The smell of Antique books

Hey all

So today Lenka and I did a bit of shopping in the city, it was lovely! We also went into an Antique bookshop today it was amazing! I was amazed at all the books the Greek section was not vast but it was fabulous all the same. We didn't want to leave :)

I picked up a illustrated children's book of the Iliad and Odyssey from 1956. It's amazing everything is all simple and very very accurate. The drawings are awesome and the maps are very efficient. It's really really wonderful and I'm going to keep it for my kids :D

This is what it looks like:

The map on the right is really awesome it tells you who comes from where and which city-states are allies of Greece and Troy.

Also read about the Roman statue that washed up on the shore of Jerusalem, it's female, wears a toga and had been estimated as being 2,000 years old the head is missing though. But imagine just walking on the beach and suddenly you see an Ancient statue just standing in the sand pretty epic!

Until later

Yags

xxxxx

Ah Fagles!

Hey guys

Long time no blog yes it has been. I finally got my Fagles box set :D

So I'm very happy I'm going to keep it and pass it on to my children ahahh! Yes so I'm very excited it was my Christmas present to myself. Here's what it looks like-

It's so awesome! How many translators have Box Sets may I add? Hardly any not even Richmond bahahahaha.

Anyway I always post pictures of food I eat in the city with friends these were our cakes from Brunetti's

They were very very good!

So I'm nearly half way through Arrian's the Campaigns of Alexander and this description by Arrian is just mesmerising and a bit saddening as well, this is what he describes when Alexander gets to Troy and is visiting the tomb of Achilles and lays a wreath on the tomb

" Alexander laid one on the tomb of Achilles calling him a lucky man, in that he had Homer to proclaim his deeds and preserve his memory. And well might Alexander envy Achilles this piece of good fortune; for in his own case there was no equivalent: his one failure, the single break, as it were, in the long chain of his success, was that he had no worthy chronicler to tell the world of his exploits. No prose history, no epic poem was written about him; he was not celebrated."

If only Alexander could take a look at today and see just how well known he is and how the world knows and studies all his exploits he would be quite happy!

Anyway that's it for now :)

Yags!

xxx

(Arrian trans. Aubrey De Selincourt, the Campaigns of Alexander)

The Campaigns of Alexander

Hi guys

It's been a while and I apologise I finished exams and now I'm just terribly lazy watching movies, sleeping in too late and eating too much. Yesterday I had a catch up with lots of people in the city was nice to see everyone again! Before that Lenka and I did a bit of shopping and I bought Arrian's The Campaigns of Alexander. I started last night it's already quite interesting and I don't know why but I keep getting these sudden urges where I need to highlight particular lines in the book. I don't know if it's just become a habit but it's really weird and freaks me out a bit. Anyway this one quote I read was so awesome I have to share it

"His passion was for glory only, and in that he was insatiable"

WOW what a fantastic description I love it! :D

I'm also going to get an Iphone soon! Very very excited I've wanted one for so so long and I just have to get around to it really. And also today's the first day of December! This year has gone by so fast it actually scares me!

Anyway hope you are all well!

:)

Yags!

xxxx

Groovy Greeks.

Hi all

So i finished Uni for the semester on Tuesday! I am now on holidays and I've got to say it's a nice feeling. It's weird though whenever I find myself watching tv or just out on the deck I have this sudden feeling of guilt come over me and then I remember, wait I can do this now haaha. My sister got me a copy of Horrible Histories, the Groovy Geeks it's fabulous! Really the drawings are soo funny, it's really ingenious and great way to begin topics too! Anyway so I came across this link and it posts videos of lectures from all the top Universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton just to name a few. I clicked on the Princeton link and there are quite a number of Classics lectures the first one I'm listening to now is about why we should study Classics, I'm so excited. And then it hit me I seriously cannot get any geekier than this! haha

Until next time!

Yags

xxx

The importance of having a hobby.

