I recently went for a shopping spree with a couple of my girlfriends. Some were running low on make-up, others were in desperate need of a good blusher and all of us are always looking for that perfect shade of lipstick that can make our lips irresistible to a kiss.
 It was when we were on the line to pay for our newfound treasures - that promised to hide our flaws and make us more beautiful than ever- that I remembered something Yves Saint Laurent said. This talented man once made the astounding observation that '' the most beautiful make up for a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.'' How right can a man be? In this case the more I was thinking about it, the more convinced I was that he is pretty close to absolutely right.
 No amount of mascara or eyeliner can replace the fire in a woman's eyes. A fire that may burn for a growing and satisfying career.
 Regardless the shade of the lipstick we use to apply, the most beautiful lips are those which are stained from a passionate kiss.
 And I have personally see the perfect tone of blush rushing at my cheeks when I have completed an intense and satisfying run by the sea.
 Yes, passion, passion can do magic at a woman's appearance. We all look for that passion constantly. We can find it at the job we've always dreamt of having, at the love we hope will last forever, at a hobby that can transform an ordinary day to a beautiful and memorable one.
 The lucky few that have it all, may not have the need to use cosmetics, but as a woman - and an overachieving one at that- I can tell you that they will always put some make-up on, hoping to turn beauty to excellence.
 For the rest of us, who don't have every aspect of our life in order, make up is even more necessary. Besides passion can only go so far. As much as I love my job there are days that I will need to hide the occasional bags under my eyes caused by a little more stress. For someone else a compact powder will be required in order to hide the tears caused by a fight with a loved one.
 Make-up will always be an absolute necessity for a woman, but passion? Passion goes far beyond that.
 Because even if we hire the most talented make-up artist to use the finest cosmetics without passion we are just like Barbie dolls. Excellently made up but emotionless.
 Apart from that, dolls are made to be played with but women, especially passionate women are not to be played under no circumstances. Because not only they can play better but some of them are making the whole damn set of rules for the game.

KISSES!

E.        

  

 Winston Churchill once said that, tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that the look forward to the trip.
 As a graduate of Diplomacy, a traveler and a fan of that quick-witted man, I got fascinated with this phrase in more ways than one. So I started dissecting it and really thinking about it. The way I saw it, it consisted of three concepts, the tact, the hell and the trip.
 I consider myself a very tactful person but I doubt I could pull something like this off, even with all my textbooks about diplomacy at my disposal. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to make a habit out of telling people were to go, but it should be handy to know the way if the rare occasion arises.
 Then I started thinking about the ''going to hell'' part, or as we often say the destination of the ''road paved with good intentions''. Of course if we believe the song of AC DC is more of a ''Highway'' than a road.
 I was scribbling all that down exactly on the spot where I took the above picture when the thought occurred to me, why on earth am I troubling myself about hell instead of enjoying the view of my favorite place in Greece? And then everything became obvious. I was -even temporarily- at my heaven, at my happy place, spending some quiet time with my thoughts.
 I couldn't help but wonder, if we eliminate the spiritual side of the matter, what exactly are heaven and hell? I decided that it is a state of being, instead of an actual place.
 I had the example right before my eyes. For me Thessaloniki -the town in which the picture is taken- is my heaven. The place where I went to the university, the place where I got my first glimpse of independence, the place where I explored more about theater, and which holds countless other memories. For someone else though? It could be the town where they got their heart broken, they lost a job or failed to realize a lifelong dream. My own heaven is someone else's personal hell.
 So the trip there can be often short and it can be unexpectedly pleasurable as well. Because if you really think about it the person willing to send you to such a trip will have a vast difference with you about how the destination will turn out. Bottom line, his version of hell can be your paradise.
 In conclusion, making an attempt to reprogram my mind to have only positive thoughts I can tell you this, if someone wish me such a trip -tactfully or not- I will take and I will also have some fun doing it!

KISSES!

E.

