Born on the 13th of February

My dear friend Steph has tagged me for this meme. A meme about what other important events (appart from the birth of yours trully) happened on February 13th through history. Let's have a look see shall we?
Instructions: Go type in your birthday in Wikipedia (month and day). Write down three events, 2 births, 1 holiday and tag 5 friends.

Events

• 1633 - Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
• 1894 - Auguste and Luis Lumiere patent the Cinematographe, a combination movie camera and projector.
• 2004 - The Harvard-Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics discovers the universe's largest diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093!

Births

• 1950 - Peter Gabriel, British musician (Genesis)
• 2974 - Robbie Williams, English singer.

Holiday

• None, but it's St. Beatrix day!

Tagees, please slot yourself right on the last slot and bump everyone up. And the list: Are We There Yet?, Gran’s Memory Keeping Corner, Teacher Julie, Mommyness is Happiness, This is a miracle, Blur Ting, Remedial Rumination, Epimenides

And now, brace yourselves for my "13 of 3's", the second instalment of the meme:

Three things that scare me

1. Roller coasters.
2. Women with PMS!
3. Isolation

Three people who make me laugh

1. Rowan Atkinson
2. Billy Connolly
3. My girl, when she says "I'll do you in the street" (which means: "I'll take you out tonight" you dirty minded so-and-so's)

Three things I love

1. My family and my girl.
2. Manchester United.
3. Laying on a quiet beach under the sun, listening to the sound of the waves.

Three things I hate

1. Pretentious people
2. Dishonesty
3. Seeing children starving and suffering

Three things I don't understand

1. What was there before the big bang
2. Thousands of foreign languages and dialects
3. Why this particular question is limited to only three things

Three things on my desk

1. My PC monitor
2. A cup of coffee
3. My feet when blogging at home

Three things I'm doing right now

1. Boring you to tears
2. Sweating! (A third heat wave this summer!!!)
3. ...and blogging, I suppose.

Three things I want to do before I die

1. Have a happy family of my own
2. Travel the world
3. Retire a filthy rich person next year!

Three things I can do

1. Liven up a dull party
2. Put a foot in my mouth
3. Cook and iron pleats!

Three things I can't do

1. Retire a filthy rich person next year!
2. Speak Portuguese....but I'm working on it!
3. Stop boring you to tears, I guess.

Three things I think you should listen to

1. A pregnant woman's belly
2. The sound of the sea
3. Your gut feeling

Three things you should never listen to

1. Yourself criticising you
2. My elephant jokes
3. Politicians

Three shows I watched as a kid

1. Stingray
2. Dallas (and later on, Debbie doing it)
3. Bonanza

Please feel free to participate as I will cheat again and not actually tag specific people for this meme!

True Love

Whenever I mention my support for Manchester United, people think that I support them because of their on and of the field success in the past decade. Nothing could be further from the truth!

My dedicated love relation with this historic club started when I was six or seven years old growing up in Ghana.

My dad's Greek team was going through a spell of continuously getting beat by their strongest rivals. Supporting them brought a lot of stick from kids at school so things had to change. I looked outside the borders for a team worthy of my support, but I didn't like the outfits of the teams in the English First Division.

It was then that I asked a friend of mine, who was at the time going to boarding school in the UK, who the champions of the Second Division were.

"Manchester United" he said, and it took me a couple of months reading it of a piece of paper to memorise it and be able to recite it myself.

Three years later, I watched them live on television beat their bitter rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup final. It was the the concrete set on the foundation of my love for this club.

I wrote a letter to them, asking how I can get some memorabilia and a book of their history and, lo and behold, two weeks later I got a letter back from them. I was ecstatic, that a club of their stature would actually reply to a letter of a nine year old kid!

I smashed my clay piggy bank to smithereens - my dad offered his kind donation - and I ordered all the memorabilia I wanted, including the book.

I learned about the championships, the Cups, the Medals, the honours, the records and, above all, their strength and resolve in the face of disaster when more that half of the team died in the Munich air disaster of '57.

