Another 'Birthday Melancholy' Post

I think it's turned into a tradition, me being depressed and miserable on the month of my birthday (and in general -don't be fooled- but October is even worse) and sharing that negativity with you.
Which is funny (?) and bizarre, as I actually love the month of my birthday. It's the spooky month after all, the month of Halloween. It's also when the unbearable heat of the summer dissolves and I can finally wear makeup without having to worry that my face will melt.

But every year same old story: I think about my life, what I have not accomplished, especially compared to my peers, and how sucky my life is. I also get paralysed by my time and death phobias and generally experience an avalanche of negative thoughts.

So, for this year's menu we have:

• Career failure (or shall I say absence?)
• Health Issues 
• Uncertainty of own future 
• Lack of motivation/goals
• And of course, asking if this life is worth living

Above all though, I reminisce the year that has passed, and what has happened during it.

Let's see...

I received my MA degree; two of my best friends moved out of London; I lived in a house with the worst housemates I've experienced so far, being bullied and attacked constantly; I got a good -and hard- part time job for which I was underpaid; I had severe financial issues -some of which were due to being underpaid; I had my second year anniversary with my lovely boyfriend; my health problems escalated to the point where I had to quit my job leave UK -and my lovely boyfriend behind; I had issues with my computer which cost money to fix, and weren't fixed properly either; my health kept -and still is- deteriorating; a family friend died; and the icing on the cake, universe's birthday present to me, YouTube deleting my channel (for details on that read this, this, this, this, but above all this).

Yeah. Doesn't sound too good, right?

And here I am, contemplating if I can handle another year like the previous one. Every year my sole wish is that the following year won't be as bad as the previous one.

E.g. Last year, just before I turned 28, I was in despair. I had gone through hell. From struggling with my Masters degree, to suffering financially, to having my macbook stolen from my room in Uni Halls -whilst I was in the building-, to being severely cyberbullied, to almost being physically assaulted by a catcaller...

So, my sole wish was for my 28th year on this planet to not be as bad as my 27th year.

Nope. It somehow managed to be worse. Way worse.

Since I remember myself, with the exception of very few years, each year has been worse than the one preceding it. And we reached that point where that terrifies me.

Because, if my 29th year is even slightly worse than my 28th year, it will be more than I can handle. My 28th year has already surpassed my coping levels, which resulted in me being bedbound for almost 4 months. 

I know there's not much I can do about this. We have no control over our futures, and sometimes not even over our present actions resulting in those futures -depending on the circumstances. Therefore, I know that there's no way to predict nor control the unknown, my future. 

And that my friend is hard to come to terms with, especially suspecting the amount of suffering I'll have to go through. 

I don't know what to do, I don't know how to prepare for the storm that is coming. I know it's coming. I just hope this year will spare me, even a little bit, and this time my 29th year won't be as bad as my 28th. Even a little bit better is a lot better to me.

I can only hope at this point after all...

Mysticismlover YouTube Channel: Update

I'm not sure how many people from those following my YouTube Channel know about my blog, but just in case any of you are reading this, I'm compelled to write it.

Today, after 2 weeks of making an appeal towards YouTube's unjust decision to remove my channel, YouTube responded.

So, it is final. It is over. I have lost 10 years worth of work, 100+ videos.
I am heartbroken, I am sad. But above all, I am angry. I am angry AF.

I received an automated bot response. They didn't even have the decency to email me what exactly it was that I did/said which violated their guidelines.

You know why?
Because I did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing.

If you do some research you'll see that lately YouTube has fucked people over monetisation. People have lost thousands of dollars, since YouTube apparently let's algorithms and bots do all the work.

I did some research on false/unfair account removals and I found thousands of testimonies on Google. Thousands. Some dating back to 2013.
Go ahead, check it out. A sample can be found here.

I am disappointed and extremely tired at this point.
I've fought with everything I had to get my channel back, but I give up.

You see, I had a small channel and my voice didn't matter. My followers didn't matter to YouTube.
I didn't monetise my videos, didn't even allow on my channel, so YouTube made 0 money off of me.

