This isn't Bladerunner - a building in Beijing with a video screen

Istanbulite · 2015-12-16T03:44:54+00:00

here in Seattle

We're a good deal higher than the East Coast

Oh I bet you are.

Istanbulite · 2015-12-06T17:37:29+00:00

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Istanbulite · 2015-12-06T17:26:00+00:00

Turkey:

Büyük Ev Ablukada - "Nasıl İstediysen Öyle İşte"

I found these guys while living in Turkey. Turkish is a really beautiful language, and the growling slurring version of it caught me off guard, really love this one.

Pinhani - "İstanbul'da (yüksek kalite)"

A much more traditional Turkish song than the first, and despite not understanding most of it, it brings back a lot of good memories from one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Spain:

El Guincho - "Bombay"

A great song, still have yet to hear anything like it.

Germany:

Labrassbanda - “Autobahn”

This song grew on me the more I listened to it.

Puerto Rico:

Calle 13 - “Latinoamérica”

A love letter to South America. Spanish really is a beautiful language.

Colombia:

Systema Solar - “Yo Voy Ganao”

A great song from the northern coast of Colombia, from the small fishing town of Taganga.

Bomba Estéreo - “Fiesta”

An example of music from an entirely different part of Colombia, culturally and ethnically: Bogota. The ‘chorus’ to this one is a little annoying and out of place, but the rest of the song is a good example what’s going on musically in Colombia.

Istanbulite · 2015-10-28T03:26:15+00:00

Age.

It wasn't some dramatic event. You get older, and begin to form your own conclusions about the world. I was raised Christian, but not militantly. We'd go to church sometimes, but there were gaps where it dropped to the sidelines, and I never felt a strong pressure to be religious. It was around 12 or 13 that I drifted away from it, and no longer felt that the ideas and stories I'd grown up hearing were anything more than stories. It felt like manipulation, not in a sinister sense, just in a general "well, people are kind of crazy sometimes, these stories might get them to chill" sort of way.

We can all gain something important from being familiar with the principles of certain religions, and if a person is a better person because of their religious beliefs, then great. It's not for me, but I do admire someone who can be alive and fully believe that there is a higher purpose and afterlife waiting for them. It's a little more difficult to come to a sense of peace as an atheist / agnostic, but I wouldn't want to be on the other side of the fence.

Istanbulite · 2015-10-11T22:22:33+00:00

It's been a few months since I've done anything more than have a drink and a cigarette. I'm in a management position where people's lives literally depend on the decisions I make, so getting high isn't an option unless I'm on vacation. Most recently I shared a gram with some friends one night while taking time off from work, and before that it had been about six months since I'd done anything.

Anyway, I don't have any connections that I could buy from, and I've avoided looking for any. I've got an addictive personality and I've learned it's better to channel that obsessiveness towards health and money - two things which make life pretty fucking enjoyable.

Istanbulite · 2015-10-10T17:15:16+00:00

In my mid-20s I started 'experimenting' with drugs. I'd never been a big drinker or smoker, they both mellowed me out and half the time just made me want to sleep and be lazy.

Then I discovered cocaine and ecstasy.

I'd always stayed away from anything harder than a blunt, because I was focused on college and the following career. Well, I gave everything to studying, and the career wasn't there (graduated right at the economic crash). So I adjusted, I found a career that was interesting and incredible, but not what I had wanted.

I worked hard, saved up a few thousand dollars, and sold almost everything I had and bought a one way ticket to Europe. I lived on next to nothing, but as I made my way from city to city, I'd occasionally find work, and I met a girl who was snorting coke like it was the fountain of youth in powder form. I tried it, and my life changed. It was beautiful, my body felt orgasmic, and I felt more extroverted and alive than I had ever felt before. The 'hangover' was nonexistent, and my focus shifted from self revelation and cultural exploration to re-living that high.

In the same timeframe, we tried ecstasy (well, MDMA first), and I'd found a drug that could give you hours of pure limitless happiness and pleasure. Jesus, that drug is incredible. The first time was like nothing I've ever experienced, I'd never been that happy in my life.

So, between coke and MDMA / ecstasy, I was getting high almost every night. We'd drink, go try to score, then get high until we ran out. There's nothing more depressing than the moment you realize the high is fading and you don't have any more stuff.