So yesterday I was chatting with a couple of friends, and we were talking about having talents, and how we found ourselves to be 'talentless', and as I agreed with them one of them pointed to my desk, that is laden with Greek stuff and said "but at least you have a hobby!" And it's so true! I don't know where I would be if I didn't have this hobby. I feel like my life would be pointless and ever so boring. So let's just say I'm glad I chose to study Classics in High school, now at Uni and I'm glad I was intrigued by the stories of the Trojan War at a young age. I think having a deep interest in whatever topic is fundamentally important. It creates a sense of intrigue and interest that is hard to find anywhere else. Now, it no longer has to refer to just reading piles and piles of books, we live in a digital age, where understanding has become easier and much more widespread. To find out anything, is really just a click away. The digital means provide new insight into History that is just really incredible. So balance your interests with books (you can never have too many books) and digital means because you'll never know what you will find out!

I saw these badges on etsy.com and i laughed!

I'm also hoping to pick up the Robert Fagles collection of the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid tomorrow very exciting, I've wanted it for ages! :D

Yags

xxxx

Pasta, Sven, Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Melbourne, perfect sunny weather :)

A group of us went out for Cindy's birthday, we decided to have lunch at South bank. We randomly went up to an Italian restaurant that served pasta. When we walked in I was like 'omg this is awesome' the whole wall in the restaurant was the painting of Cleopatra and Mark Antony named the banquet of Cleopatra by Giambattista Tiepolo, the painting depicts the famous contest between Cleopatra and Antony where they make a wager to see who can host the most lavish feast. The painting shows the end of this wager, where Cleopatra removes one of her pearl earrings a very expensive pearl earring at that and drops it into a glass of vinegar. Cleopatra thus wining the wager, as she spent the most money and her's was the most 'lavish one'. So I took a picture of the painting, and was very excited when I saw it :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Hi guys,

So yesterday Cindy, Zee and I went and watched Harry Potter after moths of waiting, watching snippets of scenes and too much anticipation the day had finally arrived. Funny how you wait for something for so long, and then it's over in the blink of an eye! So we watched it at Imax :) very exciting! The start of the film was quite excellent where they improvised well! The wedding was different to what I pictured, and as were some of the new characters. The parts that I found were quite done well were

- The tale of the three brothers

- Bathilda Bagshot scene (very scary, Cindy and I screamed ahah)

- The scene with Bellatrix at Malfoy manner where she writes 'mudblood' on Hermione's skin a quick and easy shot that depicts many different themes

- Dobby he was so cute especially with his shoes, a reminder of how he is now a free elf

- Hermione/Ron's relationship

- The last part of the film

- scene where Ron stabs the horcrux

The parts the film didn't really concentrate on-

- The horcrux's I found were not really focussed on at all. Firstly there was no proper reminder of how many are needed to be found, how many have been destroyed etc. Also the time in the book spent on discussing, planning where they would find another horcrux was not present at all probably because none of Dumbledore's memories regarding Voldemort were not shown in the previous film *cringe*. Instead the trio spent their time just sitting, at one stage Ron and Hermione are playing the piano, bit of a wtf moment and just reading.

- There is not much if anything on Dumbledore's past. I found this part very interesting in the book, especially the way Harry feels towards Dumbledore was not shown at all. Instead there would just be snippets of Rita Skeeter's article, and her book.

- The extent of Voldemort's terror and annihilation of muggles and non pure bloods was not shown to the extent that it should have. All Voldemort is really shown as is just evil, I think the movies lack the background to this super interesting character, and is really limited to his affect on others

- Dumbeldore's tomb.......... ? computerised cubes really

- and last but not at all least HARRY DANCING WITH HERMIONE this scene made me want to puke really. Okay I understand the idea behind it well and truly, but did they have to put it right in the middle. the dancing was just *gah* :( i wanted to cry right there and then.

- also, why are the ministry workers suddenly all wearing Muggle clothes, surely this was not Voldemort's new uniform code, really?!?

Okay so it looks like I didn't enjoy it, I did but some of the things really really bug me ahha. But watch it, it's very worth while I'll be watching it again with Lenka.

