Όπως όλοι γνωρίζουμε, μια απο τις μεγαλύτερες πηγές εσόδων του Ελληνικού κράτους ειναι ο τουρισμός. Όμως με τις  Ευρωπαϊκές χώρες σε ύφεση από την αρχή του έτους,  είναι σχετικά αναμενόμενη η κάμψη του Τουρισμού - κατά 8,6% όπως σύμφωνα με πρόσφατα δημοσιεύματα. Το αντίκτυπο αυτής της πραγματικότητας θα φανεί τον χειμώνα, με πιθανώς περαιτέρω ελάττωσης του ρυθμού ανάπτυξης της χώρας, με ότι συνέπειες έχει αυτό στην ανεργία και οικονομία.

Συνεχίζεται η μείωση της τουριστικής κίνησης
Η δεύτερη βόμβα της οικονομίας, η καλύτερα της παραοικονομίας, οι μεταχρονολογημένες επιταγές. Ελαττωμένη κίνηση στα καταστήματα (οι Έλληνες αρχίζουν επιτέλους να αποταμιεύουν!) σημαίνει και λιγότερος τζίρος, αλλά ταυτόχρονα λιγότερο ή και καθόλου κέρδος και ταυτόχρονη πιθανή αύξηση της ανεργίας, που οδηγεί σε περαιτέρω μείωση της κατανάλωσης. Και αναρωτιέσαι μια οικονομία που στηρίζετε σε δάνεια και ψευτο-δάνεια (επιταγές) πότε θα καταρρεύσει? Προσωπικά αυτό είναι το μεγαλύτερο ρίσκο της οικονομίας αυτήν την περίοδο, θυμίζοντας αρκετά τα toxic loans των Αμερικάνικων τραπεζών.

Τα 2 δισ. ευρώ «έπιασαν» οι ακάλυπτες επιταγές

ΥΠΟΙΟ: Ανάγκη επίσπευσης των διαρθρωτικών αλλαγών

Και πώς θα συγκρατίσουμε το έλλειμα? Φορολογία αντί για αναπτυξη...
Στα 11,6 δισ. το εμπορικό έλλειμμα

Και σαν να μην εφτανε η φορολογία, αυξηση και της βενζίνης...
Καύσιμα: Σκαρφαλώνει η αμόλυβδη

Ναι είμαι αρκετά απαισιόδοξος για την Ελλαδαρα μας. Έχοντας ζήσει την κρίση στην Αγγλία 8 μήνες πριν, βλέποντας τα αποτελέσματα σε χαμένες δουλείες (2.5 εκατομμύρια άνεργοι!), κατάρρευση επιτοκίων και κρατικοποιήσεις τραπεζών βλέπω την ιστορία να επαναλαμβάνεται. Πότε η ανάκαμψη? Ας βγουν πρώτα από την ύφεση όλοι οι άλλοι και μετά εμείς, τουλάχιστον 1 χρόνο μετά, όπως άλλωστε καθυστερήσαμε να έρθουμε αντιμέτωποι με την πραγματικότητα. Το θέμα ειναι τι ελλαστικότητα έχει η οικονομία μας...

Τουλάχιστον, ας ελπίσουμε η όποια κυβέρνηση να πάρει τα απαραίτητα θαρραλέα μέτρα που τόσο καιρό ζητά η χώρα μας για να αναπτυχθεί επιτέλους και σε άλλους τομείς πλέον του sea sun sex τουρισμού. Γιατί να κόψουμε την φοροδιαφυγή αποκλείεται!

So its time for restaurants! Saturday booked for Clos Maggiore, a modern French Restaurant in the heart of London. Having done quite a lot of research, the place seems absolutely awesome; just look at their website and you'll be impressed! Also quite impressive is their 80 page wine list with most having a price well into three digits! However, the food seems to be quite affordable and with interesting combinations of flavors and dishes.

Review to follow... (As is Gordon Ramsay's quite soon!)

Two years of living in Clapham have come to an end. Dimitris - my flat mate and good friend - has taken the leap and decided to move back to Greece, starting with the military service and moving on to finding a job and settling down. So May found me flat hunting, ending up in St. Johns Wood, a green, quiet and quite posh area of Northern London. Flat is good, slightly cheaper than Clapham, roomier but a bit more moody - the dark chocolate interior doesn't really reflect the limited london sunlight as it comes in from the windows. But you gotta love the mirrors in the bedroom and Regents park is a stone throw's away where I'm starting to become a regular!

