26. Travellers.

I've never been a very good traveller, but I've learnt to embrace tourism in all its tacky glory:

Along the way, I've also been fortunate enough to meet some true travellers and hear their stories.

In Istanbul, I ran into a group of cyclists. They hadn't started their journey together; they'd all met in Turkey and hit it off so well they decided to continue together. They told me how different cycling was from travelling by any other means. A young Australian had cycled across South America, relying on people offering him a place to stay in remote areas. He'd been travelling for several years on several continents and made his living by running a website related to his travels. He had a daily budget of three Australian dollars, and kept a roster of all his expenses to enable him to keep travelling on no money. Another one in the group, a young girl, had travelled around Iran. She'd made friends with local youngsters and had seen how Iranian girls party it up inside the safety of their houses. When asked about the dangers of travelling as a lone woman, she always said, "The likelihood of me getting my ass grabbed is far greater in Canada than in Iran." She was hoping to become a writer for travel books and always carried a notebook with her.

In Rome, I met an American named Scott. He hadn' t been much of a traveller, either. He refused to travel to countries whose language he didn't know for fear of intruding on the locals. At university, he decided to start studying Italian and got an internship in Naples. I met him on his holiday in Rome and crushed on him like virgin girls abroad alone for the first time crush on gay guys. Five years later, I still remember him clear as day.

He was offered a career in Broadway musicals, but decided to study Biochemistry instead when he realized he could imagine a life without music and dance. He contemplated becoming a practising Buddhist, and had ten shots once a week with his unimates. He tanned easily and worried about his hair. He loved Michelangelo's Pieta (one of them, I suppose) and marvelled at Bernini with me. He was endlessly curious about other cultures and hated Americanization. He was robbed twice in three months in Naples, but still thought it a lovely city. He seemed like one of the kindest and genuinely present people I've ever met with an endless thirst for people's stories.

I hope he is well and out there, exploring the world.

25. The Reader.

Beware of spoilers for the film (and novel) 'The Reader'!

How much can be forgiven? How much should be forgiven? How do we reconcile the good and evil in people? (And I do mean evil.) What role does literacy play in people's ethics and behaviour?

'The Reader' made me cry, but it also made me think. The questions it posed about forgiveness are too difficult for me to tackle head-on, but I really want to read the German novel now to see how it portrays Hanna (a former SS guard and lover of the main character) towards the end. In the film, she seems like a slightly simple, confused woman who was a victim to the system but curiously enough doesn't seem to feel guilt for massacring 300 women and children even when she's forced to face her actions. (When Michael asks her, she says, "Before the trial, I didn't think about it. I didn't need to." - I paraphrase.) According to Wikipedia, in the novel she reads books written by Holocaust survivors before her suicide. In the film, she just seems frightened of Michael not being there for her.

From what I've gathered, both the film and the novel have been welcomed and enjoyed by people in various countries including Germany. I wonder if I was the only one left wondering about where we are in terms of the stigma and taboo of the Holocaust. In the past few years, some films made from the viewpoint of the Nazis have been made. We can acknowledge that there are no moral or immoral films, only good and bad ones, and acknowledge that the value of art is to make us think outside the box and put ourselves in the shoes of others. But I still think the development from complete taboo to wallowing in the misery of the victims of the Holocaust (lest we forget...) to showing kind and sympathetic former Nazis is an interesting one. Is it a sign that we're forgetting? Is it a sign that generations that had nothing to do with the Holocaust are finally shedding some of the stifling collective guilt? I don't know. But it is interesting.

I found the theme of literacy a beautiful one, a bright spark in dark times. The connection and forgiveness that is passed on along with Michael's tapes to Hanna, and the hope that manifests in Hanna teaching herself to read and trying to reach out to Michael, and finally failing. I truly do believe literacy makes a huge difference in how you perceive the world and what tools you have to judge information you're given. At the same time, Hanna's enjoyment of hearing stories read out loud made me wonder how bound to paper I am.

More superficially, I was slightly surprised Kate Winslet won the Oscar for leading role in this one. She does a wonderful job, no doubt about it, but to me the story is about Michael. Hanna motivates him and casts an ever-present shadow over his life, but the film is about his reactions, his experiences.

24. Maps.

I love maps. There's a bitter irony here because I am appalingly bad at reading them, and equally bad at drawing plans:


It makes no difference, though, because maps are beautiful. The most gleeful I've ever been was when I managed to snag a copy of a stone-by-stone plan of an archaeological site. To this day, I don't know which site it was, but boy, was it beautiful.