Here are some snaps from yesterday-

me and zenab

us three

us and Voldy

and my overall rating for the film would be a 4/5 (1 point being for the reasons above but also because it was WAY better than the last two :)

Dobby was just awesome once again very very cute, i got a bit teary when he died :'(

Also Imax had their workers dress up as Death Eaters to help people find their seats it was so so so scary. and Kudos to all the people that dressed up! ^_^

xx

Yags!

break even.

Thought I would show you guys my new buys!

So I got this book about Pharaohs which I have started reading, it's really interesting! There is a large section dedicated to Egypt and Rome including naturally Caesar and Marc Antony. Towards the end when, the focus is on Alexander the Great :)

And I got this Colosseum shaped pencil sharpener, how cool is it!! And HP glasses they're so cool!

xx

It's too hot to sleep...

Hey all,

Well Summer has officially begun today was probably the warmest day so far. Summer can be such a pain sometimes, I'm one of those people who can't go to sleep when it's hot I need a little bit of blanket!! And I have a feeling tonight is going to be like that....great!

Anyway, so today I'm going to be submitting my last essay *fingers crossed* and then it's on to Exam revision, where I shall be breathing Rome for two weeks.....hopefully! I also really want to learn how to play either the Piano or Violin! I'm going to make it my New Years resolution!!

I'm super excited for the new Harry Potter movie! I have a whole day planned with the girls, picnic in the Gardens, lots of food and drink, dressing up, were also buying a pair of HP glasses to wear ahha, and then watching it on the big screen! Imax :)

However, I have the worst habit ever. You know when you read a book and then watch the movie, it's natural to compare the two and nearly all the time you find that the book was so much better! Well I've done this with all the Harry Potter movies so far, I sit there in the cinema critiquing every 'wrong' action and it bugs me so so much. But I can't help it!! It just happens. I watched a 1 minute clip from the movie and spotted three things, they didn't do like the book. I realise that they can never include the detail included in a book but grrrrr!! The last Harry Potter movie made me so angry I haven't watched it again :/

Yeah I need help! It also happened with Clash of the Titans and to a lesser extent Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Let's face it, I'll always have high expectations!

I also found out today, that my bestfriend Shelby has never been to the Airport..............EVER! ahaha so I'm going to make sure she goes, these holidays! The Airport is epic, even though it makes me a bit depressed seeing everyone leave, going on their awesome holidays! It's the best feeling in the world embarking on a plane overseas! Shelby we are going to the AIRPORT :D

I came across this picture that just made me go, whoa fantastic photography!!

It's a sign everyone, Zeus is angry!!

Fun at the Beach.

Here's some snaps from my day out with the girls at the Beach :)

with SEA MEN ;)
our very classy champagne cups :)
me and lenka you can see the pain on her face ahahahah

:)

The beach was pretty awesome and we learnt one very VALUABLE lesson to never give Alenka a spray bottle, of whatever it may be. In this case it was sunscreen and it was everywhere, she even tried to spray sea gulls, didn't work ahaha!

Love these girls :) xx

was an awesome day! now back to studying and then hopefully a big blog about Harry Potter, I'm so excited for the 18th!!! :D

Egypt joins the ranks!

Hey,

So I just found out that our Melbourne Museum will be hosting a new Egyptian Exhibition, about King Tutankhamun! The exhibition will host treasures from his tomb, it will be coming here in April next year!! I'm very excited, when I was in Germany last year I went to an Tutankhamun exhibition where they showed replica's from his tomb and I really enjoyed it! On it's way to Australia this will be the last time these artifacts leave Egypt as a new museum is already being built to host them in Giza. Already I'm very excited, the Pompeii exhibition was a huge hit so undoubtedly this will be too!

:)

Yags!

Agora.

So I came across this trailer on youtube depicting a film with Rachel Weisz named Agora. The film is based on real events detailing the life of Hipatia a philosopher and scholar who lived in Roman-Egypt. She was a mathematician, astrologer and scientist! Yes she sounds pretty amazing, particularly considering the time she was living in. Hipatia was born in Alexandria in Egypt at ~ 350 C.E. and was the daughter of the curator of the Museum of Alexandria. Her father tutored her in various subjects from a young age. However when the Christians rose to power she was shunned for being a pagan, and ultimately for . One day when she was in a carriage, she was pulled out of it by an angry group of people, stripped naked and beaten until she died. Her body was then burnt. Sadly all her works were also burnt and destroyed.