Did I get punished for that? Did I get punished for not making money to YouTube? Or was it the trolls who flagged my videos that are to blame? Maybe a bit of both.
Between the faulty YouTube algorithms and the hateful trolls flagging me, as a small YouTuber, I stood no chance.

But you haven't seen the last of me. I am planning my resurrection, or shall I say my rebirth.

Mysticismlover Rebirth will come to you soon.

And when it does, it will be through a platform far more reliable and fair than YouTube.

See you soon!

Attitude Clothing 2nd HAUL

A few weeks ago I made my second Attitude Clothing order. 

This time it took less than three days to process and ship.

From the time it was shipped it took less than ten days to arrive to my door. 

Not bad considering the order was placed from Greece.

So what did I get this time?

First thing I got is the METAL AF Lip Gloss in Cherry Pie by Medusa. I always wanted to try this brand, so I was ecstatic to get my hands on one of their lip glosses. It's a dark reddish/brownish metallic that dries matte and doesn't come off. It is quite drying though. It cost €9 and it's got 6ml in it. Not bad, but not great either. The applicator is a bit bizarre though and you got to work the product to get it right on your lips.

7/10

Next, we have another brand I've been keen to try, Lunatic Cosmetic Labs. I got their popular Cream Lip Slick in Coven. Beautiful unique greige colour, creamy and lightweight. However, you get 6ml for €14.50, which I personally find extremely expensive. The applicator is the standard applicator. This colour will actually look amazing on pink/neutral pale skin. I've been looking for a very long time to find a colour like this, without yellow undertones.

7/10 (if it was cheaper it'd get a better grade from me)

I've been dying to dye my hair a colourful hair again, and I've been feeling like blue lately. I was browsing through different brands and blue dyes and Sapphire by Crazy Color spoke to me.
It was €8.89 for both (cheaper than any other online or physical store I've found so far). I didn't bleach my hair, but it was a light reddish brown from previous bleaches and dyes. The colour came out as a dark blue, and darker green in some spots (where my roots were). If your hair is bleached it'll probably come off as a lighter blue. But it's awesome that you don't actually have to bleach your hair to get a hint of colour on it.

7/10

I wanted to get a mug since teas season has arrived. I feel in love with this witchy treat. It also came in a cute eco-friendly box. It was €5.56 which is fair. The colour has faded in certain spots, but I don't mind it that much.

7/10

I also got myself some Stamford incense sticks. For anyone who doesn't already know, Stamford is my all time favourite brand for incense sticks. If you want details on my favourites check here.

10/10




I also got myself a little transparent pouch for my pencils etc. It cost €2.22. It's adorable, but stinks. No joke. The smell is intense af.

5/10


I grabbed myself a little Black Agate necklace for €5.56, which isn't bad at all. I have to say it's tiny though and the string it comes with is cheap.

7/10





Last, but not least is the Nemesis Now Health Spell Candle by Lisa Parker that I bought myself. It cost €6.67. It's quite small, has an aloe vera scent and includes a little health spell.

7/10






Overall, I'm quite happy with my order. Shipping was over €17, however, I had around €13 on my account since they refunded my faulty ring, plus a 10% discount, so I didn't mind the expensive shipping, as I didn't really have to pay it. I do believe they need to do something about the shipping cost for non UK orders though, because it's way too expensive. I'm sure there's a way to get it to under €10.

#metoo

#METOO

I was a child the first time a person touched me without my consent. It was in kindergarten, then in primary school.
The boys would grope the girls, they even had a game where they'd go around slapping our asses and breasts; and they'd sneak in the female bathrooms and look at us whilst we used the loo. I never used the school's WC during the six years of primary school.
We told the teachers. We told them multiple times.
'They're boys' 'That's what boys do' 'Come on stop exaggerating'!

Then came secondary school. Boys kept on groping girls. But now it was even worse.
I remember once a few boys had circled me and were trying to lift my top. I was holding on it for dear life. But I was lucky. I was fat you see and so I was considered ugly. Therefore, that and a few other times where I had my ass slapped were the only instances of sexual harassment during secondary school for me. The thin pretty girls had it worse. I should be grateful. Right?