Which brings me to the second change... One of my new year's resolutions was to take better care of myself. As some close friends remember, I went through quite a big scare back in October. The English diet had gotten the best out of me and over the last four years in UK I've managed to gain 10 kg, quite a significant departure from the slim, athletic me that I was so used to back in my Athens Uni days. So I was done with junk food and turned to fruit, chicken, vegetables, tomatoes and olive oil, the essence of the Mediterranean diet. Along with some modest calorie counting, I've managed to get back to shape, loosing all 10 kilos and then some more and most importantly of all, regaining my health and energy. Plus you gotta love the faces of all my colleagues that haven't seen me for a while -"WHAT! How did you manage to do that! ...."

And last but not least... Holidays! Having just taken 14 days of holiday since last August, it was yet another stressful year. So a BIG party was in order! June holidays took off with a re-visit of Barcelona - probably the best way to kick the holiday mood off. Nice beach, good bars and food for three days of "away from london and the rain" time. Then it was Athens and off to Mykonos with Dimi. To be honest, I did not know what to expect from this holiday - it was the first time I go somewhere with just one friend. But to our surprise, or should I say - as expected - we had the best time ever. Swimming, party by the beach plus bottle after bottle of Champaign and Vodka. The landing at London was definitely hard, but at least the weather gave us a break; it was sunny and we probably saw the hottest days of this summer.

Three weeks later and off to Greece again, this time at the much promising sailing boat trip. Having just landed at Athens, we were greeted by the oh-so-familiar 40C heat and then the 5 pumping left - 10 pumping right - 5 pumping left that was the toilet training. None of us remembered it and proved to be a formidable challenge after a bottle of Vodka (each) and 8 Beaufort scale Aegean winds... The trip started off quite calmly with a nice ride to Tzia, were our "fabulous" captain managed to make us known to the ENTIRE island by trying to fit the boat in a space enough for a jet-ski. At least we used that to our advantage at the club! Following day, off to Syros, were on the way we stopped at this great deserted beach, shadowed by deep blue waters. Multiple dives off the boat were a must and Anna became our official photographer, in search of the perfect diving pose. In Syros we probably had the best food in this holiday, or to better said - the last food of this holiday, as from the next day it was Mykonos and that meant feeding on Vodka, Moet and Red Bull for the next few days. Waving good by at my old friend Nikos, we sailed off from Syros and following a rough sea arrived at Mykonos - some with their colour changed to yellow from the sea while others having the best sleep of their lives...! Thankfully, my night in at Syros plus the dramamine pill and chewing gum combo saved the day and was busy taking pictures of DL and George hugging the boat balloons and decorating the boat floor. So Mykonos was again, parking quite easily at the new port and off to a stroll at the familiar streets. Its the first time I felt so at home in this Island, was like walking in by back garden! For the next few days it was non-stop partying - well at least for the ones that managed to stay alive and healthy! What Kilimanjaro challenge.. If you want something that can make you reach your limit try 5 days in Mykonos. That WILL do the trick (plus you will need the sponsoring). It was business as usual; waking up at 14:00, going to Paradise at 15:00, lying by the beach with a Cappuccino Freddo at hand, then having a quick chat with Takis, the beach club "pimp" who arranged a nice table for us decorated with Champaign, Vodkas and the necessary summer hit tracks. Familiar faces were coming and going and it was quickly bed time - 23:00 for a two hour power nap. Then depending on the night it was Guetta at Cavo Paradiso, Space in Mykonos town, the familiar Skandinavian, the "greek" Remezzo or all of them at once! For four days, dawn found us dancing/swimming at a random pool/rushing back to the boat to pack/having the last Cappuccino Freddo of the day/ in the mandatory visit to the medical centre!

And then it was Sunday and we were off to Athens and then Gatwick airport. For the first time I was glad to finish my holidays - one more day and I would have definitely been at the hospital - I've jut realised that I'm 26 and even though I now know how to party, my body can't stand it any more. Landing at Gatwick was, to say the least, depressing. Not so much because of the rain, the cold wind, the train and taxi ride home, but because there was no more holiday to look forward to (a quick check with easyjet for August bank holiday revealed a £400 ticket to Athens!) and cause the night life in London is not even close to what we lived over the past month...

