A day in the life

[dias]

@dias, sorry my East Coast humor (sarcasm) often doesn't translate well in written form. :(

 

My response was actually meant to be tongue n cheek; I thought his comment (complaint) that there are no Mediterranean girls in his city was a bit odd, given the fact he does have a steady girlfriend.

 

Unless he just wants to stare at them. lol

I don't think he takes the relationship very seriously and he doesn't mind flirting with other girls. Go figure. It's funny how some people have stages of "seriousness" in relationships.

[katrina1980]

I don't think he takes the relationship very seriously and he doesn't mind flirting with other girls. Go figure. It's funny how some people have stages of "seriousness" in relationships.

 

Yeah, and especially considering he's so concerned/worried about "her" being flirted with, hit on.

 

Such double standards. Par for the course I suppose.

[dias]

There are many posts on ENA about online dating. My personal experience with online dating is zero. I mean, I have tried multiple times but I get a like once in a blue moon and it never goes beyond one or two messages. Even on tinder in which you are “judged” by appearance, I almost never get likes. It was the same in Greece, it’s the same here. I don’t really take seriously online dating so I don’t care but I am scratching my head on this one. I prefer approaching women in real life but I think my generations are not very open with this. Is it that everyone got comfortable chatting behind a screen and doesn’t have to put any effort in real life? Who knows…

[Jibralta]

My boyfriend doesn't understand it either, and he never tried it. He calls himself a "live act," and he definitely is. When he found out that I tried online dating, he laughed at me!

 

I never really took to online dating. I did meet some interesting people, but my best relationships have always been with people I knew in real life.

 

In my late 20s, did the online thing because it was an alternative to meeting people in bars. I was also stuck dating this guy I worked with and he was impossible to get away from. So, the online dating helped force me to consider other people (although truth be told I did have an alternative to the work-guy irl, if I chose. But the alternate-guy wasn't much better :/)

 

I tried online dating again when I was in my early 30s and in graduate school because dammit I'd been concentrating on school for two years without dating and didn't want to start dating my classmates (except for that one guy....). I am still glad I didn't start poaching from that pool.

[dias]

We have an interesting assignment in the course of Business Analytics. We are doing a small research utilizing statistical techniques. Although it’s difficult, I like it because I learn new stuff. This assignment is a group assignment for 4 people.

 

So, here lies the problem: 2 of the team members are just plainly clueless since they do not have stem background and there are not willing to try. The third member which also happens to be Greek, is occupied with other assignments and doesn’t do anything. I am absolutely fine with this situation because although I work more, I have the control and as we all know : if you want something to get done correctly and without drama , you have to do it yourself.

 

Collaboration is efficacious only when everyone in the team is on the same page which is highly unlikely. I abhor all this “collaboration culture” that is being promoted in the 21st century. I have my reasons though, like in this instance where I do everything (I don’t mind) and I learned from other students that they believe our team is good because it has the other Greek guy. I am like w*t*f….? This is absolutely not true whatsoever, I gave him the code and the essay, and because he is more talkative and forthcoming than me as a person, everyone thinks he does the work. I am not happy at all with this I must say. Of course everyone who knows me well knows who is doing the work but the rest rely on the first impression. I remember a senior developer at work telling me: working hard doesn’t mean anything if you don’t make it known to others. It’s true and this is why I hate working with others + I want to have the control of what I am doing.

 

 

I asked a friend what is the first impression I make and he told me that at first I am reticent and taciturn. It is true but that’s my character. I need time to open up and feel comfortable around others, most of the times I need 3-4 months to be truly “relaxed” around new acquaintances. Sometimes I think this is why I am not a good date. Dates with people you don’t know are based on first impressions and how entertaining you are. This is ok for most people but not for me. I feel pressured. I guess for me the approach of hanging out as friends or working together for a few months and then date would work better.

