pretty amazing

i was at this pretty amazing party on saturday. the amazingness of it was in part maybe how it reminded me of some nice parties in helsinki. but definitely amazing on its own merit too, and just what i needed to cheer up. it was a top floor flat of these 2 artists, with a view over Istanbul. somehow a few dozen people managed to fit in there and the atmosphere was... i dunno, smoky? ok, thats cos everyone smoked inside, eww. most guests were more less artists, but i did meet a lawyer and an engineer too. everyone was nice & smart, some great personalities. i stumbled home around 4 or 5 and woke up cheery at 11:30.  from there on i went for a brunch with Carilyn and to a 2nd hand market held by some locals...  ended the day watching The Interview with doctor. he feel asleep of course. playing a movie is a bulletproof way to make him sleep. i just realized he never asks me what happens at the end :D

party in the dark.

the house was in/near Tarlabasi, a "not so nice area" of Istanbul. in other words, u dont go there when its dark. but there i was, anyway, at 21:30...looking for this address...  what wouldnt i do for a party. i passed prostitutes, the trans and the "classic" kind, but they are not the ones you need to worry about, this area is just shady - dark streets where shady looking men are hanging around. i hate to be so fearful but turkey has gotten to me :( thats one of the reasons i think i should eventually leave... 

video installation on the wall

 the host

 a room with a view

in the next country i live in, assuming i get to choose such a thing, i want:
-warm weather at least most of the year
-several H&M's in the city i live
-grocery stores with western products
-nice cafes and bars
-friendly people
-liberal atmosphere and culture


in turkey your employer dictates the bank you use (at least for your salary). the company or organization makes a deal with the bank and so all their finances stay within that bank. for big employers the bank may offer perks like a better interest rate for the employee accounts. but interest rate is called "bonus" and paid for example at the end of the year and is a % of the salary. doctor gets his salary in 2 parts, from his hospital and the ministry of health, both different banks. annoying for sure. the hospital just changed banks a month ago, to Yapi Kredi. the negotiated interest/bonus is around 5.7% of the yearly salary, so although they just switched, in december doctor got a nice lump sum on his account. Yapi Kredi, just like the other banks, are sneaky bastards though, trying to force feed credit cards. when doctor went in to open the account, he made clear he doesnt want a credit card, and yet, when signing the dozens of papers, in between he found a credit card contract. as the teller kept on giving papers to sign, he found another. and another. 3 times - WTF?? the teller was not happy that doctor skipped the credit card deal. i havent seen statistics but most turks ive discussed have several credit cards. several could amount up to 10. im not an economist but i dont see this trend ending well...

im enjoying Bonfire City's Chandelier - Chill out version (spotify) these days.

after christmas dinner i had leftover salmon and pork. this pork was probably like 1-2 euros/slice..."ho ho ho..."

went to this (new?) cafe nearby today, quite cozy.