During highschool things got on a different level. You see, now girls were young women -or were expected to be- but boys were still boys, only with testosterone and access to porn (a.k.a false depiction of how sex works).
I can't tell you how many times I got cornered by my male classmates. They were trying to touch my breasts and my ass. I was always quick and escaped. I got away from highschool with only a few gropes and having my underwear pulled a few times (it was my fault I was wearing cute underwear and having a big ass after all, right?). Other female classmates of mine didn't have my 'luck.' they had their underwear and bras pulled constantly, some had been groped even underneath their clothes without their consent. And we were all under 18 years old...
I remember as a teenager I was dating a guy for sometime. One day he wanted to have sex. I didn't. If I hadn't started crying he himself told me he'd have gone for it -even though I had said no. He'd have raped me.

During all this time, and even though I was and looked under 18, men still hit on me on the street. Men still catcalled me. Some of those men were old enough to be my father or grandfather.

Thankfully, when I was in uni I was respected as a female and a human -for the biggest part. None of my classmates ever tried to grope me, or harassed me. Apart from one. A guy who said I was pretending I didn't want to have sex with anyone (I was going through an asexual period of my life) to have men begging. I explained several times I was not pretending. He made extremely disrespectful remarks against my character.

During that time I was also in the club scene. Unfortunately, I have been groped more than a few times in clubs. I've been offered money for sex -even though I kindly explained I'm not a prostitute-, I've been asked to perform sexual acts -even though I said I wasn't interested- and I've been insulted every time I've said no. No matter how polite I tried to be (but why do I even have to be polite whilst rejecting someone?). Weirdly enough, I have even been groped on the street. And of course I have been catcalled  numerous times, and once I almost got into a physical fight with a guy who tried to corner me and then bullied me because I wasn't interested. Shall I even mention that I've been stalked in the past? Nah, that's not harassment, right?

I could go on and on, giving you examples of every time a man I was dating demanded I do things I didn't want to, and even tried to force me to do things I didn't want to. I could give you examples of all the sexist and misogynistic reactions I have gotten from men for not being interested -or not being interested anymore. From a man I didn't want to have a 2nd date with videocalling me for 4 years showing me his penis (to the point I had to change numbers in the end) to a man I rejected having a serious relationship with creating a fake page on a social media platform saying he was a prostitute who fucked me because he got paid to do so...

So yeah, you get it. A large number of the men I have encountered in my life (from men on the street, to classmates in school, to even men I have dated) demanded sex/attention etc. They considered I somehow owe them my body, attention, time and energy. Whilst they felt entitled to expect those things they never felt compelled to be polite or respectful.

Which makes #Metoo the most important hashtag of the year. Because my story is almost every other female's story. And many females have had it a lot worse than me. Many have been raped and even murdered.

If you're a man, please listen. Listen to our stories. Be an ally. When you see fellow men mistreating females intervene. Don't remain silent. Don't perpetuate unfairness and inequality.

To every female reading this: You're strong. You're worthy. You're amazing the way you are. You don't owe anything to anyone.

Thank you for reading.

☮️

YouTube has a bug

My channel is still deleted.

On another note, I did some research and found out YouTube has done the same thing they did to me to thousands of other Youtubers, most of the time to small channels.
There are so many fora posts on that it's insane. Some date back to 2013.
Some people didn't even have videos, so it didn't even make sense to delete their channels. 
Also, when I logged in, before I found out my channel was deleted, YouTube told me there was suspicious activity on my account, and I had to give them my phone number to send me a text to log in. 
But I had already done 2 step verification (meaning to log in I had to use my password and get a text with another pass on my phone), so I thought that was normal.
However, everyone who had their account deleted got the same 'suspicious activity' notification and were told to log in using 2 step verification (even those who hadn't arranged for that).

So I may have gotten flagged by trolls, but I also think there's a bug on Youtube when it comes to getting flagged and strikes.

