Saturday 28 March 2009

Research work: How long is "5 Greek minutes"?


Just a little clarificacion: The development of this formula is based on an profound research.

All rights reserved (c)

This calculation in fact depends on many factors:

GT = T*[1 - T/(HS*60)] + HT*dwf*ff

GT - Greek time[min]

T - Time as the rest of the world understands [min]

HS - Hours of sun [hours/day]

HT - Halara time needed for average Greek native [min/day]

dwf - day of the week corrective factor [0; 1]

  • Monday = 0,7
  • Tuesday = 0,6
  • Wednesday = 0,4
  • Thursday = 0,78
  • Friday = 0,9
  • Saturday = 1
  • Sunday = 1

ff - food factor

  • Before lunch/dinner time - 0,1
  • After lunch/dinner time - 0,2

Example1:

Calculations based on a normal Friday in August after lunch/dinner(ref. solar calendar)

GT = T*[1 - T/(HS*60)] + HT*dwf*ff

GT = 5*[1-5/(12,08*60)] + 240*0,9*0,2

GT = 48,17 min

Example2:

Calculations based on a normal Wednesday August before lunch/dinner(ref. solar calendar)

GT = T*[1 - T/(HS*60)] + HT*dwf*ff

GT = 5*[1-5/(12,08*60)] + 240*0,4*0,1

GT = 14,56 min

Sunday 22 March 2009

El barri de Sant Andreu mola molt!

In one of the first posts we have already explained what correfoc is. So take a look back to refresh your memory. This topic just poped up because of a pure coincidence.
So we are spending this normal saturday morning/afternoon, when it takes you a lot of time to wake up, get ready, decide what you want to do and so on...
After 17 o'clock when you finally get out of home, you go to eat some lunch in a nice place in the district, our district - barri Sant Andreu. And just when you think that there are no surprises waiting for you this day anymore, so you decide to take metro and look for some exciting things in the center but .... no, Sant Andreu has a surprise for you.
Sudently you hear all this rytmic noise of drums, lough of small children dressed as small devils and louds of people filling the small streets around the main square of the district. All this bustle is because of correfoc and another catalan traditions. It was so amazing that we got carried away with this huge crowd of people, dances, music and fire.





Saturday 14 March 2009

Calçotada season

Calçotada season starts in February and last till the end of March, beginning of April. It is a gastronomical Catalan tradition where calçots are consumed in exaggerated amounts. For the ones who are wondering what da... is a calçot we will explain: Wikipedia says that a calçot is a variety of scallion known as Blanca Grand Tardana from Lleida. If still you don't have a clue of what is it, we will try it with our words: It is a kind of onion more tender and softer. A calçot looks like this:

Altought this event it's called calçotada, the main actor here are not calçots, but the sauce, mmm.... romesco :) (Again wikipedia translation looks convincing :P)

15th of February we went to Helena's place in la Garriga (a village 40Km from Barcelona) to have our first calçotada from the season, and the first ever for Vikachuu. As you can see she was super excited :D


But she was also a little bit scared watching how they were "burning" what has supposed to be our food, and indeed, calçots are cook with a very strong fire that make them black from outside but very tender from inside.

Manual to eat calçots:
0. Cover your dear clothes with a napkin
1. Peel them, removing the black carbonised skin
2. Hold the calçot from the upper part (the green one) and soak it into the sauce
3. Rise the calçot above you heat and open you mouth
4. Enjoy!
5. Reapeat from 1 to 4, 10 times
6. If still not dead go to 5
7. Now you are ready to continue with the meat :)

Monday 9 March 2009

Feliz Cumple Años!

Happy birthday Beta!!!
On your birthday I wish you a lot of happiness and joy; I hope all of your wishes come true. May each hour and minute be filled with delight, and your birthday be perfect for you!

08/03/2009
Vikachuu

7th of March

The day started with a Calçotada (you will read about it next articles) at Cris place. It was a sunny hot pre-spring day and as always, cris special calçot's sauce didn't decive us. 
We also have some nice guests durign that weekend and we all could enjoy the perfect weather, the super food and the good company :)

 
  

After a siesta, in the evening we meet all again for dinner in Chinese, go for drinks and to club later. 

  
    
Guapos, thanks for this suepr party, it was really great! 
Us estimo molt! Mua!
Beta

I amsterdam

Here I am. After long, long looooong period of waiting, I got myself together and said “No, it has to stop! I can not leave people without posts in the blog!!!” hahhahahaha

But to be serious, there is a huge part missing of stories from the last post until now, but as I just came back from amazing trip to Amsterdam, want to share it with you while I still have the memories fresh.

      

So I went to Amsterdam on a university project – IVCF 2009, which means International Virtual Consulting Firm. It is a project for students of Amsterdam and Barcelona. The project is connected with marketing and my case is connected with fashion and design, so I am even more excited.

      


I have been already 3 times in Amsterdam before and every time I go there I get a new feeling and new emotions from this city. The first time I really didn’t like it, but now I probably look at it quite differently.  I met a lot of nice people and made a lot of new friends and also got quite inspired by many things.

    

Photos above: making a show in the Dam Square.

Further on just wanted to share with you something which I really liked in Amsterdam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrgeIT1cemE&feature=related

Poem: YES I AM
One voice was raised and sounded strange,
just a thought turned an idea, into something familiar,
it was the whisper of freedom, that was starting a revolution,
with this spirit as a weapon and unity as a shield. 
Yes I am. 
The world was first amazed by the sex, drugs and rock & roll, 
these people are crazy, 
these people are strange,
they didn’t understand the power of the claim,
impossible is nothing, was in front of their face. 
Yes I am. 
An empty canvas land,
is a world without a map, 
where air can be shared, and invisible is fear, like a dog to a child,
ideas will spin, like flowers grow in the field. 
It was the dream of a guy that ate flower bulbs to survive, 
same reason brought a woman to work from Surinam.
Yes I am.
Lots of no’s were said but just one yes remains, 
where one - seven - four, just means we are more,
it was for sure, that no colors stayed pure. 
Yes I am. 
Oui je suis. 
Si io sono. 
Sim eu sou. 
Si yo soy. 
Ja ich bin. 
Ja ik ben. 
A leaf left the tree and arrived in Amsterdam,
like many hopes of others,and more and more they will,
inspired by something you can just feel. 
Yes I am.

VIKACHUU