She is quite an interesting person and it's a shame that we don't have a lot of material about her or written by her! So I'm hoping to watch the movie soon :)

Yags!

xx

Awesomeness on my wrist.

Hey guys

Just wanted to reminisce on the events that took place today-

a). I had a very interesting lecture on the Roman hero, and they were quite different to the Greek heroes, particularly in their importance to society as a whole. I will be doing a post on this in the near future!

b). Had a fabulous lunch with Lenka :D

c). We were shopping, and about to walk out of Sportsgirl, when this I saw this bracelet out of the corner of my eye. I turned around, and I picked it up and lo and behold! It had a coin on it with Alexander the Great!!!! All I did was gasp, and just go "OMG ALENKA!!"

It was epic, so we both got one to remember better times!!

Here it is

btw after all the searching for a piece of Greek related jewellery I finally got one!! YAY!

Yags!

xxxxx

Antique Bookshops FTW!

Hey guys

Yes it has been ages since I last blogged but alas work and holiday laziness has taken the better of me! So I was going to go see the play Thyestes but it's insanely popular and I didn't get tickets, which I am angry about seeing as I have wanted to watch it since April. Now I'll have to frantically search for another Greek play that's showing this time of year. Today I went book shopping and finally went to this cute retro bookshop near my Uni.

Here's what i got (by the way it's insanely cheap)

And then I also bought Tolstoy's War and Peace I have wanted to read it for ages! On the first page this quote appealed to me, and I think it's quite relevant today

"On the 12th of June 1812 the forces of Western Europe crossed the frontiers of Russia, and war began: in other words, an event took place counter to all the laws of human reason and human nature. Millions of men perpetuated against one another such innumerable crimes, deceptions, treacheries, robberies, forgeries, issues of false monies, depredations, incendiarisms and murders as the annals of all the courts of justice in the world could not muster in the course of whole centuries, but which those who committed them did not at the time regard them as crimes". (1957, Tolstoy).

When I was at this bookshop today I was searching for the Classics section or the Greek books. So firstly I came across literature and I thought oh yeah it should be here. Then I went upstairs and there was a whole section dedicated to Ancient Greece, my face just lit up! :)

Bye for now!

xxxx

Yags.

Romulus and Remus strike again!

Hi guys

So this post believe it or not is dedicated to Rome, I know I can see the shock in many of your faces! But alas, the time has struck where I must study them. So today this blog post will be dedicated to the founding myth of Rome, that of

ROMULUS AND REMUS:

( by the way awesome names for twins they just fit perfectly together!)

The twins are said to be descendants from the Trojan Aeneas.

(pictured here is Lupa and the twins, note how she is standing, in a very protective pose)

Okay so starting at the beginning there was a town named Alba Longa, ruled by King Numitor. His brother Amulius dethrone's his brother, and Numitor is exiled. Numitor also has a daughter, Rhea Silvia who is sent to become a virgin priestess, so that she may not produce any heirs to the throne. However it is said that the god Mars rapes her, and thus Romulus and Remus are born. The babies are placed in a basket on the river, and are eventually washed up on the base of the Palatine Hill. There, a female wolf or Lupa suckles and protects the twins until Faustulus arrives and becomes their foster father, and they are reared up in the Country side not as royalty or in riches. Later on they meet Numitor and he recognises them. They then go and dethrone Amulius and set the rightful king on the throne. The brothers decide to found a city. They both argue over who shall be king, and in the end decide on using Augury and Romulus wins because he sees the most birds. Some time later, Remus dies. His death and the cause of it has been widely conjectured from different sources. Thus on the base of Palatine Hill is where Rome is founded. Romulus finishes building his city and names it Roma, obviously after himself. How may you ask did he find citizens to live in his city? Well, he basically opened up his city to all. Anyone could come and be a citizen slaves, criminals, foreigners and refugees which is quite interesting!

(bahahhha)(win t-shirt I think so!)