I was a ManU fan through and through!

I listened to the broadcast of their matches on BBC world, watched them on TV, and went to Old Trafford to watch them almost every home game during my studies in Manchester, becoming a club member back in 1987.

Looking back, it's been a love affair that has taken me from the highest depths of despair and sadness to the greatest heights of elation, thrill and excitement.

A love affair that will only end the day I close my eyes!

Please don't laugh

I've been contemplating writing a post of this sort, revealing the actual philosopher behind the ancient facade, for quite some time now. Stealing jyankee's recent post was the perfect idea! I've done it once more before and got away with it, so why not push my luck a bit further.

So, my dear friends from the blogoshere, sit back comfortably, brace yourselves because it's time for revelations!

This is a picture of yours-truly from a couple of years back - notice how I unceremoniously removed my sister from the photo - in the wonderful Greek island of Sifnos. (You'd want to visit there sometime 'cause the food is fantastic!)

Hoping that you have recovered from the shock (especially the ladies), I shall proceed without further ado to providing you some more information on Epi.

• Blog Title: Analysing It (as a response to the movie "Analyse This")


• Blogging Since: May '07.


• Description: A mix of everything. An attempt to put thought to paper (so-to-speak), while attempting to provide some humour for the benefit of my sanity and the pleasure of any visitors here.


• Why "Epimenides"?: Why Engelbert Humberdink?
  
  
• Name: Emil. A bit easier to pronounce, isn't it?
  
  
• Birthday: 13th February 1967! (Almost made it to Valentine's day)


• Country: Greece


• Occupation: Logistics for a world known furniture retailer from Sweden.


• Favourite Colour: Sky blue.


• Favourite Drink: Caipirinha! Sweet, refreshing and with a sting in the tail. (Not to mention it's country of origin).


• Favourite Fruit: No contest here! It's got to be the Mango.


• Hobbies: Blogging, gym, music (listening not playing), PS2 and electronic gadgets. I would mention Manchester United, but they fall under the category of religion.


For the baton pass, I am going to do as jyankee did on hers and tag everybody, too!


And the brave ones who already have thrown aside the velvet curtain...



Gayla at Mom Gadget, Char at Essential Keystrokes, Paul at Reflections, Rob at 2Dolphins, Zep at The In-Sect, Ingo at Stixster, Stevie at Lost In Cyberspace, The Paper Bull at (oddly enough) The Paper Bull, Lisa Sabin-Wilson at Just A Girl In The World, Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com, Wendy Piersall at eMoms at Home, Dennis Bjorn Petersen at The Beta News, Randa Clay at Randa Clay Design, Drew McLellan at The Marketing Minute, Becky McCray at Small Biz Survival, Phil Gerbyshak at Make it Great!, Steve Woodruff at StickyFigure, Dave Olson at Live the GREAT life that you desire, Greg at Become a Remote Control SEO, Ariane Benefit at Neat Living Blog, Genesis at the At Home Mom, Blog Armen at iFFECT.NET, Mihaela Lica at Online Public Relations ,Tara at Graphic Design Blog, Doris Chua at Home Office Women, Edward Mills at Evolving Times, Tony D. Clark at Success from the Nest, Jonathan-C Phillips at SmartWealthyRich, Karen at A Deaf Mom Shares Her World, Lisa Gates at intrinsic life design, Rammel Firdaus at rammelfirdaus.com, Carol at Pentimento, Adam Kayce at Monk at Work, Thomas at Technical Blogger, Tammy Lenski at I Can?t Say That!, Chris Brown at Branding & Marketing, Rory Sullivan at Hamelife, Derek Wong at Going The Wong Way, Embuck at embuck.com, Ms. Q at QMusings, Shelly Tucker at This Eclectic Life, Steve at Ramblings from the Marginalized, Troy Worman at on!blog, Lilith at Lilith’s Owl Nest, Revov at REVO-OVER, Karin at Stop/Start, Jamy at Seay's, Kopitam this is a miracle, Anything Goes!, My Life Starts at Forty-Two, Seiche, Wolfgang at Gazing Into the Abyss, Pen at The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, Josie at Picking Up Pieces, ME, New Beginnings, Analysing it

Change your life

So there I am tired and fed up with my shopping spree, and decided it was time to take it easy, by taking a stroll through a bookstore.

