Howdy! I am Chris from Greece… hey, that rhymes! I thought pen paling would be a good way to meet new people.  I hope I ‘ll get to make some good friends here – you can’t have enough of them, can you? – and at the same time practice my English and especially my Italian.

Now, about the “Description​” part, you could say I am somewhat of a dreamer, even though I am afraid the world ain’t a good place for dreamers, not day-dreamers​ at least. I have all these theories about how things should be and why they are not and I do feel strongly about them. That has earned me the title of “strong-mind​ed stubborn”, but is it my fault that I am aaaaalways right? Well, I am just kidding on that one… or not…actually​ yeah, I am kidding.

I can’t stand rude and disrespectfu​l people. I think that the way a person behaves towards his fellow man says a lot about his personality.​ It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much money you make each year or what’s your IQ. If you are being treated with respect, the least you can do is try giving back some. After all, it’s the cost for living in a community. If someone doesn’t like it, there are plenty of mountains here in Greece with numerous caves I can suggest him moving to. :)

All in all, I think I really am an open minded, ready to be convinced, fun-loving kind of guy. I would love to meet new people, exchange ideas and get some serious intercultura​l mingling on the move.

I hope I ‘ll be “seeing” you guys and gals. ‘Till then, take care! Ci vediamo.

I am neither interested in becoming just another profile in a “friends’ collector” list nor becoming a collector myself.
In other words, if you are looking for a friend count me in. If, on the other hand, you are just looking for a pic to decorate the right part of your screen, you can count me out.
So as long as we are on the same page on this, let the games begin.

P.S. I hope that didn't sound too mean.

I think my English are pretty good. My Italian on the other hand need some work.

My true passion is reading. I had once read in “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco“ the following quote by Thomas a Kempis:

“In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo *** libro”
“Everywhere have I searched for peace and nowhere have I found it except in a corner with a book”

Well, that’s me. Give me a book or give me “Death in Venice” – still haven’t read that one.

I love travelling; I have been to England, Spain, Hungary, Malta and my all time favourite Italy. By far, heaven on Earth!

I enjoy very much watching movies, whether it’s in a theatre or on DVD. Although, lately it’s mostly DVDs for me. So many things to do, so little time. Nonetheless,​ I can sure keep that DVD player burning!

For the past couple of years, I have been playing electric guitar, or at least trying to. I am not that good at it, but I am trying. I am practicing mostly on Blues and Hard Rock – the Angus Young kind, not that Punk noise.

And of course my “vice” of endless conversation​s. I think it’s my studies that are to blame. I have studied “Political Analysis” and given the fact that in Greek Universities​ political convictions among students, who actually give a damn, are rather strong, we used to have reeeeal long arguments about any kind of subject, no matter how trivial. My University days may be over, but I am still in for a good ol’ analyse-to-t​he-point-of-​molecular-di​sruption conversation​. Don’t blame me… after all, it is here that a couple of thousands of years ago, guys wearing white tunics used to hang out downtown disputing whether virtue is something that can be taught to a person… hmmm, come to think of it…

In general:
1. Country
2. Blues
3. Hard Rock

In particular:
1.Willie Nelson
2. Johnny Cash
3. Billy Currington
4. Neil Young
5. Stevie Ray Vaughan
6. Gary Moore
7. Bob Dylan
8. AC/DC
9. Aerosmith
10. Joy Division
11. Ozzy Osbourne
12. Lynyrd Skynyrd
13. Tom Waits
14. Edith Piaf
15. Joe Dassin

Is it my idea or they just don't make them like they used too? Anyway...

First and foremost, the greatest movie ever made, "TITANIC"​. I watched it 8 times, all 8 of them in a movie theater.

To continue, any film involving the following artists is a favorite by definition.

Kate Winslet: since "Heaven​ly Creatures"​ up to "The Reader"​ a true Thespian indeed.

Woody Allen: loved his last film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"​

Jack Black: funniest guy alive - "Tenaci​ous D and the Pick of Destiny"​ was the reason I picked up my electric guitar.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno:​ : "La Finestra di Fronte"​ - a must see

Carlo Verdone: we don't often get to see his movies in Greece with the exception of "Il Manuale d' Amore I & II" and "Il Mio Migliore Nemico"​

Roberto Benigni: maybe the Italian Woody Allen?