I don't get how a huge corporation and social media platform like YouTube haven't sorted such things, like, they have millions of users, having the same bug for 4 years and not fixing it is unacceptable!

My Youtube Channel has been removed

On Tuesday a video of mine got flagged by a few people.
Then I got a strike.

After 3 hours, I updated the description of another video of mine, informing my subscribers of what had happened.
That video got flagged and I got a second strike.

Today, the strikes were removed as I had been falsely reported.

During that time I had made all of my videos private, to prevent those targeting me from reporting my content.

Then, when my strikes were removed, I made my videos public again.

Within an hour, another video of mine got flagged and I got a strike. After 10 minutes another one. After 5 minutes another one.

My channel got removed.

I have spent over 10 years creating content for it. And that content isn't saved anywhere. So if my channel is lost, so is all that work, all those videos.

I know those horrible, those evil people targeting me are trying to silence me.
They are petty, they are cowards.
They don't dare show their faces.

I don't understand how anyone can be so hateful towards a person they've never met, to put so much time and effort into destroying them.

I pity them. They are sad.

And the truth is, they will never be happy, because their souls are dark, and miserable.

If you are someone who was following my channel (Mysticismlover), if you enjoyed my content, please, help me get my channel back. Let Youtube know they have made a mistake.
I will be forever grateful for that.

2nd Athens Tattoo Expo Review

On Sunday the 8th I decided to visit the second Athens Tattoo Expo. I've been to the International Tattoo Convention before, so I had high expectations.

The event took place at the Music Conservatory of Athens, on the 7-8th of October, and it cost €10 to enter.


 The facebook page didn't have much information on the program, times etc.
You had to visit their official website to get a better grasp of what was going to take place during the Expo.

The price wasn't mentioned on the website until the week before the Expo would take place. Same goes for the program.

I didn't really pay attention to the website, and so I wasn't aware of the program and the times of the Expo.

 On Sunday, I decided I wanted to go, since Sunday was the 'Black and Grey' day.
I procrastinated all day, and around 7pm I thought I should get going.
I messaged the event to ask if it was worth it going this late, but I didn't receive a response.
I went anyway.

Upon entering I asked if I was too late, and the people at reception said I wasn't. They said I was just in time for the last 'Black and Grey' competition.
When I went downstairs they had already awarded the person who was on stage.
I decided to walk around and look at shop's portfolios.
I noticed a barber shop that offered free haircuts for men.
I also noticed a Vans room, where there was a movie on a big screen, presenting Vans creators and four shoes on display.
Outside the room was a huge Vans shoe you could draw on. There was barely any space on it, so I drew a little heart.

Inside the room I also noticed there was a laptop (unattended).
I was quite surprised anyone would leave such an expensive item unattended at an Expo.

I also noticed there was a 'Make a Wish' booth, where you could get a star tattoo for €20 which ςασ donated to the NGO. I passed the booth several times and I saw at least five people who had gotten star tattoos. Some looked better than others.
You had five or six designs to choose from.

Next to the booth were some shops booths like Monsterville, a sunglasses shop, a hat shop and a Monster (the energy drink) booth.


Overall, the space wasn't great. The tattoo shop booths were tiny, and I'm surprised people had enough space to tattoo. Also, the room where the Expo took place was underground, with no visible windows. And to get out you had to climb a lot of stairs.
I saw there was an option for wheelchair access, which is a first for Greece, and very positive.

I personally found a few tattoo shops that attracted my attention due to their portfolios. But due to the place being so crammed there was no space or time to make connections with any of them.

I definitely think that paying the full ticket, even though shops started closing within 30 minutes of my arrival was unfair. I would have rather receptionists told me the truth, that there was no point in me entering, rather than take my money and leave me with a sour taste in my mouth.
Another thing they could do would be to reduce the entrance fee towards the end.

I understand my opinion may be biased, as I didn't see any of the shows that took place, due to arriving late. However, had the Expo been more organised and published a flyer with the program of each day early on, things would be a lot different.

