Just got back from a 5 day trip to Venice with the university. By no means was it a romantic trip (though Nick the Greek would disagree), it was a trip that involved the rest of the year and lots of walking round the lagoon. This trip revealed other sides of Venice to me. Like true architecture students, we looked at the problems and the wastes of Venice and avoided taking any 'tourist' photos. We discovered some awesome housing on the island of Giudecca by Cino Zucchi, saw the scaryly quaint island of Burano , and soaked in the whole lagoon from the bell tower in Torcello. After the dense 5 days Venice experience, the place is no longer a romantic city to me, it's a 'dead' city that's being preserved in a glass box for the tourists. The whole lagoon area is almost like a perfect city plan with areas clearly distinguished, yet it doesn't work well as a city. Now I have to device a strategy for the lagoon.....that does what or where... I don't know yet.

Back from Greece, uni started, I got severe flu.

2005

Yes, New year is here! I spent the evening with Orestes' family, roasted chestnuts by the open fire and shared the yummy cake. However, I was not fortunate enough to get the coin that was hidden in the cake. I also discovered how Santa manages to visit every house around this time of the year! As it turns out, Santa doesn't pay a visit to Greece till New year's eve! I must have been a bad kid this year though, as my stocking was empty when I woke up this morning :( ! Havn't figured out what my new year's resolution is going to be.....I guess I have now till Chinese New Year to figure it out.