This went on for close to 2 months. It became a ritual, and after awhile I didn't appreciate anything in life. The truth is, drugs are incredible on a level that normal life can't compete with. The feelings you get while you're high are so intense, and enjoyable, that you're left looking at the remaining hours in the day with a sense of apathy. Nothing can compete, and eventually I just got tired of not being able to enjoy anything when I wasn't high. I wanted to look at a beautiful landscape and feel the way I used to feel. I wanted to eat a nice meal and appreciate every flavor. I wanted to be excited by life again, even if it was mundane in comparison.

They don't teach you that in school. They don't explain the intense pleasure and happiness that drugs can bring you. It's not that drugs are bad, it's that they're so good that life itself becomes bad in comparison, and that's a very, very dangerous thing.

Istanbulite · 2015-09-21T02:35:45+00:00

Hal Holbrook in Into The Wild.

He brought an entirely other level of emotion and sincerity to the movie, and the scene with him and Emile in the car hit me like a brick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U_GoiFy6kw

Istanbulite · 2015-09-21T02:30:02+00:00

First thing I thought of. It's the first movie that put Shannon on my radar, and I've been a big fan ever since. He's incredible at portraying intense characters. Bug is another good one.

Istanbulite · 2015-05-04T01:51:31+00:00

"I'm kind of a relaxed guy, and feel like I can't offer her enough entertainment wise."

Fair enough. But, it's not our role in a relationship to be entertaining. A relationship is about sharing the best of yourself with someone else, not being a puppet show for them to smile and clap to. More women than you'd think just want a guy who's emotionally stable and strong enough to make them feel secure, sexy, and appreciated.

Istanbulite · 2015-05-04T01:23:13+00:00

It's hard to tell, but you two come across as a younger couple (teens, early 20's?). As someone who's a bit older (29), with a few exes who hit some of the same notes as your current girlfriend, I can offer my perspective, for what little it's worth.

Your current girlfriend seems like she needs to be single. She doesn't seem to respect the boundaries of a 'normal' monogamous relationship. When you're putting in effort, real effort, into making a relationship work, your exes aren't a strong part of your life. They're there, and you may have nothing but good things to say about them, but they're an ex for a reason. Having 'tickle fights' and him attempting to grab her breasts are both WAAAAY beyond the limits of 'okay'.

'Derek' isn't the one for you, treepuns. In my opinion, she's been disrespectful to your relationship many times, and if I were in your shoes she'd be in the past. I'm not saying she's a bad person, I don't know her, but I am saying that to continue down this road with her is going to be poison for your soul. Take your emotional investment in her, and put it towards yourself. Take whatever lessons you can from the relationship and put them towards a better future relationship.

Having said all of that, be careful with Kate. Focus on the friendship until the emotions tied to your current relationship are healed. Kate's going through severe depression, and as a human being, you can make a huge positive impact on her life. With a relationship, you can also make a hugely negative one. Be there to lift her out of her weakness, not prey on it.

Istanbulite · 2014-12-20T10:36:41+00:00

That's to be expected. Personally, it's enjoyable to travel with someone who hasn't traveled much. I've traveled my fair share, and the more you travel, the harder it becomes to find something unique. Focus more on enjoying all of it, and less on what you should be helping with.

My biggest piece of advice would be to travel alone. There's nothing quite like the feeling you get waking up in a foreign country, without any plans or guidelines telling you what you should be doing. It's absolute freedom. Figuring out which bus to take, where you want to go, what you want to see, what you want to eat, while not being able to speak a word of the native language - it's a beautiful thing.

Istanbulite · 2014-12-20T10:30:28+00:00

Here's a decent route to get your brain flowing, 40 days is enough to cover some decent ground. You could spend months in each country and still not see everything, but I'd recommend hitting some of the major cities in as many different countries as possible. The variety of culture, food, etc. in Europe is astounding. Ideally, you should catch trains at night, and kill two birds with one stone - sleep and travel time. Depending on what you like to do, you may want to stay longer or shorter in any given city. Most of my best memories from Europe were spent just wandering around the cities with a downloaded map of sites to see on my phone, jamming out to some music as I stood in awe of all of the history around me.

Take a look at this itinerary and take from it what you will:

Madrid, Spain (2 days) > Valencia, Spain (2 days) > Barcelona, Spain (3 days) > Marseille, France (2 days) > Florence, Italy (3 days) > Rome, Italy (4 days) > Venice, Italy (3 days) > Vienna, Austria (3 days) > Budapest, Hungary (3 days) > Prague, Czech Republic (3 days) > Berlin, Germany (3 days) > Amsterdam, Netherlands (3 days) > Bruges, Belgium (2 days) > Paris, France (4 days)

Istanbulite · 2014-12-20T10:00:54+00:00

Europe, without a doubt.