It had been almost three years since I last was in Manchester, and wanted to relive my days there as a student. I did the whole tour of the city, visiting all the places I used to frequent with the guys while students there, walked in the rain, and as you can imagine, had a couple of pints of bitter in the pub across UMIST, the Lass O' Gowrie.

Ah yes! So, I'm in the bookstore, browsing the isles, and trying to find any interesting stuff to quench my thirst for reading - the beer part had been taken care of.

I'm pretty lazy I guess, so I either go for books with action and intrigue, or subjects about professional matters. This time, however, my eyes were drawn to a self help book with the catchy tittle "Change your Life in 7 Days" by Paul Mc Kenna. "Just the book I need " I thought , and dashed to the cashier to pay for it.

I wanted a book like that, because as you may have noticed, I'm going through a patch in my life where I don't know what to do next. I'm not satisfied with much of what I'm doing now, and really needed the help - especially if it can be swift and effective!

To date, I've read it three times! It's a nice book, easy and pleasant to read, with good quotes from famous people and some pretty useful exercises to make you more targeted, confident and more relaxed. It also has a CD where the author takes you through a half an hour meditation/relaxation session.

He recommends making the exercises, and listening to the CD a daily routine. It's kinda like training your mind and spirit on being positive and having a good attitude about things. Teaching yourself how to succeed in what you want.

I've decided to take some action on that once again, and have promised myself to follow his instructions, even if that means getting up earlier in the morning, or going to sleep half an hour later. I mean, bugger-all else has worked so far, so there's not much to lose really!

I've also promised myself to go out and at least buy a set of "Teach Yourself Portuguese", as I've been postponing it for quite some time now!

I did some thinking in the past days (and that doesn't include the piss-up day obviously) and have decided that I really want to make things work out with my girl, more than anything else right now. It's shouldn't be a difficult ask if we really love each other, although maybe the practicalities of our relationship seem complicated.

So there you have it! Epi has made two commitments to himself, and is pretty darned determined to make changes in his life!

My top 15 songs

I love my music! I cannot live without music! Almost in everything I do, I have music playing in the background.
My first job when I get in my car-actually second, since I have to put the key in the ignition-is to turn the music on. When I take a shower, the music is on. There's nothing better than a good singalong when taking a shower, though my neighbours I'm sure will disagree.
But there are some songs that have become part of me, closely linked to good and bad memories alike. You will notice that of the songs I'm listing, most have sad, or even depressing lyrics. That's me! Even when I listen to music, I need to think!