Also, maps are useful. I like having maps on my walls so whenever I'm reading about a place I can turn my head to the side and see where the place in question is. It's useful when I'm planning trips, but also when I'm studying. A good map provides an abundance of information for the historian or archaeologist (as long as geographical changes are taken into account, of course): the newly-formed delta near Thessaloniki still shows up as a green spot on a map of Greece and cuts off exactly where the ancient city of Pella used to lie - on the coast, but now inland. In many places, modern roads lie on top of ancient ones, showing where old trade routes used to run. Sometimes, terrain is much more important than distance: even with the shiny and new extention of the Via Egnatia, it's still tricky and slow to cross over to Epirus. In Scotland, the difference in terrain influenced livelihoods, social structures, and created a divide between the Lowlands and Highlands that didn't exist, say, between the mainland and the Isles or Ireland. Early maps often contain valuable information about farms, estates, family income and social divisions - as well as looking fantastic. Alas, I don't have any 17th-century maps, but I'll settle for what I can get:

23. Dinosaur Comics by Ryan North.

It's a tyrannosaurus rex who talks philosophy and wants to be a novelist! There isn't really anything else I can say.

He is also very concerned with being PC:

These and more can be found at: qwantz.com

22. Kallimakhos and Anyte.

It's not always easy to appreciate ancient literature, even if you're interested in it. We can't know with certainty how the texts would have sounded out loud. We can only make educated guesses as to how exactly they were performed. Few people are fluent enough in the language to develop an intuition for it; no one's a native speaker.

I've found that the way for me to enjoy ancient poetry (epigrams in this case) is to try and distance myself from modern aesthetics and focus on the images present in the poems. Many of them are nowadays clichés, and you have to stop and think about the literal sense of the image and how it would affect you if it was unique rather than a topos. (This isn't to say clichés weren't used in antiquity - quite the opposite, actually.) As an urban dweller, I'm not one for bucolic poetry, but Kallimakhos and Anyte have some poems that can still reach something in me after more than two thousand years.

By Kallimakhos:

I detest those old tales told over and over again and take no pleasure
in a road carrying many to and fro.
I hate a lover who's made the rounds, and I
don't drink from the fountain. I despise all things common.
Lysanias, you truly are lovely, lovely. But before I
find these words, some echo says, "He belongs another."

I found a translation by George Economou that's very free but somehow captures how concise ancient Greek can be. (I feel compelled to point out this particular poem isn't very concise at all in the original.)

I loathe the serial poem, rejoice not
in a road that many people travel,
and hate a beloved who's made the rounds.
No fountain drinks, things public disgust me.
But you, Lysanias, I thought fair, I thought fine.
No sooner said than Echo replies, "But not mine."

Another one by Kallimakhos:

By Pan and by Dionysos, there is some
fire hidden underneath these ashes.
I don't trust myself. Do not pull me into this. Often
a calm river can eat away at a wall unnoticed.
This is why, Meneksenos, I fear even now lest
this quiet lurker slowly enters me and casts me in love.

Here is some Anyte:

Often did mother Kleine cry here on her daughter's grave
lamenting her child, dead before her time.
She called back the soul of Filainis, which before her wedding
stepped over the pale stream of river Akheron.

And to finish on a lighter note:

Myro built a common grave for the cricket, that nightingale of the fields,
and for the cicada living in the tree.
She spilled the tears of a maiden,
for relentless Hades snatched her two playmates.

21. Stretching.

I had a spectacular stretching lesson today, and I thought I would share some of my favourites with you. Most of them are for the back or stretches you don't necessarily do at the gym every time; I trust you all know and do your hip flexor stretches frequently. (Seriously, hip flexors are the single muscles you can't stretch too much.) As a bonus, you get to see me in unflattering poses with my messy flat in the background, as photos of stretches are surprisingly difficult to find online.

Some basics first, though. Stretching is good for you. Not only does it prevent overworked muscles from getting sore, it also increases blood flow to the muscles, speeds up metabolism, helps get rid of all sorts of gunk in your body, strengthens muscles, improves your posture, makes you less prone to hurting yourself while exercising, and also makes you high with endorphins.

Stretching is a form of exercise. Warm up before stretching. Stretching without a warm-up will only make your muscles cramp and detract; stretching too intensely soon after heavy exercise will do the same. Keep your stretches short after hardcore sweating and puffing. A good way to warm up for stretching is to do different sorts of swings and rolls. For example, start rolling your shoulders, then add elbows and finally the entire arm. Gently swing your head from side to side and gradually start bending over more and more until you're brushing the floor with your fingertips, making the swings bigger and bigger. Or you can just twist your back, head, arms, and legs this way and that - but don't overdo it.

Holding a stretch for thirty seconds will retain a level of flexibility; anything above that will actually stretch your muscles further. (Approximations vary here. Point being, fifteen seconds of jerkily forcing your fingers towards your toes won't do a whole lot of good.) It's important to hold a steady stretch. Gentle pumping is okay, but if a stretch is too painful or uncomfortable to hold, you're doing it wrong. Say, sitting up straight with your legs in front of you or tipping forward only an inch or two with your back supported is more effective than banging your forehead against your knees without caring what you're doing to your back or your muscles. Try it: it'll even feel more intense. The line between good and bad pain can be a thin one, and it's something your body will learn to know gradually. Start slowly. If your muscles shake, stop - your muscles are telling you they've had enough. Deepen the stretch on an exhale, but never make any sudden movements. Remember this when you're easing out of a stretch as well.