As a friend said, we probably reached our holiday peak this year - I reply - we still have USA and Asia to do! Plus I am not going out clubbying again in London unless we have a table and bottle booked - minimum!

Photos to follow

Ολοι μπουκοτάζ στον καφε αυριο! Τα 5 ευρώ ειναι πολλά (πως να μην είναι αοφύ ο Ελληνάρας κάθετε 4 ώρες για εναν καφε )

Τρέχοντας στο γυμναστήριο να προλάβουμε το καλοκαίρι (μπα πολύ αργά κούκλα μου!)

Ο καιρός με την Πετρούλα Κωστίδου (λίνκ Αυτό είχε ενδιαφέρον! )

Α ρε αθάνατη Ελλαδάρα!

- How are you?

- Not too bad...

Why not say "I'm fine, thank you?" What's the deal with the "not too bad"? Are you really that bad every day?

Anyone care to explain..?

It’s another Friday morning, doing the usual commute from Clapham Junction to Reading. Normally I’m quite bored, tired from the exhausting week, waiting for the day to pass by and the weekend to begin.

But not today... Today is a very different and special day. It’s the day were all my efforts over the past two years in Accenture, the 6 years of IT and Management studies, the two years working as a programmer are judged and start paying dividends.

Today the promotion decisions are communicated. It’s the much-anticipated Tell Day.

And so the phone rings; it is my career counsellor. After a few minutes of causal conversation, that seemed to last forever, its time to know. Drum roll… And YES, Mr Giannakas made it to Consultant!

I know, it might not seem much to someone outside management consulting, but this milestone is like adulthood. An analyst must prove that he has grown up, that he can competently handle a client relationship, that he can empower a team to perform at its most, set-up the support structure around new joiners, manage not only his but the team’s workload and distil confidence to the management that even though we might be facing difficulties, there is a plan in place that will help us overcome them and successfully reach our targets.

But as a famous Greek poet said it’s all about the journey and not the destination. And it’s been a long and definitely fulfilling journey!

Now looking forward to the road that lies ahead!

2008 started strongly in Athens, in Asimaki's "change of year" house party... We Greeks say that the way the year starts will be the theme for the entire year... The seven days in Greece went past really fast and before I realised, I was back in little old London, having made my new year's resolutions and decisions. What where they? Firstly, start this little blog so I jot down my memories and express myself. How did that go? Not bad.. It has actually worked, even though I didn't have enough time to write as much as I would like...

What else? I decided to focus on my work. Having had a relatively mediocre performance review in December and with the pressure of  promotion nearing, it was about time I took things seriously and proved that I could do it. How did that go? Following some really long hours, lots of travel, including two times to India, commitment and sacrifices from my personal life, all my targets were hit and exceeded. As always, good things come at a price and unfortunately that meant a rough accident from exhaustion in November, which sent me to the hospital bleeding and with a broken nose. Oh well, I'm still around, and as I say, if it doesn't kill you it can only make you stronger! 

Moreover, I wanted to spend some more time with my friends and try to balance out my life. How did that work? Till June, not well... Work was just too much. But after that, Ibiza, Athens, Crete, Amsterdam, and the infamous bouzoukia trip helped regain some of the lost balance...

There was one more thing for 2008 that I could not forsee... Life as we know is like a pendulum. It swings from the good to the bad. For some fast for others slowly.. In 2008, the pendulum swung to and stayed at the bad side quite a few times; for me and a number of my friends. 2008 started with two of my best friends ending their three year relationship, followed by another historic break-up in July.. In hind sight that was nothing compared to what would follow.. In April we all received the tragic news of the death of a very close friend, George, following a car accident in Crete. I remember meeting George in Athens, January 2008, chatting about the future, what we both wanted to achieve in 2008, what we dreamed about, what we desired... But fait had different plans. George, I will always remember you... 

England 2008

So what happened this year in little old England?  Starting from the Olympic flame run in London and the Tibet protests, to lots of clubbing (Fabric, The End, The Cross, Indigo, Matter to name a few), down to the classic walks in Soho and the ever lasting travelling to Manchester, Newcastle and Northallerton.. Not to mention the credit crunch in September and the fall of the almighty pound, hand in hand with the collapsing UK economy and burst of the housing bubble... Well, 2007 saw the skyrocketing of home prices and ever high recklessness of the banks... As Homer said, Hybris is always followed by Nemesis, and this is Nemesis for the hybristic UK bankers that thought they could rule the world... A, not to forget, we had a number of departures from London.. Pavlos, Afroditi, Nick, wish you all the best in Greece!