[dias]

I finished all my assignments. Finally! Exams are coming. The next three months will be quite difficult but I think I will do fine. I will go to Switzerland at the end of March for my brother’s ceremony. I am not in the mood for travelling now but he asked me to go.

As summer is getting closer, I have to choose between staying in the UK or go back to Athens for work. I am still ambivalent about this. You know, I have started to like the UK and I do enjoy my everyday life. I made a list of advantages and disadvantages for both places.

 

UK

 

Advantages

 

-More organized

-Less crazy people (or let’s say they have their own kind of craziness but it’s different from the Mediterranean)

-I do enjoy everyday life, major cities like London are awesome. Now that I understand the local accent it’s different.

-Made two very good friends which is something unusual for me. I am not an easy going person.

-Being a foreigner has positives and negatives. But one of the positives is that you see the world through different lenses. It gives you another perspective on things. I love it.

 

Disadvantages

 

-If you are not in a major city, the salaries for the first 4-5 years are just for surviving. It’s barely above the basic salary for jobs in the IT field.

-If I stay, I have to share a house with 4-5 people. I hate sharing the bathroom.

-The weather. I got used to it though; sometimes I go out without a hat so I made a lot of progress. Hehe

 

 

 

Athens

Advantages

 

-We have an apartment building and an apartment in the two most expensive areas of Athens. That means I have 300 square meters only for me. No sharing here. No rent.

-I have a car. It’s old but it is still a car.

-If I get a job in some of the international companies I want, the salary will be good enough. I can save fast or spend my money on travelling or escorts :cool::cool:

-Good weather of course

 

Disadvantages

 

-I have spent my whole life there. There is nothing else to see. It’s boring. I don’t like it.

-two and a half hours to commute to work

-My everyday life is not as pleasant

 

I want a job as a Data Scientist. Now, the problem is that there are not many vacancies in this field. London has the most of course but again the competition is fierce.

Here is the question: if I can’t find a job as a data scientist in the UK and (let’s say-nothing is certain) find a job as a data scientist in Athens, should I go back? If I can’t find a job as a data scientist in Athens, ok, then I will stay here whether I like it or not.

If I decide to stay here and I am not able to find a job as a data scientist after graduation, should I wait until I find one or should I try to get a job as a developer. I don’t want to get a job as a developer and it will be like throwing away this MSc. It will be like throwing away 40k and one year of studying. Bro and dad say I will get a job in the data science field if have some patience. Easy for them to say but I am as impatient as it gets. I will try to discipline myself for once….

 

As a developer I will be miserable, I know this for sure. What’s the point to quit in a year or two like the previous time? I prefer doing something else in my life. And I am 26, I have to get my sh*t together at this point….

[dias]

Sometimes I am thinking why I don’t go to an Ionian island and do something related to tourism. You can’t make a lot of money but at least you are in the paradise instead of spending your life in front of a computer.

 

I know a guy whose family has a tourist business on Corfu. He spends 6 months on Corfu, guiding hot tourist girls with his sailboat and 6 months in LA. His life is gym, steroids and f*cking hot girls. And this guy barely graduated high school. He can’t even solve first level equation. I am not jealous, but seriously, he has the “perfect” life. In the end, you are wondering what’s the point of studying and wasting your life in the corporate world.

[dias]

The previous month I applied for a graduate business programme at a Dutch company. They wanted graduates from stem fields since it's an engineering firm. They wrote that IT graduates are welcomed and there are positions for data scientists. They replied today:

 

"Your resume is impressive, but your background and/or experience do unfortunately not match current career opportunities at ASML. So we have to let you know that we are not able to invite you for the 2018 edition"

 

That's almost the same answer as the previous time. What the heck...? Nice way to wake up in the morning. Raised my blood pressure.

[Jibralta]

-Less crazy people (or let’s say they have their own kind of craziness but it’s different from the Mediterranean)

 

As someone who was raised in a family that is half-Greek, half-Irish, I understand this perfectly!

