Hello Everyone,

Greetings from Greece, the land of blue seas and sunshine. It truly is beautiful here and the people are very nice. Just this morning I awoke to a loud bang at the door, it was my neighbor, Mr Panagiotis, the fisherman with an overloaded basket of freshly caught fish for me to cook for my very sick mother. That is the reason why I am here for a long stay: YIAYIA (Grandmom) is very sick. She has lung and heart failure and needs to be on oxygen. The mountain house has turned into a hospital room, and I am faced with the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make: What will I do with Yiayia before I leave to come back home in the states?

They say that people evolve and change as they grow older and wiser, as to prepare them for the hard decisions that they must make. Nothing can prepare you for this. It is possibly the worst state of heart to be in. Putting your dear, lovely mom in an elder care facility. This woman that brought me to America when I was 10 years old, raised me on the East side of Chicago all alone, protected me, loved me and above all put my needs above all else………now needs me to do the same. I am crushed.

With my tears in check, I went off on a quest for a nice caring facility where truly price is no issue……..this is my mother after all. A friend knew of a place outside of Athens, a private facility, that also has the grandfather of the Greek journalist: Nikos Vagelatos from Antenna 1 TV, living there. How bad can it be right? This journalist has exposed several bad elderly facilities here in Greece, It must be good…………….WRONG! It was Dante’s Hell on Earth.

We arrived at this little home outside of a town called DILESI, the house looked fine, the owner came out and welcomed us in. A striking blonde woman was in the kitchen doing her nails on the couch, and a pot of lentils were boiling on the stove. She introduced herself as the director. I was a little confused because there were no old people around and I asked where the home for the old was. She said right this way, and led me OUTSIDE the home and to the side entrance…………OF HELL.

We walked inside a literal cell: 2 meter square rooms, each with 2 little single beds with the thinnest mattresses. There were three rooms in total, 1 very small bathroom, no TV, no air conditioning ( It was 105 degrees outside), no radio, fridge and a dirty hand sink…………OH BOY. There were 5 old people total in this dungeon and there was an empty bed awaiting my mother……….NOT IN THIS LIFE. I sat down next to the grandfather of Nikos Vagelatos, the famed ball- breaking journalist and I asked him how he was, he smiled and said he was just fine,” Thanks God” He smelled like two days old pee and his fingernails and clothing were dirty. Imagine that? And these people were expecting us………how would these elder folk be when we ARE NOT AROUND?

My heart was breaking and we went back upstairs to talk. I asked the owner and the director how they would hear a distress call from downstairs? and are you ready for the answer? ………….HE SAID ALL THE OLD FOLKS HAVE CELL PHONES,” NO PROBLEM” Can you believe this? The blond director then proceeded to ask my driver what he thinks of her choice of a new car :BMW 500 Series. NOTE: The facility has no licence, and is merely RENTING to the old people….CAN SOMEONE DO SOMETHING PLEASE ?

WAKE UP PEOPLE………Take care of the old, just like they took care of us. It disgusts me that we toss them in the trash when we no longer have use for them. It was fine when they gave us their life savings, when they helped us raise our own children, when we cried on their laps after a heartbreak. I write this post with a bitter taste in my heart, a sadness in my soul, and anger everywhere else. Wish me well and pray that I find a place for Yiayia that will be safe, clean and will give her the respect and dignity that not just her, but all the elders need and deserve.

Hello everyone,

Winter is almost over, the North wind is blowing, and Spring beckons, can you feel it ? I sure can, It is driving me mad. I know, I know, its still cold outside but there is that smell in the air that says “wake up”. February is the month that we celebrate love :Valentines Day. I wonder if Saint Valentine intended for us to celebrate love the way we do today, considering that the Romans killed him for performing marriages when he was ordered not to. Imagine that, a world where being married to the one you love was not allowed. Today , we show love with chocolates, cards, flowers,jewelry and fancy dinners on Valentines day. Much easier than a clandestine marriage performed by a Heretic ,huh ? OR IS IT ?