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Magical India...

I remember I was so excited the first time I visited India.. I did not know what to expect, was eager to see how people work there, see what the big deal is about this country and soak up the different culture. Having been to both Shanghai and Beijing I was expecting something similar. Well, India and China are both developing countries, have a massive, exploding population and blooming economy, mostly supported by exports to the west... In hindsight, the Indian and Chinese cultures are miles apart and the best way to understand this is by visiting both countries. Bangalore looked like a very scruffy city, even compared to dusty Beijing. Swamps and mosquitoes made their presence felt everywhere. Driving in Bangalore was a nightmare, far worse from Beijing. The gap between the rich and the poor felt far more wide and prominent in India. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my stay and will visit again, but I wouldn't choose India for vacation, while I would definitely recommend Shanghai... 

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Ibiza July 2008

After long and hard working hours in India, summer was to follow. What place is best to unwind? Following Mykonos and Santorini in Summer 2007, we needed to up the stakes and choose a good party destination. So, yes, Ibiza it is! Beautiful beaches, partying, clubbing in an experience that pushed us to our limits... Or at least that's what we thought (haha, we couldn't imagine what would follow...). So how was it? See below..

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Athens July 2008

What best after crazy Ibiza than a week in Athens, visiting old friends, driving down familiar places, eating traditional greek food and working on my suntan.. And of course a night at bouzoukia, that since 2007 has become a must for every visit in Athens! Holiday's finished with an unexpected turn; a couple of new and promising business ideas which have and will keep us busy for the foreseeable future...

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Crete August 2008

Second time in Greece this summer, and destination was Crete. The third biggest island in the Med welcomed us with great food, clear blue sea and magical sunsets, especially if you visit with that special someone... A must do destination for anyone that wants to experience true Greece. Just don't go to Malia...

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Amsterdam October 2008

It's been a long time since I've been to Amsterdam, since January 2006 to be precise... So a short weekend trip was a must, especially in Autumn where the weather is not that cold. Amsterdam this time round, felt more homely, clean and lively. Well, if you've experienced Brick Lane in London, Amsterdam seems very peaceful indeed! Plus, we managed to ride a bicycle around the city! Definatelly recomended... 

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Bouzoukia night November 2008

Finally, the year was to end with a historic trip to Athens.. Project definition: 5 guys, 2 nights, good mood and no sleep. Magic recipie for fun, the greek way!

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So, 2008 was in other words, amazing. As always, life has its ups and downs and its always good to remember where we came from, as it helps us understand were we are going... What's on for the new year? Well, the only certain thing is uncertainty but I can feel that we should expect an equally amazing and potentially unexpected year. At least judging from the past If only the pound recovered to $2 and €1.5...

Good-by 2008, welcome 2009!!!

But, when you work like that the whole week, you need a weekend to let the steam out. That was the weekend in Athens, two days of coffees, seeing old friends, having fun but at a price.. Again, 4 hours max of sleep a day.. And a return trip to greece over two days. Well, so what, I've done that before, there was no problem! Exactly, there should be none; but things dont always go as planned. 

As much as I believe that I am still 20, I am not.. It is not the age; for crying out loud, I am just 25, but my physical condition is not the same any more. The boy that spent the better half of his day at the gym at 20, is a grown up man now that has to work and deal with real issues and problems. And these can suck every bit of energy out of you. Not to mention time.... So yes, I admit, my physical condition is going down the drain... 

Put all that together and you have a recipe for disaster.. Stress, coffees, sleeplessness, alcohol and weaker body and you can wonder for how long someone can last.. Well this someone has found his limits. On Wednesday morning, I paid my visits to Tooting Hospital (I think...) covered in blood, holding several bags of ice cubes on my face and fearing for my health. For those who dont know, fainting in front of 8-9 steps can be quite damaging!! I was considering myself lucky that I didn't break anything; my neck was sore but was still in one piece, my head was bruised but I could still remember who i was, my lips were hurt but my teeth were OK... One thing was worrying me and that was my heart. One very close friend of mine was having anxiety issues, with chest pains and that rung a couple of bells! Also, these things dont happen to 25 year olds... No matter how tired they are. Or do they...? 