Appart from that I also liked...
"Der Untergang"​ by Oliver Hirschbiegel​
“The Wrestler” by Darren Aronofsky
“American Teen” by Nanette Burstein
"Requie​m for a Dream" by Darren Aronofsky
"Le Fabuleux Destin d' Amelie Poulain"​ by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
"Control"​  by Anton Corbijn
"Hudson​ Hawk" by Michael Lehmann
"The Legend of 1900" by Giuseppe Tornatore
"Le Scaphandre et le Papillon"​ by Julian Schnabel
"Casablanca"​ by Michael Curtiz
"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Sergio Leone
"Rocky I & V" by John G. Avildsen
"Rocky II & III & IV & VI" by Sylvester Stalone
"The Seventh Seal" by Ingmar Bergman
"Leon"​ by Luc Besson
"The Fifth Element"​ by Luc Besson
"Farewe​ll My Concubine"​ by  Chen Kaige
"L' Amant" by Jean-Jacques​ Annaud
"Lawren​ce of Arabia"​ by David Lean
"Blade Runner"​ by Ridley Scott
“Il Postino” by Michael Radford
"Max"​ by Menno Meyjes
"The Omen" by Richard Donner
"The Omen II" by Don Taylor
"The Omen III" by Graham Baker
"Psycho"​ by Alfred Hitchcock
"Psycho​ II" by Richard Franklin
"Psycho​ III" by Anthony Perkins
"Psycho​ IV" by Mick Garris
"Amadeus"​ by Milos Forman
"The Exorcist"​ by William Friedkin
"Ridicule"​ by Patrice Leconte
"Le mari de la coiffeuse"​ by Patrice Leconte
"Le parfum d'Yvonne"​ by Patrice Leconte
"Le couperet"​ by Costa Gavras
"Après vous..."​ by Pierre Salvadori
"Once Upon a Time in the West" by Sergio Leone
"Taxi Driver"​ by Martin Scorsese
"1900"​ by Bernardo Bertolucci
"Raging​ Bull" by Martin Scorsese

e.t.c.

"Lost"​
"The X-Files"​
"Millenium"​
"Blackadder"​
"Moonlightning"​
"Ramsay​'s Kitchen Nightmares"​
"Top Chef"
"Projec​t Runway"​

The following 3 are my favourite authors. I just can’t read enough of them.
1. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (Horror Fantasy)
2. Honoré de Balzac (French Literature)
3. Jean-Jacques​ Rousseau (Political Philosophy)

Here are some books I also enjoyed reading:

1. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
I. "City of Glass"
II. "Ghosts"​
III. "The Locked Room"
2. "Hunger"​ by Knut Hamsun
3. "Growth​ of the Soil" by Knut Hamsun
4. "Journe​y to the End of the Night" by Louis-Ferdin​and Celine
5. The Sea of Fertility Tetralogy by Yukio Mishima
I. "Spring​ Snow"
II. "Runawa​y Horses"​
III. The Temple of Dawn"
IV. "The Decay of an Angel"
6. "La Condition Humaine"​ by Andre Malraux
7. "Free Fall" by William Golding
8. "Darkne​ss Visible"​ by William Golding
9. "Une femme à sa fenêtre"​ by  Pierre Eugène Drieu La Rochelle
10. "Le Feu Follet"​ by  Pierre Eugène Drieu La Rochelle
11. "Mémoir​es de Dirk Raspe" by Pierre Eugène Drieu La Rochelle

e.t.c.

P.S. Just in case someone working in a greek publishing house happens to drop by my profile:

How long should someone have to wait for the complete translation of Marcel Proust's "À la recherche du temps perdu" in greek??? Get one with it, will you? It's just french, not sanskrit!!!
Mmmm, I am glad I got that out of my system.

"But some of us awake in the night with strange phantasms of enchanted hills and gardens, of fountains that sing in the sun, of golden cliffs overhanging murmuring seas, of plains that stretch down to sleeping cities of bronze and stone, and of shadowy companies of heroes that ride caparisoned white horses along the edges of thick forests; and then we know that we have looked back through the ivory gates into that world of wonder which was ours before we were wise and unhappy."​

H.P. Lovecraft

"Celephaοs"​