(AHAHAHHAH) I've always wondered where that came from :P

Smiles,

Yagius Maximus Nasserious!!! ahaaha ( a attempt to make my name Roman nice! )

:)

Sombrero!

Hola guys

So today was the first day of work for me!! I did a seven hour shift, and was quite amazed I was still standing at the end of it and I'm not dead! I was on registers, and I also made my first Burrito!! (WIN!) Whilst on registers and trust me it's not as simple as it looks, Sherb came and surprised me!! I literally was like OMG when I saw her! It was such an awesome surprise, she's so awesome ^_^

I enjoyed working....for now :P ahahha.

Anyway here are some photo's of Achilles, looking his best! This photo above, is a statue of Achilles at Hyde Park. I'm a tad annoyed I found this though, because I went past Hyde Park and if I had known, I would have stopped!

And here he is again with his little leaf! haha

More soon!

Yags

xxxx

My Eiffel Tower Pendant!!

Sup guys

Just had to show you my Eiffel Tower necklace!!! Because it's just so cool!!

:) I love it so much!!!

xxx

A lifetime is all we have.

Hi

So today we went to visit my Grandfather's grave, and cemeteries are such weird places. I mean you end up living and working hard your whole life, and then you end up dead and lying in a place with other people. Doesn't seem very fair! So as I like to say, "Life is too short to be eating sandwiches". (That's because I don't like sandwiches, and that was my excuse for not eating one, life is too short to have to eat something you don't like). Honestly though, life is so short. For some, it's longer than others for others it has barely begun. So go and indulge in whatever you like without worrying about the calories and feeling guilty. Don't be a tight ass and splurge on yourself or your loved one's once in a while. Go out experience the world when you get the chance, I'm sure there are extraordinary things out there that will inspire you and will marvel you! Go see the Parthenon (that's for me haha). In the end, there is no point living life with regrets and guilt because it will be gone in the blink of an eye. Okay too much death! Seeing as I'm scared of dying, I think I should stop here! Anyway thought I would blog before the last week of Uni, and thus the week where I have a lot of assessment due.....bit nerve racking!

Anyway, hopefully I will do some avid book shopping now. Oh yeah forgot to say I finally have a job now!! YAY! I got my uniform and my NAME TAG! WIN! I'm quite excited to start :)

And we all know that a job means online shopping which means more Greek stuff for me!

Also, I was thinking the other day I don't know what my life would have been like if I wasn't interested in History or Greece. I mean I seriously think my life would have been pointless, and spent doing who knows what! I am so incredibly glad I found something that I love so much!! And for those out there who have not found it yet, I feel for you. And for those who say to me " Why do you study that? or What use is that?". You know what you can all shove it! aahah I enjoy and love it, and that's all that matters!

Long post from me!

Much love

Yags

xxxxx

Tissues and butter menthols.

Hey all,

So the other night I got the flu. Really bad timing, seeing as I'm swamped with Uni work at the moment. It's a bit funny, how I went this whole year even Winter without getting sick, and now that Spring has begun I get a lovely present. I'm such a winger when it comes to being sick!! Also, I really feel like travelling again! One day I would really like to just literally go to the airport and hop on to the next flight going anywhere, even though I am very OCD when it comes to packing, so I don't think it will ever happen. I always have to be prepared and plan everything, it's just the way I roll!

Greek Related Info:

Today's blog shall be focussed on the Chorus

• The chorus consisted of 12 or 15 members, and often these same members acted as the chorus for a number of plays, for example in the trilogy the Oresteia the chorus would remain the same for all three plays......that's a lot of lines to remember!
• The chorus were all male, as were all the actors in Ancient Greece.
• The chorus also wore masks. The reason as to why the masks were used in the first place has been widely conjectured one of the common reasons is that the masks allow a projection of the voice.
• The chorus is a vital element to any Greek play.
• The chorus can often embody and become an important character, not only essential in plot development but also in the formation of the narrative.
• The chorus entered from the Parados.

The modern symbol of theatre we have today, had been derived from Ancient Greece. So next time you see this image, think twice about where it came from!