I personally don't think I'd pay to visit this Expo in the future, unless there's a lot of changes in the way they promote and manage it.

Youtube Strikes (2)

Still baffled at how there are videos depicting sexual acts, violence, sexual harassment, racism, misogyny, drug use and crime among others on YouTube, yet two videos of me talking in my room got removed.

To get two strikes for something that I didn't do, because I did not violate the Community Guidelines, is so unfair.

I wish I could find those despicable people who aim to destroy my channel. I wish I could meet them in real life, as I know that they're hiding behind a screen to hurt me, but I doubt they'd actually dare to confront me in person.

Every day I see the ugly face of humanity, and I get more and more disgusted by how it has come to look.
Every day I feel more and more discouraged to exist on this planet.
Every day I am convinced humans are inherently evil.

I got 2 YouTube strikes within 3 hours

I have been on Youtube since 2007. Over 10 years now.

During that time, I have never had an issue.

I have shared hundreds of videos through that platform, and especially since 2015, I have been uploading consistently a video every Monday.

Yet, today, for the first time in my Youtube career I got a strike. Twice. Within 3 hours.

Allegedly I violated Youtubes Community Guidelines.

Only issue is that I didn't.

Both videos depicted me in my room talking about stuff. On the first video I was talking about how you can survive your first year in uni, and on the second about how you can break the cycle of getting into bad relationships.
Does any of that sound harmful to you?

Exactly.

I suspect this is a targeted attack against my person and my channel.
After all, this isn't the first time I have been attacked on social media.

But to think that Youtube let a mere algorithm choose the fate of my channel... That is insulting.

I am now prohibited from uploading new content for sometime.
I also chose to make all my videos private to ensure I wouldn't get another strike, as I think there are people reporting my content to take my channel down.

It's such a shame as I don't have my videos saved anywhere else but youtube, and so, if my channel gets taken down, I will lose all of them. And that would mean thousands of hours of work going to waste.

To the persons who did this: You will not silence me. I will always find other platforms to share my voice.

Random Thoughts XXXXXXVΙ

The older I get, the more I realise how important love is.
To receive it, to give it, to transmit it.

Gun Laws in USA/Mass shooting in Las Vegas

Another tragedy took place in USA when a 64 year old man opened fire on a crowd of 22000 people in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 58 have been killed and the number may rise. Over 500 have been injured. - Source

There have been many responses on Twitter regarding the incident.
From people praying for Las Vegas:

To people stressing the importance of stricter gun laws in USA:

 


To people urging us to realise that this man was a terrorist and there's no excuse for that:

 

 


This has -once again- started a discussion about gun laws in USA.
Many people claim their amendment rights are important, whereas others stress out that human life is more important.
Others highlight their right to protect themselves, stating that owning a gun is self defense.

Many non USA citizens still don't understand this logic. And I am one of them.

• You cannot continue enforcing laws the same way you did hundreds of years ago. Society changes, technology changes, culture changes and law needs to reflect those changes in order to be considered effective. When you have identified that there is an extreme gun violence issue in your country, when your country becomes the country with the overwhelming majority of mass gun shootings and gun violence in the Western World, then something is wrong. Guns are weapons of death. The rest of the world can see it, so why can't USA citizens see it? I deliberately say USA citizens instead of Americans, because as many people forget, America comprises of many countries, not just USA.
  So, why does the law -of some States- make it so easy for people to own guns? And also, why do retailers make it so easy for people to purchase guns? Why do people even need to own guns?
• And now we're getting to the 'excuse'/argument most people bring up when told that civilians shouldn't own guns: Safety. And so, let me ask you five key question regarding your safety, owning a gun, using a gun, and the implications of those:

1. Do you feel your country is that dangerous that you need to always carry a gun with you? And if you feel your country is indeed so dangerous, do you believe owning a gun will resolve the issue?
2. Do you feel that if you're attacked you have the right to use that gun?
3. Do you feel that if you're attacked you have enough expertise and experience to be able to use your gun effectively to protect yourself?
4. Are you aware that when you're carrying a weapon on you you must be prepared for that weapon to be used against you?
5. Are you aware that when you're carrying a weapon on you you may actually have to use it? Do you understand the practical consequences but also the mental consequences that may have on you?