Love is hard. Love in this city seems to be really hard. Maybe its not that hard, but we make it seem that way. Washington D.C. is a very hard place to find a mate, many girls at the store complain about not being able to find a man here. Loneliness is a very bad place to be in, the problem with being lonely is that you get used to it. It has a tendency to creep up on you and before you know it….you have become a recluse. HARD TO FIND A MAN IN YOUR LIVING ROOM.

Dont get me wrong, I am not saying go out and pick up any loser in the bar. NO, do not do that, Loneliness makes for very bad judgement calls( I know all about that one) . What I am telling you is that you need to make an effort to go out with your friends,co workers, family and start to meet people face to face. Match.com is fine but dont you think spending MORE time infront of the computer is STUPID ? lets not forget all those cheesy ads on there about sunsets, fireplaces,long walks on the beach COME ON ALLREADY if those guys were so romantic WHY ARE THEY ALONE ?

I THINK I KNOW WHY

We have lost TRUST. Thats right: TRUST. We no longer trust ourselves to make the right call when it comes to our hearts. We have been hurt and we do not want to be hurt again. This is true for both men and women. It has become a vicious cycle of being afraid of falling in love and falling in love with the absolutely wrong person OVER AND OVER.Thus the recluse and the confort of being LONELY. It is very easy to do. You must stop, human beings were meant to go in packs, like wolves we are social animals.We are not meant to be alone. Go out and meet you some good people, they do exist,are you not one of those good people? Or do what I did : I HAD AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE

I will tell you all about it in my post tommorow. In the meantime, Go out, play, laugh and be young.

Hi, Voula Here:

Coloring your hair can be a big step, particularly if you’ll be lightening or darkening your hair more than a shade or two. While hair coloring can be done successfully at home, it carries with it a certain degree of stress and headache. There are so many factors to consider from selecting the proper shade, selecting the right products, to using them effectively. Sometimes you need the help of a professional hair colorist to get the results you want without falling victim to a “bad dye job.” If you need professional consultation before taking the big step, here’s how to find the right hair colorist:

Hi, Voula Here:

What an exciting time to live in Washington, D.C. Everyone is buzzing about the Inauguration. How much traffic will there be? What bridges and highways are closed? Is Oprah really having a star-studded event at the Kennedy Center? Will I be able to get into work that week with the millions of people coming into town?

The Inaugural parties are the best part of the evening. You get to dress up in your beautiful party dresses and head into the city to celebrate one of the most historic moments in history. For those of you lucky enough to have a ticket to a ball, it’s all about the hairstyles to compliment the dress!

Miracles will be open and ready to take care of your Inaugural needs.

Here are some tips to remember when deciding what to do with your hair.
- Hair should be relaxed and move when you do
- Bring a photo of the dress you plan to wear
- Talk to your hairstylist about the look you want

On Tuesday January 20th, we will have our Presidential Package ($125), which will include the following:

- Manicure/Pedicure
- Down-do or an Up-do
- Eyebrow Waxing….and a glass of wine!

Ever wonder what skin care products celebrities like Martha Stewart use to keep their faces camera ready? Well yesterday, January 7th, on Martha Stewart’s show, she gave out Mario Badescu’s skin care products to her studio audience. This episode was all about great skin at every age. Martha Stewart revealed what she uses at home to keep her face looking fresh, and Mario Badescu was at the top of the list. Never Heard of Mario Badescu? His beauty products are Martha’s favorite! Affordable. Check. Celebrity-Worthy. Check. Fabulous products for that pretty little face.

Hi, Voula Here:

They always look so polished and perfect as they prance down the catwalk. Of course, they have the best makeup artists, photographers and beauty consultants in the world. We’re not all privy to such expertise but there are still some beauty tips we can glean from the fashion models of the world. Here’s a few beauty tips fashion models use to maintain their competitive edge:

Eliminate bags under the eyes.

Bags under your eyes can make you look tired and can age you by ten years. One fashion model beauty tip for eliminating these bags is to apply a bit of hemorrhoid cream such as Preparation H under the eyes. Hemorrhoid cream helps to draw some of the fluid out from beneath the eyes, reducing the appearance of under eye bags. Be aware that the company that manufactures Preparation H doesn’t recommend using their product under the eyes, although they couldn’t give a reason why it would be harmful. Many models swear by this product.

Give your skin a fresh glow.