Whilst we may take the chorus for granted, their worth is undeniable and the background is quite interesting. Also I don't know if it's just me, but the chorus in the image above look really really scary! Can you imagine sleeping and then suddenly waking up and seeing someone standing over you wearing that mask?!? *shudders* It's a tad freaky!

Also, in my lecture we were shown a part from the play Electra, that had been performed in Ancient Greek. Wow, it was absolutely amazing! I really want to see a Greek play, performed in Greek. That would be so so amazing!

That's it for now, while I try and get a good nights sleep!

Much love

Yags

xxxx

My new pencil case!

I have a pencil case fetish incase you guys didn't know! I have over 25 and perhaps more, I have never counted but I love them!

Anyway here is my new one which is just adorable ^_^

Festival Dionysia

Hi guys

It has been a while, I have just been a bit busy with Uni and life in general and thought I would blog about what I learnt in my lecture on Thursday. So the lecture was painting the picture of theatre and the dramatic festivals that took place in Athens. The festival Dionysia takes place annually in late March or early April. And next year it will be on the 15th of March, 2011. How exciting! I will celebrate it, in honour of Dionysus!!

During the festival there were many ceremonies that took place. One very interesting one, was where all the citizens of Athens including slaves, women and children would carry a phallus and walk up to the sanctuary of Dionysus in honour of him. This symbolised fertility. Also I'm currently studying the Bacchae, so I'm really understanding this whole other side

to Dionysus and his importance that I had never really seen before.

(Birth of Dionysus, you can see Zeus in the middle sitting, and Dionysus has been just born from his thigh).

It's interesting the resemblance his birth has to that of Athena, in that they both were born from Zeus himself, and that I think ultimately highlights their importance. And also, their qualities and judgements are perhaps similar to those of Zeus.

That's it for now!

Yags

xxxx

Euripides!

So I came across this epic quote, and I love it!

Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.
Euripides

Isn't it wonderful!!

Timon and Pumbaa in real life! haha WIN!

Love Yags

xxxx

Spontaneous Activity.

Hello,

I was in the city with Cindy and Zee and we had a really nice day. Watched Knight and Day and I realised I laugh really loudly. Well I'm sorry to the random people, sometimes some parts are really funny, I can't help but laugh loudly.

Anywho we were walking along a random street and look what I came across! As soon as I saw it I went "give me the camera" and snap's later!

heheh *giggle*

Also came across an epic bookshop today, and I can tell I will make many visits there.

Incase you cannot see it, that says 'Hermes Travel' man I got so excited when I saw this ahha.

Love Yags

xxx

Te Amo.

I think I came across one of the coolest things ever! Marvel has released a series of 'Classics' and one of them includes the Iliad (obviously haha) and it looks so awesome!

Check out the cover, oh man this is so awesome! I'm guessing that is either Hector or Achilles :)

Love Yags

xxx

From King Phillipe to Giganget!

Hi

Long time no post I hear you say. I have been busy, busy with the first week of Uni! It's been quite fun I must say, except for Monday. It took me half an hour to find my lecture theatre, and then when I finally found it, I realised that it would take me another half an hour to get to my second lecture and instead of missing out on both, I would rather miss out on one and go to a full one. I really love all my tutes. They all have the perfect number of students and the subjects are very interesting! Yesterday, Shel and I were reunited with Lenka after a very long 5 weeks. It was a bit humiliating because her hands and arms were tanner than mine! It was great to see her again. And I actually screamed when I ran up to hug her *sorry random people at the food court of MC*. I have never ever screamed, have been extremely overjoyed but I screamed and jumped!

I also had my tute for my Ancient Greek related subject today, I realised how much I had missed studying it and being with other people my age who enjoy it too! I was having a crappy day but when I got into the classroom, it all changed! It felt so nice.

This was a pic taken by Lenka, after she says "He looks like Eggxerxes".......LOL Shel and I burst out laughing like crazy because of the way she pronounces Xerxes. Aha good times!

Robert Fagles:

Lately I have become very intrigued by Robert Fagles, so after a bit of researching I found out some ever interesting facts.