1. Blue Monday - New Order
   My all time favourite song, of my all time favourite band!
   "How does it feel to treat me like you do?" - The story of my relationships
2. Shake the Disease - Depeche Mode
   "...you know how hard it is for me to shake the disease
   that takes hold of my tongue in situations like these..." - I asked my first love to go out with me by playing this song on her walkman. I was too scared to ask!
3. Diamonds and Rust - Judas Priest
   Yeah, I know it's a Joan Baez song, but I prefer the Priest version.
   "...yes we both know what memories can bring,
   they bring diamonds and rust..."
4. Touched By The Hand Of God - New Order
   "...and now I'm down here all alone, with every feeling that I own,
   you can't take that away..." - what can I say?
5. Subculture - New Order
   "...what do I get out of this?
   I always try. I always miss..." - Applicable on many periods of my life!
6. Heart - Pet Shop Boys
   "...if I didn't love you, I would look around for someone else,
   but every time I see you, you have the same effect.
   My heart starts missing a beat!" - For my certain someone
7. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
   "...when I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye.
   I turned to look, but it was gone. I can not put my finger on it now..." - It always brings tears to my eyes. The solo guitar at the end goes through to my bones!
8. Appetite - Prefab Sprout
   "...I don't want to sell you lies,
   I only mean to do you right..." - That's me!
9. What Difference Does It Make - The Smiths
   "...heavy words are so lightly thrown..." - For all my ex's.
10. Landing in London -3 Doors Down
    "...and all these days I spend away,
    I'll make up for it. I swear!..." - reminds me of my girl! (I always keep my word)
11. Take It Easy - Eagles
    "...don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy..."
12. Missing - Everything But The Girl
    "...and I miss you, like the desserts miss the rain..."
13. P.S. -James
    "...You're falling, you're falling, falling from your god-like distance.
    You're fashion, just fashion, fashion doesn't keep.
    You're sour, so sour, all is hope and trust is misplaced.
    You're sour, now you are alone..." - I was playing this song when I resigned from my previous job
14. Five-O - James
    "...if it lasts forever, hope I'm the first to die..."
    "...are you here for the party, or are you here for the pain?..."
15. Alaskan Pipeline - James
    "...oh, you say life's so unfair,
    ooh, you can ill afford to hold to this views,
    ooh, you need something to blame.
    But it's you! It's your truth!" - Helped me through so many difficult times!

8 random facts about me

Michelle, tagged me to provide you with 8 random facts about me. I made an effort, in an earlier post, to provide you with some information about me, but I guess I can have another go!

1. Had an argument with Mick Hucknall the lead singer of Simply Red.
   Friday night in the Hacienda club in Manchester. I'm making out with a girl at the bar - I had my lucky nights too, alright! - until she decides to answer nature's call. I lose sight of her, but her friend is smooching on the dance floor with Mick. I go next to them, trying to get her attention. Mick notices.
   Mick - "What your problem mate?"
   Epi - "I need to talk to the lady"
   Mick - " Fuck off mate!"
   Epi - "Fuck yourself Mick!"
   And since I know you are nosy so-and-so's, yes I did get lucky that night!




2. Met Prince Philip (Queen Elizabeth's husband. You know, the Greek guy!)
   This was in Ghana 1999-2000. The Royal couple were visiting the country, and it was decided that Prince Philip was to tour a couple of British company factories. Well, one of them was the factory that I was managing at the time, so I ended up giving him a guided tour of our facilities.




3. I once smoked a joint (Yes! Just once!)
   First year at University. There were four people in the house at the time. I still don't know what it was. It was a brownish ball, they heated it with the lighter, and scraped some on the tobacco. They rolled it and smoked. I was not interested. They went to the pub, leaving the thing behind. Bored and smokeless, I smoked it whole! Could not stop laughing, and neither could they when they found me sleeping under the table the following morning.



4. I rejected an offer for a threesome
   C'mon guys! You should have seen the second girl! No way I could go there!


5. Embarrassing moment No1
   Needed to visit the loo, at thirty thousand feet, while flying to Nigeria. Walked to the toilets, opened the door and... there is a lady, nickers on the ankles spending a penny.



6. Embarrassing moment No2
   21 years old, dancing with a girl at a nightclub in Manchester, I notice a couple of elderly people staring at us. She looks at me and says "Do you want to meet Mom and Dad?". I broke the 100m world record!!!




7. I swear
   I don't get annoyed easily, but when I do, I lose control! Since I want to avoid getting a stroke at this tender age, and not wanting to resort to physical violence, I shout and swear! It's actually rather funny for the others, because my face goes through a spectum of red shades, my voice goes up a pitch, and a couple of minutes later I'm all smiles again.



8. Falling apart?
   I wonder this myself sometimes, since I can crack my fingers, my toes, my neck, my elbows and my waist! Terminator IV - the attack of the rust!
   

I guessI'll have a go at tagging a couple of folks.

David, the real mother hen, and rp. (I don't know if they have already been tagged)