These are all questions I have asked pro gun persons over the years. 

Let's break each down.

1. If you're carrying a gun, you most probably feel unsafe (or you've watched too many cowboy movies). If you feel unsafe and you carry a gun, you most probably intent to use it when you feel threatened. But how does you carrying a gun reduce the danger? Wouldn't it actually increase it since one more person is carrying a gun? And what if you misunderstand a situation and shoot a person or an animal who wasn't truly threatening you?
If USA is dangerous, that is a socio-economical, cultural and educational issue. For USA to be less dangerous, you would have to determine why people become criminals. Apart from those who are inherently bad, many criminals choose that path because they feel they either don't have another choice, or because by that choice they can make more money. Or sometimes they've been wronged by the system and seek revenge this way.

When there are high crime rates, you need to focus on changing society. To do that you start from schools, you educate children and you make sure every single child goes to school; you also make sure no one is poor to the point they can't survive unless they turn to crime; you provide free healthcare (including mental health support) and you try to give people choices. If people have other choices, better choices, less people will turn to crime. Will crime ever disappear completely? Nope. That is not possible. But it can be dramatically reduced, and there are countries and communities that have achieved that. 

Bottom line, you carrying a gun won't make USA safer. On the contrary, each person carrying a gun is a potential criminal, whether they intend to be or not, as you can never know what situation you may get into and how you may react to it. What will make USA safer though is policy change, supporting poor communities more, focusing on education, providing accessible health care for all and giving people other choices.

2. Now, many may think that when they're carrying a gun they have every right to use it as self defense. But what does self defense mean? Does it mean that if someone pushes you you can shoot them? Does it mean that if someone pulls a knife on you you can shoot them? Does it mean that when another person points a gun at you you can shoot them? Or does it mean that you may have to wait for the other person to shoot first before you can use your gun? Does the law support you even showing your gun as intimidation once threatened? I suppose each State will probably have different laws on the matter, but common sense tells me you'd most probably be justified to use your gun after someone has made a move to physically hurt you, and hurt you severely. In which case, carrying a gun isn't great help at all. By the time you will be legally allowed to use your gun to defend yourself, you may already be heavily injured, or even worse, dead.
Someone may say at this point that in areas with high gun violence, carrying a gun may be your only chance to survive. But as I previously mentioned, more guns means more gun violence and carrying a gun won't ensure you survive. Wouldn't it make more sense to completely ban guns and make it extremely hard purchasing them, but also implement harsh punishment on those carrying them?

3. Unfortunately, many people who carry guns have not been properly trained on how to use them -or when to use them. Do you feel confident that if your life is threatened you will be calm and collected enough to pull your gun, aim and shoot the person threatening you without killing them? Or, even worse, without missing and hurting an innocent person? As mentioned above, there is a chance you may even misunderstand a situation and shoot without being truly threatened. 

4. The first thing to remember when you carry any weapon on you is that it can be used against you. Are you prepared for that? If someone attacks you and you miss the shot or don't have enough time to take the shot, there is a good chance that person will try to grab the gun from you. And they may succeed. Are you ready for such a scenario? How would you defend yourself then? Is you carrying a gun worth the risk of being shot by your own gun? That is a very important factor you ought to keep in mind when deciding on carrying a gun on you.

5. Lastly, the most important question of all: Do you feel comfortable killing someone? In the horrific scenario of you being attacked and having no other option than having to kill your attacker, are you ready to do that? Have you considered the consequences of such an action? Legally and mentally? Do you understand what it means to take a life? Even if your own life is in danger, are you prepared to defend yourself to the point of causing someone else's death?
Carrying a gun -or even just owning a gun- isn't something to be taken lightly. There are responsibilities, but also grieve dangers that come with it. Are you fully aware of those?

