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