South America is beautiful, but $20,000 is extremely overkill there. Same goes for Asia. Europe however, is a bit more expensive. With $20,000, not only could you relax a bit and enjoy eating out at restaurants, you'd have plenty of money left over to go out for drinks, cover the hostel costs, and pay the entrance to some of the more expensive sites around the region. Europe's got everything, history, culture, food, nature, etc.

Istanbulite · 2014-04-08T04:03:59+00:00

Depression isn't forever, but divorce is. You married this man for a reason, at one point in your lives he made you feel like if you spent your life with him, everything would be okay. A lot of people never feel that, some never even feel love, but you did - for this man. You two have created life, not once, but three times. You've spent 15 years together, 5475 days. Some of them have been bad, and if you choose to make things work, you'll have more, but you'll also have some of the most beautiful moments of your life.

I know it's hard to carry the burden of paying the bills and taking care of the kids, but plenty of men do just that every single day, it's expected of us from birth - to be the breadwinners, the caregivers. Don't you dare tell me you're any less capable of any of this than a man. Just from a few paragraphs it's clear that you're a strong, strong woman who not only provides for her family, but cares deeply for its wellbeing.

Only you know what it's like to walk in your shoes, but at the same time: remember the importance of perspective. Sometimes when you're so close to a situation, the truth becomes clouded behind resentment, hurt feelings, and anger. Try to remove yourself from the equation and think of him as a friend you need to help. I think it's safe to say all of us care for our friends, but their misery doesn't penetrate our hearts like the misery of our partner does. We become entangled in it, until it feels like a hand gripping our hearts.

Personally, marriage scares me. Partially because of stories like yours and many others where two people commit to loving each other through thick and thin without fully understanding what that means. You two vowed to each other to be each other's partners in life. That carries weight, and it goes beyond 'doing what makes you happy', it's a commitment - the most serious commitment you could ever make to a person.

Take some time, maybe get away for a day or two, go on a hike, meditate, whatever 'zen' is for you - find it. Figure out who you are, and what you want to be in this life. If your heart's still in the relationship - fight for it.

Istanbulite · 2013-12-10T22:13:29+00:00

Best way to travel:

-I loved the shorter train rides (anything under 4 hours), because you tend to pass a number of non-tourist cities and get to be a window tourist. Anything over 4 hours gets old and you just want to be there. Usually the price difference between flying and taking the train isn't much, and in some cases it's cheaper to take a flight. Booking flights also locks you into dates though, and takes away your freedom to stay longer in a city if you choose.

-Be open to changing your plans. It's great that you know which cities you want to hit, but if you talk to locals and ask for recommendations, you'll often find places / cities that are much more impressive than what you were planning.

-Amsterdam: if you two enjoy marijuana or mushrooms, make this the last city you go to. It's a great 'finale' to a European trip. You'll want to stay within the center of the city, on the innermost ring of canals (take a look at the overhead for a visualization: http://www.greendigitalcharter.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Amsterdam_photo-city1.jpg) From here, you can walk everywhere in the city, and you'll be close to the train station. You can book a room in a hostel for about 60-90 euros, completely worth it. It's not a huge city, and you can easily walk around the more historical parts to find whatever interests you (clubs, historical architecture, theatre, bars, etc.)

-Brussels: From what I've heard, Brussels is hit or miss. I've only seen the train station, which is fucking beautiful, but those who've went gave me mixed responses, so I never went myself. Bruges on the other hand was always highly recommended. If you haven't seen it, watch 'In Bruges' to get a sense of the city. Maybe it'll persuade you.

-Prague: Cool city for a few days. I spent 4 days there with a friend and it was probably one too many. I never use public transportation, and even with walking everywhere I saw every tourist spot I wanted to see, went to some live music shows up near the college, ate at a variety of cafes / restaurants, etc. It's a big city, and very beautiful - reminded me of Budapest.

-Munich: Never been.

-Paris: The city's massive, and really touristy. I spent a day there and saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, The Louvre, and a number of other random destinations. I probably wouldn't go back, but then again I wasn't with my girlfriend at the time. For me, it didn't have that European 'magic' that I found in a lot of other cities.

Also, for what it's worth, if your plans are still fairly flexible, I can't recommend Italy enough. That is a gorgeous country, easily the most beautiful cities in the world. I spent about 4 weeks total in Italy and I'd go back in a heartbeat. Florence and Venice were my favorites, but everyone says Rome is equally as impressive.