• Completed a Bachelor of Arts. The year after he received his masters from Yale University. Three years later he received his PhD in English from Yale University.
• The translations of Fagles are as follows- Bacchylides, the Oresteia, the Theban Plays, the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Aeneid (whoa that's heaps lol)

So I leave you with a quote by Robert Fagles-

" The catastrophe of the tragic hero thus becomes the catastrophe of the fifth century man; all his furious energy and intellectual daring drive him on to this terrible discovery of his fundamental ignorance- he is not the measure of all things but the thing measured and found wanting".

Love Yags

xxx

Never thought this day would come!

Hi all

So tomorrow I'm officially going to start Uni! I'm so excited/nervous/scared I will get lost! haha. As usual I have everything planned out, maps, booklist, highlighters but you never know what tomorrow may bring you. Yesterday I was watching Criminal Minds, and they do this thing where at the beginning and end of each episode they state a quote something that relates to the crime or what they are feeling. In one of the episodes there was a quote from Euripides, I sort of half squealed when they said it. But to my surprise, my sister also watched it and she came into my room and said " Did you see the Euripides quote in that episode?", I must say I felt so proud, she's learning!! I also looked at my Greek related unit I am studying this semester, I am so bloody excited it's not funny! We get to do the Odyssey (Lattimore translation, bit shattered I am team Fagles), Bacchae, Parthenon, Roman texts (Seneca? off the top of my head), and monsters and heroes! It will feel slightly weird at the start, getting used to actually studying it again but I am super psyched about it! Of course I shall keep you all posted! But for now here is a quote I love from Audrey Hepburn which really is awesome!

Love Yags

xxx

“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.”

Shock of my life.

Hey

So yesterday I received the best news I have ever had the privelage of receiving! I got into my Uni of choice, to finally study Classics at an undergraduate and tertiary level. I just happened to apply randomly as a 'oh I might get in', mind you that 'might' was seriously like a 10% chance! So I got my letter yesterday! Everyone was so surprised, I was and still am surprised/shocked/ecstatic!

Today my sister and I went so I could enrol, we were both so excited! The Classics building

is so beautiful, it literally took my breath away, even more so at the fact that I would get the chance to study here and see it every day! It reminded me of a combination of Oxford University and Hogwarts! I still can't believe it, and probably won't ever!

I seriously feel like I have been given such a wonderful and epic opportunity! And I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now. I have never had a perfect day, but yesterday was it!

Love Yags

xxxx

Inspirational Quotes.

So I have started my everest, conquering this semester of Uni. Before I started preparing for my two presentations, I always like to get some sort of motivational quote, or wallpaper something that will keep me going and stop me procrastinating, this doesn't count by the way! Here was one I found from the epic, the awesome, the epically awesome Bear Grylls-

"The difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is so often just simply that little word - extra. And for me, I had always grown up with the belief that if someone succeeds it is because they are brilliant or talented or just better than me… and the more of these words I heard the smaller I always felt! But the truth is often very different… and for me to learn that ordinary me can achieve something extra-ordinary by giving that little bit extra, when everyone else gives up, meant the world to me and I really clung to it…"

— Bear Grylls

He's so cool!

p.s. Inception is coming out Thursday, I'm extremely excited!! And the lead female role played by Ellen Page or Juno her character's name is ARIADNE how awesome! She has a knack for playing Greek/Roman peeps first Juno now Ariadne, she's lucky!

Yags.

xxx

Achilles!

My favourite Greek hero would have to be Achilles. I think he is just awesome seriously! Here's why-

(aww Ancient Greek is such a pretty language, can't wait to be able to read it! and yes that says Achilles)

Birth: Achilles was born to the nereid Thetis an immortal, and the mortal Peleus. Thetis was very beautiful, and had been eyed off by Zeus and Poseidon, however once they heard a prophecy that her son would outshine and would be stronger than it's father, she was quickly married to the mortal Peleus. Peleus, was one of the members of the Argonauts, who accompanied Jason on the long journey to retrieve the Golden Fleece. When Achilles was born, Thetis tried vigorously to make him immortal. So she held, baby Achilles by the heel and dipped him into the River Styx. Thus he was immortal everywhere, except for his tendon. The place we now refer to the Achilles Tendon (awesome eh! I mean think about it, according to the Iliad here was a hero who strove for glory and sacrificed his life knowing he would die at Troy all for the sake of glory and having his name remembered all throughout the ages, and it worked! I mean he has a body part named after him, and a saying!)