Well, after going through a thorough scan, chest and head x-rays, CAT scans, heart electrograms, blood tests and a full check up, the doctors were puzzled. They couldn't find anything that justified this. There was nothing wrong with me and fortunately all the injuries were superficial, besides my nose injury that required a stich (well they actually used superglue to put it together!!!). The answer was obvious.. Exhaustion. 

Having said that, chatting with one of my friends today, she also had an accident at the tube, while running to catch the train... Well. Things here have one great similarity. Guys, understand that our body is a temple where we live in. You dont go on setting fire and breaking the windows of your house, do you? People need to relax. Especially in freaking London. I was going down the tube today and could see hundreds of "busy" people rushing down the stairs, passing by and looking at me because I was just having a stroll. Well, plan better next time so that you dont have to rush. And what will you gain by running? One minute? Two minutes? What is so important that cannot wait for two minutes? Nothing. Because being nervous like that and stressing yourself for all those self imposed deadlines wears you out. You will die younger because you did not plan well or because you wanted to be punctual. Put things in perspective. Is it really worth it? 

So as I said in the title.. 

Sometimes, you need to stop and smell the flowers. 

Cause we have forgotten what really means in our lives. It might have taken a good bump in the head to make me realise it, but I can now see it.

Τρίτη: 15 ώρες
Τετάρτη: 15 ώρες
Πέμπτη: 18 ώρες
Παρασκευή: 7.5 ώρες + τρένο...

Δευτέρα: 15 ώρες
Τρίτη: 16 ώρες...

Έλεος πια! Η εργάσιμη μέρα έχει 7.5 ωρίτσες! Όχι 15!! ΈΛΕΟΣ! Η μήπως να εξερευνίσω την πιθανότητα για bar στην παραλιακή...; Χμχμχμ...

Πάνω σου η γη ξυπνάει
ήλιος μπαίνει από παντού
κάθομαι και σε κοιτάζω
μη με φοβάσαι
Είσαι ακόμα από τον ύπνο
τ΄όνειρο έχει εξατμιστεί
Μάρτιο θυμίζεις πώς να σε προβλέψω

Ενα απ΄όλα τα βιβλία
που έχω μέσα μου βαθιά
του έρωτα φεγγάρια μαύρα το φωτίζουν

Τίποτα δεν έχει μείνει
κι όμως όλα είναι εδώ
άφησέ με να αγγίξω τα μαλλιά σου

Τον ίδιο το Θεό να είχα απέναντί μου
σου λέω προτιμώ στην κόλαση μαζί σου

Άφωνη η ζωή ρωτάει
τόση ομορφιά από που
βρέχει ο ουρανός ρουμπίνια κι απαντάει
μόνο η αγάπη ξέρει τώρα έμαθα κι εγώ
πόσο ανάγκη έχω από την αγκαλιά σου

Τον ίδιο το Θεό να είχα απέναντί μου
σου λέω προτιμώ στην κόλαση μαζί σου

Τίποτα άλλο εκτός από εσένα στο φως
τίποτα άλλο που να με σκοτώνει γλυκά

Αεροπλάνα και βαπόρια:

Με αεροπλάνα και βαπόρια
και με τους φίλους τους παλιούς
τριγυρνάμε στα σκοτάδια
και όμως εσύ δεν μας ακούς.

Δεν μας ακούς που τραγουδάμε
με φωνές ηλεκτρικές μες στις υπόγειες στοές,
ώσπου οι φωνές μας συναντάνε τις βασικές σου τις αρχές...

Ο πατέρας μου ο Μπάτης ήρθε από την Σμύρνη το εικοσιδυό
και έζησε πενήντα χρόνια,σαν πρόσφυγας σε ένα κατώι μυστικό.

Σε αυτόν τον κόσμο όσοι αγαπούνε τρώνε βρώμικο ψωμί
κι οι πόθοι τους ακολουθούνε υπόγεια διαδρομή...

Χτες το βράδυ είδα ένα φίλο
σαν ξωτικό να τριγυρνα
πάνω στην μοτοσυκλέτα
και πίσω τρέχανε σκυλιά...

Σήκω ψυχή μου δώσε ρεύμα,βάλε στα ρούχα σου φωτιά,
βάλε στα όργανα φωτιά,
να τιναχτεί σαν μαύρο πνεύμα,
η τρομερή μας η λαλιά...