Give your skin a fresh, youthful glow by exfoliating gently with a facial buffing pad. This is a beauty tip used by many fashion models before they go onto the runway. Makeup goes on much smoother when the dead skin cells have been removed and new, fresh skin has been exposed. Just be sure to use gentle buffing action, otherwise you could abrade the skin surface. Avoid exfoliating around the eye region. Mario Badescu’s line of products are the Best skin care products in the market, melasma remover, hyperpigmentation, whitening skin, skin renovation, sun damages repair are some of the items he makes.

Make your eyes look bigger.

Tyra Banks reveals that one of the best ways to make your eyes appear larger is to use white eyeliner to open up the eyes. Another supermodel beauty tip for making your eyes appear larger is to curl your eyelashes using an eyelash curler. Heidi Klum is a big proponent of this technique.

Keep your skin moist and glowing naturally.

Cindy Crawford uses an equal part mixture of milk and water in a spritzer bottle to keep her skin moisturized and glowing throughout the day.

What to do with a pimple.

Here are two fashion model beauty tips for dealing with pimples. One trick used by fashion models is to apply a dab of toothpaste to the pimple to help them heal more quickly. If you don’t have time to wait for healing, some fashion models actually use an eye pencil or liner to darken the blemish and transform it into a beauty mark in the fashion of Cindy Crawford.

As you can see, the fashion models who can afford the best often use very simple beauty tips and remedies to bring their best face forward. Why not give some of fashion model beauty tips a try?

Hi, Voula here:

Have you ever stood in your shower, naked of course, and looked at the body wash or shampoo bottle and thought: “what exactly is the source of the artificial fragrances? Where do the preservatives and dye’s in my shampoo come from? And What exactly are Parabens, Propylene Glycol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?” Ok, maybe you never paid attention, but what on earth are these evil sounding chemicals? If you don’t have any answers to these questions listed above, or were simply up too early in the morning to ask these, let us take this opportunity to ask, “If you don’t let chemically processed foods in your body, why are you allowing chemicals and artificial products on your hair and body?” After all the skin is a large porous organ that absorbs a lot of these chemicals.

Now that you have been struck by a shower epiphany, we like to introduce to you to Mod Vellum, which offers a fine line of organic body washes, shampoos and conditioners and cosmetics that are loaded with healthy skin-saving antioxidants and vitamins. So to enhance your body’s natural beauty and to keep up that organic lifestyle you want to have, check out all the products offered by Mod Vellum and say good-bye to the propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate in your life. Mod Vellum, 100% Skin Care 0% Junk. All Natural Green Skin Care, Order Today!

Buy 100 Percent Pure Skincare at ModVellum and get FREE shipping and mega samples with coupon code: FREESHIPMV

Hi, Voula here:

The winter season can take a terrible toll on your hair and skin. From gusty winds to cold, crisp air, to dry heat inside our homes and workplaces; the winter months can turn your beautiful tresses from soft and luxurious locks to a straw-like mane. Trust me, I’ve seen it. Fortunately, a few simple strategies can save your tresses from being ruined forever.

One of the first steps that you can take is to place a ceasefire on your hairdryer. The use of your hairdryer places an undue amount of stress on your hair. It projects huge doses of dry, hot air that can destroy your hair’s tender shafts, ruining and destroying the natural luster that should be there. Obviously, day by day the temperature continues to drop making it difficult to brace the cold with dripping, wet hair. Make sure your hair dryer is tourmaline ionic. Don’t have one? Check out BeautyChoice.com: Hair Dryers for a HUGE selection of well priced dryers.

If you simply aren’t a morning person and the hairdryer just has to come into play, take counteractive measures that can revitalize your tresses. Begin using an intensive daily conditioner on your hair to restore natural moisture and shine. If you have been using one and it isn’t quite doing the trick, now is an excellent time to look for a replacement. You should apply the conditioner while your hair is still slightly damp for the best results. Allow the conditioner to work its magic for three to four minutes. This is a great time to massage your scalp as well. Now, rinse your hair out thoroughly, making sure that you remove as much of the conditioner as you can. If you leave too much conditioner in your hair, it will give it a greasy look. LADIES, herbal essence or pantene is not considered a “good” conditioner. All it does is leave a wax residue to your hair. You get what you pay for, if you want your hair to be in tip top shape, invest in a professional brand product!