Upbringing: Achilles was brought up by the wise centaur Chiron, who lived on Mount Pelion. Here he was educated and taught they ways of the world.

Troy: Thetis knew that it was fated that Achilles would die at Troy. So she dressed him as a woman, and hid him among the other girls at the court of King Lycomedes of Scyros. When the war at Troy had been confirmed and the soldiers were being rounded up. Odysseus comes and presents for the girls at the court all these clothes and jewellery and amongst them he places a sword. Once Achilles grabs the sword they realise it's him and there is no way out, he goes to Troy with his Myrmidons.

The War: Achilles was given a two way street, when it came to his fate. Either he goes to Troy lives a short life with everlasting fame and glory.....or......he stays and lives a long fame and gloryless life. I guess it's a bit obvious why he chose the first option!

Iphigenia at Aulis: Written by Euripides, it depicts the human sacrifice of Iphigenia for the goddess Artemis, as a punishment for Agamemnon. I really enjoy Achilles' characterisation by Euripides in the play, he is the ultimate 'hero' and strives to defend Iphegenia from her unjust death. For example when these are a few lines said by Achilles in a stichomythia type structure with Clytemnestra: "Kill my bride to be, ", I said, "you shall not.", "you faced the inevitable and saw your duty. When I witness the nobility of your soul I yearn all the more for your love" ( awwwwwww), "I shall put my weapons at the ready by the altar to rescue you from dying".

Book 1 of the Iliad: First of all I seriously do not like Agamemnon! He is a very self motivated leader, which I think is a non-leader type quality. He becomes quite arrogant, especially when he won't return Chryseis to her father. Achilles the only one who stands up to Agamemnon makes a proper defence and says:

" Shameless armoured in shamelessness- always shrewd with greed! How could any Argive soldier obey your orders, freely and gladly do your sailing for you or fight your enemies, full force?"

The best Greek swear word I have ever heard, and still makes me crack up laughing when I read it is when Achilles says to Agamemnon- " and you, you dog-face!" *insert loud laughter* gets me every time!

So by the end of the book, Achilles has said he will never fight for the Greeks again but we know this changes with Patroclus' death, no not my fish his friend.

"Both hands clawing the ground for soot and filth, he poured it over his head, fouled his handsome face and black ashes settled onto his fresh clean war-shirt. Overpowered in all his power, sprawled in the dust, Achilles lay there, fallen...

tearing his hair, defiling it with his own hands" . ( wow, Homer sure knows how to paint a picture, this description is just beautiful as it is sorrowful especially where is says " Achilles lay there fallen..." this is such an different description of Achilles as oppose to other descriptions of him, and we see just how strong the bond between them was. *tear*)

Angry and Vengeful Achilles: Patroclus' death brings about a seriously angry, macho, feared Achilles. Just goes to show don't piss off someone like Achilles!

Epic Achilles quote to Hector, when Hector says we should make a pact to give each other the proper burial rights: "There are no binding oaths between men and lions -

wolves and lambs can enjoy no meeting of the minds-

they are all bent on hating each other to the death. So with you and me."

This scene from the Iliad where Priam goes to ransom Hector's body from Achilles is so very sad and sentimental.

And Achilles' famous death by an arrow shot by Paris (guided by Apollo), was this great warrior's downfall.

So yes I really really like Achilles, and no he is not just a "mumma's boy" who "sulks in his tent", he's a sensitive hero.....seriously how many hero's do you know who cry! Achilles really reminds me of Alexander, there's just something about both of them that sparks a similarity. And yes if I ever do have a son I shall name him Achilles and if I have another Haemon.

And I can yell out his name " Achillllllleeeeeeeeeesssssss" haha!

He is awesome!

love Yags

xxxx