis finishes work at 6:00 pm, so it's only fair that he does the shopping while I am still at work. What I do is  text him or email him the shopping list  which is extremely convenient for me. But Alkis is usually hungry at that time, so he gives in to temptations and fills the shopping basket with items that do not appear on my shopping list - such as peperoni which I hate, mushrooms which I also hate, cashew nuts and crisps - an unhealthy temptation which I prefer not to store in my kitchen cupboards or freshly baked bagels which I'd rather not have in my breadbin - a huge temptation considering I'm a bread lover. And he never forgets any of the items on the shopping list!

When I'm off work, the shopping-at-the-supermarket chore is my responsibility. I never write shopping lists when I go to the supermarket. I'd rather not waste time texting or emailing myself. I think I'd feel ridiculous to look at my mobile phone while shopping! (I hope Alkis doesn't read this!) And I really hate carrying pieces of paper in my handbag with a shopping list. I usually have a memory like an elephant, yet when it comes to supermarket shopping, it seems I have a memory like a sieve. Unlike Alkis, I forget quite a few items of my mental list.

Before a trip to the supermarket, I make sure I'm well organised:

• I never go to the supermarket when I'm hungry.
• I always repeat aloud my mental shopping list while driving to the supermarket. I've even made up a rhyme which goes like this:

Apples, bananas, onions and potatoes

Cabbage, lettuce and some tomatoes

Cheese, ham and pastry for pies

Steak, chicken and frozen french fries

(I still need to find a rhyme for oranges!)

• I always give a tip so that my shopping is neatly put in eco-friendly plastic bags and, most importantly, carried to my car!

Do you enjoy doing the shopping? Do you make shopping lists? Do you stick to them? Can't wait to read your comments!

Fears

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Ever since I was a young child, I've been suffering from the fear of thunder and lightning that often led to an uncontollable urge to scream. What terrified me most was the lightning - I couldn't stand the sight of it so I'd bury my head under my pillow and scream! My mum hugged me and sang to me trying to soothe my fear. When I was 11, I saw The Sound of Music at the cinema for the first time and realised that other children also fear storms and so whenever there was a storm, I thought of my ...favourite things and felt better. I can't say, however, that I've completely overcome this fear as I still feel the urge to scream on a stormy day.

My second fear has to do with the dentist. When I was 15, I had a bad toothache but the dentist said that was nothing serious - I just needed a filling. However, he accidentally touched the nerve and I passed out. (I wasn't given any unesthetic for a filling!) Consequently, I decided never to visit the dentist again - not even for regular dental checkups every six months.  As a result, my negligence gradually led to more serious problems such as gum disease. Although now I fully trust my dentist, I still shiver while hearing that nightmarish sound of his drill and I urgently need the nurse to hold my hand!

My worst fear, though, is the fear of flying. I love travelling so much, yet I can't be on a plane for more than 5 hours (maximum!!).  What terrifies me most is the time before landing and take-off - since most airline accidents happen then. I really feel sick: I sweat all over, I feel weak and helpless, my mouth is unusually dry, I sometimes feel like screaming, I always feel dizzy during take-off. That terrible speed of the plane makes me feel numb. On a bumpy flight, I am unable to eat or drink or take a tranquilizer or sleep because I want to be alert in case of emergency. I also feel silly when I realise that I am the only person on board who listens to the flight attendant during the pre-flight safety instructions. And I am, I think, the only person on the plane who carefully reads the passenger safety information card - the one found in the seat pocket in front of me or watch the safety instructions video... while others are sitting back, relaxing and reading books or newspapers. This is an ordeal !

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Now ...your turn! What are some of your fears if you have any?