For those of you, who have very fine hair; avoid putting any conditioner on the roots of your hair. Plus, you only need to allow the conditioner to work its magic for about one minute. Continue this routine until you put the life back into your hair. Once you have your hair shining in full glory, it should be okay to alternate days for conditioning it. At the first sign of a re-occurrence of dry hair, go back to using your conditioner every day. Dry indoor heat and a low humidity can cause your scalp to become dry and itchy. In fact, it might seem as though your scalp is quickly becoming like sand paper. If you wait too long, you will be plagued with dandruff and that uncomfortable itchy feeling on your scalp all day long.

As soon as possible, begin a hydrating scalp treatment. Use Miracles Hair Oil to replenish your scalp’s natural oils. It soothes the dry, itchy skin of your scalp, leaving it supple once again. Hydrating scalp treatments have special moisturizing ability that seems to seep right into the depths of your scalp. Visit www.miraclesinthecity.com/store/miracles-oil to register for a sample today!

Scalp treatments are applied directly to the scalp and worked into it with the fingers. Allow the treatment to work its magic for about twenty minutes, depending on the severity of your condition. Briefly massage your scalp after that and shampoo your hair. Continue the treatments as long as you show signs of dry scalp. You should notice a gradual improvement after each use of the product. You have control over your appearance, the weather doesn’t!

Since your appearance also reflects upon your reputation, try to look your best at all times. Your hair is a large part of your image. After all, we all want to look our best, right?

Hi, Voula Here:

I sat at my desk at work, took a sip of my latté and opened up the Washington Post a couple of days ago. I think I may have shrieked and got some stares. There was an article about one of my friends, Rusi, aka Ruslan Kogan to the world.

Saying goodbye to Ruslan was very hard for me. We had grown so close and now it was time to say goodbye. He was off to Australia, where he would complete the rest of his degree. That was the last hug I gave Rusi, and haven’t seen him since. I hear stories from friends, check out his facebook page ever so often and when I’m lucky, we send correspondance back and forth. Unfortunately, we have always been bad at keeping in constant contact.

I always recognized his natural entrepreneurial talents, it was easy to spot. At the time, he was working for GE, his position escapes my mind. So, it was by no shock or surprise to read about him in the Washington Post, even though he was thousands of miles away in Melbourne, Australia. Congratulations Rusi!

The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone in the market to use the Android platform, released in October. The second Android phone is to be release the end of January by Kogan. The Agora and Agora Pro are more favorable, in my opinion. A contract with a particular provider is not necessary. Just purchase, plug in your SIM card, and your good to go. It also helps that Kogan’s phones are significantly cheaper than the G1.

WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE:

Daniel Ionescu

Friday, December 5, 2008

The world’s second Google phone, based on the Android mobile operating system, is set to launch at the end of January. Manufactured under the Australian Kogan brand, the phone will come in two flavors, for $225 or $295.

The Agora and Agora Pro models are both available for pre-sale now on Kogan’s website http://www.kogan.com.au and are sold SIM-free – that is without a contract or network locking. If your wireless carrier is AT&T or T-Mobile, then you can snap the Kogan Android up January 29 when the units officially go on sale. Check with your carrier first, but migrating to the Agora should be as easy as swapping out the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card in your existing handset with the Agora – no need to renew your contract or pay any extra fees.

The Agora Pro is the more powerful out of the two models available and features a 2.5″ touch screen and an integrated QWERTY keyboard. On the Agora Pro you can browse the Internet and check your email via the phone’s 3G connection or via Wi-Fi. The phone also has GPS navigation and features a 2-megapixel camera on the back.

Kogan Agora is the less powerful brother and lacks Agora Pro’s extras such as GPS, Wi-Fi and the camera, but comes in cheaper at $225 (including US delivery) in comparison to $295 for the Agora Pro. Both models come with only 256MB of on board memory, but this can be extended via the phone’s microSD card slots.