I urge you to do your research on laws, but also within your soul to respond to these five questions before you decide you need a gun in your house or on you.

Six Months

Six months of repression
Suppression,  no measure of prevention

Illness, stillness, subversion
No chance of recuperation 

Physical oppression
No escaping deterioration

Inertia, exertion
No hope for restoration

National Poetry Day 2017

He is yogurt and she's basil 
He's deluded and she's green
Their relationship so tragic 
At the same time fresh and freeing

Yogurt tastes better with basil 
Basil likes giving a hint 
Both of them eaten together 
Tongue's delicious tasty spin

(written for a friend a couple of years ago)

Neighbour passed away

Today I was notified that one of my neighbours in Greece passed away.

I knew this lady since I was a child, and I very vividly remember her and her husband (who passed away six months ago). Her husband died of heart disease (he had a pacemaker for years). She died of a heart attack or something similar. She also suffered from Alzheimer's among others.

When they were younger, they were very energetic people.
Her husband was the president of the local committee for years, and he organised so many lovely events for the whole neighbourhood to enjoy for free. He had a kind smile and was always greeting neighbours and helping out those in need.
She, even as an elder lady, was beautiful and dynamic. She had piercing green eyes, black hair and a raspy voice. She smoked like a chimney and drank a lot. She was kind and helpful as well, and I remember once, when my mum fainted in our house -I was four and didn't know what to do- she came to the rescue.
I will be forever be grateful for that.

In her late years she was in a lot of pain, and after her husband died her conditioned worsened.
They were one of the very few couples of that generation to not have children, and that had been a talk in the neighbourhood. Whether they chose to not have children, or they didn't have a choice, it's no one's business.
But that meant that each other was all they had, especially since all their relatives but their nephews had passed away. And their nephews didn't really care much to visit or support them. You see, they knew they didn't leave them any money, so they didn't care.

My mum found out on her way to the bakery shop. There were papers with details of the funeral on every sign post in the neighbourhood.
She was very shaken and when she announced the news to me she was evidently trying hard not to cry. I don't often see my mum like that, so I realised how much she respected and appreciated our neighbour who passed away.
I use "passed away" and not "died" as my mum didn't use the word "died" either today. I guess it sounds softer that way.

It feels as if with every elder person passing away, a part of my neighbourhood dies as well. Those elder people made this neighbourhood what it is -to me. They gave it that oldschool character, they kept it tight, as a neighbourhood.

She was over 70 but under 80 years old. Not young, but not ridiculously old either. And that scares me, as other important people of my life grow older as well.
Death is a scary thing after all, and sometimes only justified when it ends one's suffering. Like our neighbour's.

I don't really know how to feel, or what else to say. So I'd like to remain silent. For a minute or two. And reflect on life, try not to think of death, and honour her memory.

And if any of you who read this are religious, please say a prayer for her soul to rest in peace. She was religious too, so I'm sure she'd appreciate it.

Her name was Eleni.

Where not to take your Apple products for repair in Athens

So, unfortunately I had some issues with my macbook.

As I am in Athens, Greece at the moment, I had to find an official Apple retailer, since there are no Apple Stores in Greece.

And so, after reading a couple of reviews, I chose Document.
As someone who has experienced the Apple Stores customer services several times, I cannot help but find Document's customer services bellow average.

Here's why:
-I was told the technician would call me prior to starting the repair, to ask if I was on board with the potential cost. He did not.
In fact, none of the times I was promised a call for an update did I receive one.
-They even changed my OS without asking me.
-I was told my product had more issues than those I was aware of, and again, repair plans were made without my knowledge.
-At first, I was told the repair would be finished within 3-4 days. Then 5-6 days. Then 7-8 days. Which is preposterous. I have never waited for over 2-3 hours for a repair at an Apple Store. I understand this is not an Apple Store, but still, such long time is unacceptable.

If you're on holidays in Greece or for a short period of time, there is absolutely no reason to trust Document with the repair of your Apple products. If on the other hand you're a permanent resident, and you have no other choice... Well, good luck.