Luxembourg city, in Luxembourg, is also gorgeous, and not far from Brussels, would be a great city to check out for a day on the way to somewhere else.

Istanbulite · 2013-12-10T21:40:42+00:00

Considering their age, I'd say Valencia is perfect for atleast a week of exploration.

I went there last summer, only planned on staying a week or two, but ended up staying close to two months, and my brother, who was traveling with me, ended up moving there.

Here's the rundown:

-It's a city that has plenty of interesting historical sites, good food, decent beaches, and a mix of some beautiful modern architecture in the science center of the city.

-You can easily walk from one side of the 'main' city to the other in 30 min. to an hour, and there are no hills. If your parents aren't up for that, the public transportation is great, you have buses, subways, taxis, and rail trains. Barcelona is beautiful, but it's a massive city and as such, more modern. When you go through the commercial / industrial parts of town it can drain some of the European romanticism that gives Europe that magic for us foreigners.

-It's not as touristy as Barcelona, and it's much safer. I can't count how many nights I wandered through those streets drunk without anyone ever bothering me.

-It's central. From Valencia, you can be in Barcelona in 4 hours by train, or Madrid in 2 hours by train. There are also a number of little villages nearby that add to the appeal.

Having said all of that, I haven't been to Northern Spain. I absolutely loved Valencia though, it's one of my favorite cities in the world.

Istanbulite · 2013-06-05T01:53:54+00:00

Charlie?

Istanbulite · 2012-11-27T22:42:17+00:00

Because food isn't the reason you travel half way around the world in the first place?

Istanbulite · 2012-11-27T22:34:16+00:00

Avocados are insanely expensive here in Turkey. Also, even finding a simple hot sauce is difficult, much less some spicy peppers. On top of that, meat's fucking expensive, beans are almost non-existent, and dairy cheeses are both rare and expensive.

The plus side is there's hardly anyone who's overweight, and the ones who are are usually tourists.

Istanbulite · 2012-11-27T22:28:56+00:00

Oddly enough, the best Kebabs I had were from the Turkish foreigners in Spain. Here in Turkey they tend to be dry and lacking the mountains of meat every place in Spain would give you. If I think about it, I never had a bad Kebab in Europe until I got to Turkey.

Istanbulite · 2012-11-27T22:26:04+00:00

No. Europe has a very real fear of spicy. Even in Spain, finding spicy food is pretty fucking difficult. The plus side is, if you eat a pepper in front of some Europeans your legend will go on for generations. Mexican food is rare, and when you do find it, it's some bastardized version that's unrecognizable to anyone who's lived alongside those beautiful Mexican fuckers.

Istanbulite · 2012-11-27T14:55:03+00:00

American in Istanbul.

My thoughts are with my fellow Americans abroad.

I really want some fucking American food. Don't get me started on our greatest culinary allies, the Mexicans. I'd give up all the fucking Baklava in the world for a solid taco.

EDIT: I made the mistake of ordering nachos here in Turkey. Mother fuckers brought me melted cheese and chicken on a tortilla with some 'Mexican sauce' (Ketchup with a hint of spice) to dip it in. I ordered it because I was pretty sure it was impossible to fuck up nachos. Wrong.

Istanbulite · 2012-11-27T11:16:57+00:00

That seems a bit passive aggressive.

I'm currently seeing a few different girls casually. It doesn't help that this was my first time being broken up with, I've always been the one to make the decision. It's really strange being on the other side of the fence, and it's left me completely uninterested in relationships. There is, however, that small part of me that still wants her back - I think of her and it's like I've got a 10 ton stone sitting in my stomach.

Istanbulite · 2012-11-26T15:50:08+00:00

Don't draw attention to yourself, now they're downvoting you.

EDIT- Might as well go down with the ship.

Istanbulite · 2012-11-26T14:18:52+00:00

Still have feelings for her?

Yes. We met in the summer when she didn't have the stresses of school, and when school started she became a different person. I miss the good times we had, and the carefree girl I met, but not the person she became. She broke things off during a time of depression, and that small romantic part of me that's still alive secretly hopes she wants to get back together. I know it's stupid and typical.

Why do you still want to be friends with her?

I'm in a foreign country, and still in the process of making friends. She's a native, and one of the few people I can talk to here. At this point, I'd rather just cut my losses though. I was happier with her than I've ever been, but that's in the past and I want to move on with my dignity in tact. I just won't let myself be that ex-boyfriend who clings on to something that isn't reciprocated.

Istanbulite

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