Try varying your stretches. This means different sorts of positions but also subtle changes. When you're bending forward over your legs, try turning slightly to one side. When you're stretching your sides, turn your chest slightly towards the floor or the ceiling and see how it feels.


Here are some stretches that made my muscles ache delightfully today:



This is a stretch for the backs of your shoulders. You basically twine your arms together: first bend one arm to a ninety-degree angle in front of you, then twine the other arm underneath it and onwards so you can push your palms together. It might take a while to find the right way to do it, and you can feel the stretch in different places depending on which spot is the sorest. The trick is to keep your back straight, steadily push your shoulders down and your hands up. You don't actually have to raise your hands much (although it's worth trying out different levels), it's the idea of raising them that counts so you can get the right pull.

This is for the front of the shoulders. Place your hands behind you so that your fingers point towards you, lean back a little bit and push your chest out like crazy. People tend to slump not because of poor back muscles but because of too tight chest muscles, so it's important to open up your chest and the front of your shoulders regularly.

This one stretches your back, chest and even buttocks, depending on how tight your muscles are. It's wonderful for the vertebrae; don't worry if your back pops a time or ten. I find I can relax best if I bend both my knees and place the bottom knee on top of the top one to hold it in place. You can also keep the bottom leg straight. If you lift the arm you're looking towards (my right one in this pic) towards your head ("up"), you can feel a stretch in your pecs. Be very careful when you ease out of this stretch, and make sure to let your spine settle back to normal, eg by pulling your knees to your chest or making your back round.

I've been told this stretch speeds up metabolism and is good for losing weight. I don't know, but it's very good for your spine and for letting squashed-together vertebrae breathe. Be careful, though: the stretch is much more effective and safe if you control it with your abs. You can help support your back with your hands if you want to. Ease slowly out of the stretch. The slower you can ease your legs down, vertebra by vertebra, the better. (This is also good for your abs.) Try to keep your legs behind for as long as you can, that is, don't lift them up into a pseudo-headstand (shoulderstand?), but concentrate on staying folded in two. This way your spine stays curved for as long as possible. Use your hands to control the motion if you feel you need extra support.

This is a stretch for the buttocks, but I sometimes feel it in my inner thighs as well. Fold one leg in front of you, stretch the other one out and "roll up" so you're putting your weight on the folded leg rather than just sitting on the floor. You can vary the stretch by pulling your heel down so your leg is folded over (like in the picture), or you can form a ninety-degree angle with your front leg. The latter can be hard on your knees and hips, though, so be careful. The main point is to not tip over onto the side of the front leg. You should be dead-centre. If you find your hips are close to or pressed against the floor, you're either tilting to the side or just really limber.

This can be a tricky one, and it took me a while to figure out how to do it so I could actually feel the stretch. You should feel it in your side and perhaps your lower back. Use one hand to push down on the folded leg, then tilt sideways. It's very important to keep your back as straight and open as possible and make sure you don't tilt forward because you won't feel a thing in that case. You should be able to feel the stretch without tilting heavily to the side. Keep your head in line as well and don't let it droop.

This stretch not only looks humiliating, it also feels really, really uncomfortable - at least for me. It also opens up my sucky hips and stretches muscles I haven't figured out how to stretch otherwise. It's a stretch for your hips, but when I do it, I feel it all over my inner thighs from hip to knee. Get up on all fours, then start spreading your knees to the sides until you feel an ache in your upper inner thighs. The goal is to improve your turn-out, that is, the way you can turn your knees, thighs and the rest of your leg to the side without twisting something. (Think ballerinas or Charlie Chaplin and you get the idea.) It feels different from most stretches, so don't worry if it feels a bit odd. That said, make sure you keep your knees at a ninety-degree angle and don't push too far down lest you put strain on your knees. As said, it's a really uncomfortable stretch at least for me, which is why it's really important to not overdo it and ease out of it slowly. You can vary the level of intensity by leaning more or less of your weight on you elbows.

20. Dental floss gadgets

In my defense, even the manufacturer doesn't provide a proper name for the thing above on their website. It's kind of a silly thing to name as one of your favourite things, but it really is. I have a very small mouth and over-lapping teeth, so using dental floss was always a massive hassle and tooth picks were useless. Using this thing is brilliant because it doesn't involve trying to stuff my fingers into my mouth and dental floss slipping and me giving up on dental hygiene.

There are probably other manufactorers as well, but here's one website I was able to find: http://www.jordan.no/en/dental-care/Products/Jordan-inter-dental-products/Jordan-Dental-Floss/Dental-floss-Miracle-adult/