 

I don’t want to get a job as a developer and it will be like throwing away this MSc. It will be like throwing away 40k and one year of studying. Bro and dad say I will get a job in the data science field if have some patience. Easy for them to say but I am as impatient as it gets. I will try to discipline myself for once….

 

Definitely hold out for a job in data science. Don't make this a waste of time.

[dias]

As someone who was raised in a family that is half-Greek, half-Irish, I understand this perfectly!

Yeah, I can imagine the miscommunication in your household. It would be unrepeatable!

 

Definitely hold out for a job in data science. Don't make this a waste of time.

I will try not to think too much and take things as they come. It stresses me out without a reason. I guess it's because uncertainty is something beyond my control. Thinking is bad in this case.

[hidden_kitten]

sometimes I go out without a hat so I made a lot of progress.

 

hahaha I can relate! where I live if you can go out wearing less than a fleece then that's an accomplishment.

 

You've reminded me that I need to go hat shopping. Love a good hat.

[dias]

Just received a message from my mom that my grandma's oldest brother departed this life. He was 86. We were not close but still, it's sad. At least he didn't suffer.

 

I am thinking about grandma now.

[dias]

I just came from the library. I encountered a guy who is doing his Bachelor’s degree. I rarely converse with him but I didn’t have to do anything so we chatted a bit. He is 20 something and he is from a very very rich family. He spent 30 minutes showing me pictures with his friends in private jets and yachts. The typical rich kid whose father bought him a house in the best neighborhood of London and he complains about how small it is.

 

He knows where I live in Athens and he thought at first that I am from a rich family (he is Athenian as well) which obviously is not the case. He frowned when I told him that I worked as a developer for the basic salary. He was like “you work, really, you don’t have anything better to do with your life?”. How can you explain to someone like this that most people have to work and there is no family business to inherit and make millions at 23?

 

 

Guys like this always get on your nerves. But they set a good example of how rich people think and behave. For example, he mentioned an incident where his friends and him were drunk and how they stole and sank a fisherman’s boat . So you would naturally think that his father offered to compensate the fisherman, right? No, he didn’t. The answer is that the boat was insured so the fisherman gained from it. Now, maybe that’s true but there were no apologies/remorse/guilt about this incident.

 

 

 

I know people from all walks of life; poor, middle class, rich and all the in between. I have found that rich guys from wealthy families(not self-made) have some common characteristics: they are street smart and many times book smart too(I give them that), they have zero empathy for other people, they exploit everything and everyone that can be exploited, realists, ruthless, spoiled and demanding as hell. Notions like “treat people how you like to be treated, consider the other person’s feelings, don’t exploit others” are for p*ssies. How can you compete with these people when you have been raised with the dictum of “work hard and you will make money/ respect people etc etc”. It’s so uneven.

[Jibralta]

Guys like this always get on your nerves. But they set a good example of how rich people think and behave. For example, he mentioned an incident where his friends and him were drunk and how they stole and sank a fisherman’s boat . So you would naturally think that his father offered to compensate the fisherman, right? No, he didn’t. The answer is that the boat was insured so the fisherman gained from it. Now, maybe that’s true but there were no apologies/remorse/guilt about this incident.

 

I know people from all walks of life; poor, middle class, rich and all the in between. I have found that rich guys from wealthy families(not self-made) have some common characteristics: they are street smart and many times book smart too(I give them that), they have zero empathy for other people, they exploit everything and everyone that can be exploited, realists, ruthless, spoiled and demanding as hell. Notions like “treat people how you like to be treated, consider the other person’s feelings, don’t exploit others” are for p*ssies. How can you compete with these people when you have been raised with the dictum of “work hard and you will make money/ respect people etc etc”. It’s so uneven.

 

That's depressing. Uggh.

[dias]

Came to Switzerland to attend my brother's public defence for his PhD. Here is a photo with him :) Bro(left) me (right )

received_10213249907335479 by Kwstas papadopoulos, on Flickr

[katrina1980]

Tnx for posting dias; you are two good looking blokes!