   

 I recently uploaded on my instagram account (@elliefilippidou) the above picture of me. The most asked question I received was what did I saw in those binoculars. What was the thing that made me smile so broadly and point so excitedly?
 I gave various answers just so I could observe the reaction that they provoked.
 A seagull, a plane or a drone was far too boring.
 A funny-shaped cloud was predictable, but depending on the shape that I was describing or the mischievousness on my eyes, got a few laughs.
 Then I started to get really creative with my answers.
 My future waving me goodbye, gave me an awkward silence with most, with the exception of one black humor fan friend of mine, who responded with the very smart question ''did you see mine too, up there?''
 Superman, was my answer with a DC comic fan. ''Was there battling Batman?'' was his reply, ''and more importantly for whom did you root for?'' he continued, leading to a discussion more interesting than the actual movie, Batman VS Superman.
 A sky-writing proposal, I said to my most romantic girlfriend which made her smile dreamily and wish for her own some day.
 Then things started to get tricky, what else could I possibly have seen? I had to up the game with my imagination.
 A full moon during the day, I said to a -thankfully clueless about astronomy- friend, who promptly replied ''Why didn't you take a picture of that? Don't you have enough of yourself already?'' That made me both smile and realize he was right.
 A multi-colored hot air balloon riding above the city, was an answer which led to an extensive internet research to see if me and a couple of other extremely interested friends could 'also' go for a ride -turns out, we can't-.
 For my final answer I worked my imagination at full speed, I thought what would I possibly want to have seen up there. I struggled for a while but then it hit me...
 A floated house suspended with thousands of balloons with Karl inside, looking for me, his own personal Ellie, to take to his adventures with was my preferred vision, as a true fun of the movie UP -and as an Ellie-.
 For those of you who are wondering still what did I saw, I am sorry but I will not tell you. That will remain my little secret, mostly because I urge you to find a place like the one I was in and look for something extraordinary yourselves, and I promise you if you look hard enough, you will find it.

KISSES!

E.

 I put a lot of thought for the subject of my second post, but it was all for naught. The days after the holidays have a nasty habit of leaving me a little... lost. Talking with friends and family I quickly realized that I wasn't the only one. It didn't take long to figure out why was that.
 The passing of New Year's day leaves you with a boatload of resolutions but no real way to achieve them. The promises you made to yourself under the influence of the champagne, the joyous music and the companion of dear friends seemed easy at the time. But now, ten days into the new year, the task of keeping them is revealed in its full glory. They don't call them resolutions for nothing, if they were easy we all we'd have done them by now. Unfortunately they are not.
 To achieve a goal you need a lot of things, determination, a plan, a way to overcome the inevitable obstacles. All the while the real life is now caught up with you. Job, family, obligations we put off for 'after the holidays' are present and demanding your attention. There are always things to be done, things to be dealt with. That is why we need to be armed with, maybe, the most important goal-achieving-tool, a support system. Thinking back to all of my resolutions -failed or achieved- I find this is the most underrated and underused ingredient.
 As a stubbornly independent girl, I find it very hard to admit that I need help and let me tell you I am not the only one. For many people asking for help seems like a character flaw, like a weakness.
 I couldn't help but wonder why, if we are lucky enough to have a helping hand, we aren't smart enough to use it? Is independence really worth it? And if not, how can we mute that proud full voice in our heads that holds us back?
 After thinking about it, I decided that it was also a matter of trust. Trusting that the hand which is extended to help you won't let go suddenly, leaving you crushing down.
 Realizing that the acceptance of help is much more deep rooted than pride instead of complicating things, actually cleared them up. Because now I understand that the most important person to trust is yourself. To trust that you have surrounded yourself with people who are willing to help and who won't let go if things get hard. Of course the only way to have those kind of people around you is to be one of them.
For those who wonder about it, this task is as difficult as it's sounds but let me tell you, there is no better feeling than having achieved a goal and having a great person -or if you are really lucky, several- at your side. Besides what is a great view if you don't have someone to admire it with you?

KISSES!

E.   

 I have always wanted to have a blog, I would see at the social media all the successful bloggers, living a fabulous life and writing about it and i wanted to be one of them. So I did what I always do when I try to familiarize myself with a subject. I researched it.
 Again and again.
 I learnt all the must-haves for a successful blog - a witty name, a niche, a target audience- and I was utterly lost . I didn't have any of it. But i did -correction- I do have something. Passion.
 The problem was I am passionate about so many things, I couldn't possibly pick only one of them to blog about.
 All the experts I read were very specific on the matter. Find ONE thing that you love -your niche- and focus on that. What could it be for me? Books? Travels? Theater? Fashion? I just couldn't decide.
I am not gonna lie, a few years past before this day, the day of my first blog post.
 Finally I decided to turn to my oldest passion of all, writing.
 So this is me... Writing about all the things I love .
 I am not a professional writer, I haven't taken any classes, I am not even sure I am any good at this, so the only thing remains is to let time and anyone who reads this to decide...

KISSES!

E.