Weighing at 130 grams, both models also bring Bluetooth connectivity and FM radio. Kogan also says that the phone’s talk time is up to 400 minutes while the standby time is of 300 hours. MiniUSB is used for charging and connecting to PCs.

Kogan Technologies is an Australian based, online-only enterprise, and was founded two years ago by Ruslan Kogan. Kogan manufacturers all its products in China and aims at selling online high-quality electronics cheaply. Kogan also sells LCD TVs, Blu-Ray players, video cameras and now – mobile phone.

From the Runway, To the Red Carpet, To You!

Hi, Voula here:

Okay, the gluttonous Thanksgiving holiday is over, and the parties are about to begin: Christmas, New Years and all the holiday parties in between, either for work, pleasure or both! Everyone always wonders what to do with their hair: silky smooth, goddess curls or all swept up? Ladies, HAIR IS IMPORTANT! You can have a killer dress, but if you don’t have the hair to match, the outfit isn’t complete. With that said, let me help you look your best.

Hair is a chameleon; you are constantly changing its’ look. The days of French twists and buns are over. For the holidays, do something unique to stand out. Fake a short style by teasing your hair and securing it with bobby pins. Or, for a Prima Dona look, amplify your hair to epic proportions by curling it with a 1″ barrel curling iron, a medium hold hairspray and fluff it out; the fuller the better. Give your hair a look that is “beautifully undone” for the holidays. Your hair should look festive, but not uptight.

Here are some detailed guidelines to start your holiday hair. You either are going to have to start with silky straight or curly for your “do.”

SMOOTH

When you are blow-drying your hair, the most important tip is that you are starting with the right tools. You need to start with a volumizing spray like Nexxus Root Exxtend Volumizing Root Lifter Hair Spray – 8.5 Oz if you are blow-drying for lift. A little goes a long way, don’t over use product, your silky straight hair will last longer with less.

For best results, your hair should be about 80% dry before you start to blow-dry with a round brush. First, blow-dry your hair just with the dryer, to get most of the water out. Then, use either a large boar bristle Bio Ionic Boar Bristle Round Brush or thermal brush like Paul Mitchell ProTools Express Ion Round L – Large to blow-dry. Pin half of your hair up and start with the bottom section and slowly work your way up by taking small sections. Start with small sections and work from the bottom up. The best dryer to use is one with at least 1,800 watts and tourmaline, ceramic, and ionic features: FHI Heat Nano Professional Light Weight Tourmaline 1800 watt Hair Dryer with Nano-Fuzeion Technology. Note: The reason your hair looks so great when you leave the salon is that your stylist takes their time! The best kept secret to frizz-free, silky hair is patience.

Ok, for the flat-iron addicts: make sure you use a heat-protective spray like CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray 8.5 oz to avoid damage. It is like a buffer between your hair and that ridiculously hot iron. Invest in a high-temperature iron with actual ceramic plates (not just coated ones). Brush and divide your hair into one inch sections. Slowly slide the iron starting from the roots to the ends. You should not be going over the same section more than twice. If your small sections don’t look good after going over them twice, you need a new iron.

CURLY

The most important thing when curling your hair, is to make it last. Many women complain about their curls falling out. Ladies, follow these fool-proof directions to ensure that your curls last. First, you need to ensure your hair is clean. So, jump in the shower and shampoo and condition your hair. Towel-dry and add a small amount of curl enhancing product like AVEDA Be Curly Curl Enhancing Lotion 6.7 fl oz/200 ml. Then, attach a T3 Diffuser to your blow-dryer and continue to dry your hair completely while scrunching with your fingers to create body.

After your hair is completely dry, plug in your high-heat tourmaline-barrel iron: HOT TOOLS Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron 1 inch (Model:3181) by Hot Tools. Take medium sections, always starting from the back of the head first. After you have curled your whole head, spritz with a finishing spray Redken Headset 25 Extra Strength Finishing Spray (8.5 oz) and separate your curls with your fingers. Make sure curls are not warm or wet when running your fingers through them to separate. Leave the curls loose for a Grecian goddess look, pin them half up with bobby pins away from your face or just sweep it all to one side and add a beautiful hair Brooche – brooch0065Now with all these great insider tips under your belt, let’s get started. Happy styling!!<

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