 

You look very Greek!

 

Enjoy Switzerland, didn't make it there during last trip, but did years ago, beautiful country. :)

[dias]

Tnx for posting dias; you are two good looking blokes!

 

You look very Greek!

 

Enjoy Switzerland, didn't make it there during last trip, but did years ago, beautiful country. :)

 

Lol thanks :) We are 75 %Greek , 25% Polish (paternal grandma )

 

Beautiful country indeed. Very peaceful and quiet. Here is one more . We are on the French side, near Lausanne!

20180331_183825 by Kwstas papadopoulos, on Flickr

[reinventmyself]

Great pic's dias. . thx for sharing

[dias]

Got back to the UK yesterday. I missed it!

 

Bro is on the plane to Rio de Janeiro. Grrr he is making me jealous!

[dias]

My brother is sending me photos from Brazil. He was in Rio when I told him that he should visit Florianopolis. It’s the most or one of the most European cities in Brazil. I know Greeks that emigrated there. And yes, of course, I searched for Data Scientist jobs in LinkedIn lol :). He is there now but he doesn’t find it interesting like Rio because it’s like being in Europe.

 

There is a Peruvian guy in the Master’s programme and we talked about European communities in Latin America. He says that in southern Brazil (Sao Paulo and Florianopolis) most people are of German descent. Bro avers it; he told me most people are white with blue eyes. Colonial history is really interesting. See what kind of mixes produced this result.

 

European city in Brazil. Hmm sounds like heaven! Yeah yeah daydreaming is good lol

[dias]

I had to erase from my CV what I did in my previous work. What I did was very specialized and they can't literally find developers with experience on this software. They call me and almost beg me. They offer really good money, but I can't even think about working on the same thing again. It's easy for anyone to say "hey, you can find job everywhere with good money" and I am like "dude, you can learn programming youself and you can earn money. You just have to do something you hate".

 

Let's be honest,

(1) 7/10 developers hate their lifes, programming is pure drudgery, tedious and difficult

(2) The huge salaries are only for the top developers, not the majority.

 

Although, there is a shortage of developers around the work, it doesn't mean that companies offer better salaries (according to offer and demand law). It's a misconception that is being promoted to attract future victims lol.

[katrina1980]

Just received a message from my mom that my grandma's oldest brother departed this life. He was 86. We were not close but still, it's sad. At least he didn't suffer.

 

I am thinking about grandma now.

 

Hi dias, just read this and although late, I wanted to send my condolence and hope your grandma is okay.

 

I have dealt with death and loss (both my parents in 2014) so understand.

 

At 86 he lived a long life!

 

Not sure I even want to live that long, but may change my mind when I start getting older!

[dias]

Thanks Katrina. Yeah, she is doing fine :)

 

It must have been pretty tough to lose both parents the same year…. But I am pretty sure you are a stronger person now !

 

I would like to live as long as it is possible due to curiosity mostly…see how the world evolves

[dias]

Got one distinction and one second class honours on my assignments. Only exams left. Hoping for the best! Great news today!

 

Since I have my brother in academics I do receive news like this:

https://www.princeton.edu/news/2018/04/10/jacobus-fellow-georgios-moschidis-brings-new-insights-theory-general-relativity

 

For such a small country we achieve great things in academia (proportionally to a country's population always). Maybe crisis was helpful indeed. We will become famous again lol.

[reinventmyself]

Got one distinction and one second class honours on my assignments. Only exams left. Hoping for the best! Great news today!

 

Since I have my brother in academics I do receive news like this:

https://www.princeton.edu/news/2018/04/10/jacobus-fellow-georgios-moschidis-brings-new-insights-theory-general-relativity

 

For such a small country we achieve great things in academia (proportionally to a country's population always). Maybe crisis was helpful indeed. We will become famous again lol.

 

Wow. . .very impressive, dias!

Congratulations