One night

The room was cheap and sordid,

hidden above the suspect bar.

From the window you could see the alley,

dirty and narrow. From below

came the voices of workmen

playing cards, enjoying themselves.

 

And there on that common, humble bed

I had love’s body, had those intoxicating lips,

red and sensual,

red lips of such intoxication

that now as I write, after so many years,

in my lonely house, I’m drunk with passion again.

Ηappy Birthday!

With this little post I want to wish you the very best for your birthday and your life my love. Last year I was trying to learn the birthday song in Portuguese to sing it for you when I had no idea what Portuguese was. This year, things are better because I can sing it and understand it! Acho que sim. ;) Many things have changed since May 2010, but others remained, fortunately, the same. It's wonderful to see how you have grown and what have you learnt throughout the months, all the experiences you had and all the knowledge you got. 


May you always be healthy and strong, inspired and motivated to fulfill your dreams with passion. Never lose your courage and  always follow your heart. Learn from your mistakes and be always surrounded by people that give you energy. With each year I'll love you more. Remember that your best years are still ahead of you and I'll be there for every up down and in between. 


Make a wish! ;)


Happy Birthday Citrinitas!


 <3

What's important and what is not

These days I've been wondering about what is important, and what is not. In other words, what makes something important to our eyes and what makes less sense. The environment around is forcing me to examine those thoughts every single day. No matter what I am I thinking, there is always something in this city to remind me that I have to think in an alternative way. No matter where I am (in school, on the street walking around with my friends) there is something to confirm that things are not as well as they should be. I don't know from which country you're reading this post, dear reader, but maybe you feel the same way.

The faces around,the newspapers and the media (that are simply trying to overload our minds with useless information) the basic, everyday conversations that are gradually following the same path of topics: the bad situation of this country and the future. People are moving abroad (or they have already done it) and many of them are thinking about it. I guess it needs nerves to deal with the future. And walls made out of stone to surround you with patience. Athens needs to fight all that misery, for sure.

An everyday scene

In this environment, you can't help wondering: what is important if everything seems so fragile around? Maybe all of those things that last, independently from a material basis.Yeah, right. That's a simple thought to make. But how many of us are actually doing that?

Health, quality of life, love, people, creativity, freedom, being touched by art, interest in self-improvement and self-knowledge, dreaming and last but not least, hoping.

(Now that reminds me of the truly wonderful soundtrack "The heart asks pleasure first" from the movie "The piano")

I didn't write the word happiness itself because to me, happiness is only in moments. In small moments. That yes, they can exist everyday, but only if we want. Can we find reasons to want that, when everyone around is pushing us to the opposite direction? Yes, if we remind to ourselves, what's important long-term and what is not.

So, what's important to you? When was the last time you actually did what's important to you and not to the others? Or the opposite: when was the last time you didn't ask from anyone to fulfill or even find that importance for you?

:)

The God forsakes Antony

When suddenly, at the midnight hour,
an invisible troupe is heard passing
with exquisite music, with shouts --
your fortune that fails you now, your works
that have failed, the plans of your life
that have all turned out to be illusions, do not mourn in vain.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
bid her farewell, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all do not be fooled, do not tell yourself
it was a dream, that your ears deceived you;
do not stoop to such vain hopes.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
as it becomes you who have been worthy of such a city,
approach the window with firm step,
and with emotion, but not
with the entreaties and complaints of the coward,
as a last enjoyment listen to the sounds,
the exquisite instruments of the mystical troupe,
and bid her farewell, the Alexandria you are losing.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)

 

Technicalities: 1

This is a guide on building the first kind of computer for a certain purpose of usage. In case you're just looking for enough to let you read/write MS Office documents, browse websites, check your e-mail, read blogs, etc., then this is your kind of build. Note that there is no graphics or sound card suggestion, because in this case, the motherboard chipset and built-in sound chip will be enough for what you will be demanding from your computer. Of course more is always better, but we're trying to go for an acceptable minimum, and buying hardware is most of the time the way to go for mounting a cheap computer with exactly what you want. So here's my suggestion for parts in the market for this computer (for AMD or Intel builds*):

Motherboard

Asus M2N68-AM Plus (AMD build)

Asus M4N68T-M (Intel build)

both are easily found in Europe at around 45€

...

CPU

AMD Athlon X2 6000+ (AMD build)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (Intel build)

both are found for around 70€ in Europe

...

RAM Memory

Kingston PC6400 2Gb DDR2

should cost around 30€

...

Storage

Samsung 250Gb 7200 RPM S-ATA2 8Mb

found at about 40€

...

Optical Drive

LG GH22NS50 (or any other that has dvd read and write functions)

...

Operating System

I recommend Microsoft's Windows 7 Home Basic or Home Premium

As an alternative, Windows XP Professional should be enough

...

Peripherals

Any USB mouse/keyboard configuration (I suggest that you keep in mind ergonomics and durability)

(USB is faster and more flexible, but if you have few USB ports, use PS2 options for mouse and keyboard)

A screen (TFT or LCD preferably) with a resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels

A printer should be part of your basic office investments too, but I won't cover that market area

...

Case

Any simple ATX format case that includes a power supply will do just fine

*Note: the difference between AMD and Intel builds is only a matter of taste, at this point. It depends on what you have experienced before and prefer. Both are good platforms, and both offer similar prices in this quality range.

Technicalities

Hello again dear readers. I would like to start by apologising for the long winter silence, but as both of us are students, exams are a priority.

That said, this new article will be a technical guide for those of you looking to build a new computer for whatever your needs are. It will be divided into three distinct posts, based on the criterion of what the computer will serve for. This because building is generally cheaper than buying a pre-made one, and it ensures you have all you want and need, and none of what you don't want or need.

I hope this tech guide proves useful for those looking for this kind of information, and entertaining/instructive for everyone else. Note that I am by no means a professional in computing, and any suggestions or corrections will be welcome. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Citrinitas.

Happy holidays!

Whether you like Christmas or not, we wish you to have the best time during these holidays, and enjoy all the good things : family moments, fun with friends, warm fireplaces or even tempting candies!

May the new year bring to you all what you wish, and most importantly, health and happiness to you and to those you love :)

As for Albedo and Citrinitas, they will spend those two weeks together. (yeap, the authors finally meet again) We will have the best time for sure. We hope the same for you ;)

Love,
xxx