Casual in Istanbul

The hot football player from Serbia&Montenegro ; Mateja Kezman is now playing for Fenerbahce FC. He is 27 , a father. And he is really hot!We are following his hot body career since he was playing for PSV Eindhoven FC.No more words or stats about him...just enjoy him(with his shirt on or off...that's up to you!) ;)

Marat Izmailov , born ,September 21 1982 is a football player currently playing in the Russian League for FC Lokomotiv Moskva . He is a midfielder and wears the number 7 shirt.

Having made his international debut aged just 18, he has gone on to make 26 appearances for the russian National Team and was a member of the Russian Squad at the 2002 World Cup Finals. One of the most talented(and the cutest) Russian players of his generation, he is pacy and has the ability to beat defenders(he can beat anything he wants with that looks), but can also shoot from distance(wow). He usually plays in the hole behind the strikers or sometimes as a winger. Promoted from Lokomotiv Moscow B-team to the starting lineup of the National team in 6 months.

Klub Karaoke , Istanbul's one and only club for karaoke lovers is now open in Taksim.Has four different concept rooms : 3 of them are for reservations (Tokyo , Fetish and Zoo) , you can make reservation and have fun all nite with your friends. Central room is open to everybody for hanging out at the bar , have fun with karaoke and for happy hours...The place has special nights such as Turkish Night , 80's Nİght and Pink Freud Night (a special GLBT event).

Last week the editors of Préf Magazine from Paris were here in Istanbul. We had a lunch together with Christopher , David , Stephan and Scarlette. That was really nice and we love them a lot. They were really friendly and without a doubt hot! ;) On the September/October issue of Préf , there will be a special section for Istanbul. We're waiting for the fall impatiently and we'd like to thank to Préf guys(and Lady Scarlette) for the perfect day...

Generally don't have time to make posts from the office , and was not sure if it's possible because of  the limitations of the secure network. I couldn't resist after seeing these photos a friend has sent. This is totally an "office-safe post".Spring time in Istanbul : The City located on a place where continents meet , the city where all ethnic groups live together in peace...our city...we are enjoying the perfect weather and the blossoms nowadays.

We always think that we are really lucky to be born and live in Istanbul.That's how we're so familiar with different cultures , people and more...

Beautiful Leandros Tower (above)located on a tiny island in Bosphorus. You can read about its history right here.You can have a meal and drinks while watching the best view of Bosphorus shores.

When Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453, he found the palaces of the Byzantine Emperors in such ruins as to be uninhabitable. He chose a large area on the broad peak of the Third Hill as the site of his first imperial residence. He constructed a great complex of buildings and gardens here and they came to be known as "Eski Saray" which means "The Old Palace". A few years later, he decided to have his palace on the N side of the First Hill which had been the acropolis of the ancient Byzantium. He constructed a massive wall surrounding the area along the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn. This took place during the period 1459-65 after the Sultan left the former palace to women of his father's harem. The Harem in Topkapi Palace in its present state dates back to the reign of Murat III(1574-95), Mehmed IV(1648-87) and Osman III(1754-57).Topkapi Palace was more than just the private residence of the Sultan and his court. It was the seat of the supreme executive and judiciary council, the Divan and the training school, the Palace School. In the First Courtyard, there were a hospital, bakery,arsenal, a state mint, a part of the treasury and the Outer Service. It was open to public. The Second Courtyard was open to people who had business with the council. The Third Courtyard was reserved to the Sultan's household and palace children. The Fourth Courtyard was exclusively reserved for the Sultan's use.Topkapi Palace continued to be the principal residence for four centuries until in 1853, Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved into the new palace of Dolmabahce on the Bosphorus. The old palace was used as house for the women of the departed sultans and their servants until the Harem was officially disbanded in 1909. In 1924, Topkapi Palace (below)was converted to a museum with the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The final step was the opening of the Harem to the public in 1960.

And for the last here's a night view from the new city...

C.R.A.Z.Y.
Magical, mystical, demure but sexy, funny, touching, and ever so crazy...
December 25, 1960: Zachary Beaulieu comes into the world, fourth in a family of five boys. An ordinary suburban family with a loving mother and a dad who's a bit gruff, but proud of his sons. The beginning of a beautiful childhood, where Christmases and birthdays follow one after the other to the ubiquitous solo of the elder Beaulieu singing Aznavour's Emmène-moi au bout de la terre, washing the car in the fresh air and trips to the snack-bar for Zac, his father's favourite. But not for long, alas!
That's the lead-in to C.R.A.Z.Y., the story of a special little boy who grows into young manhood and ends up even denying his inner self to attract his father's attention.
A portrait of a family that depicts the often-extraordinary lives of ordinary people in search of happiness.
From 1960 to 1980, surrounded by his brothers, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones, between motorbike escapades to impress the girls, cigarettes smoked in secret, minor and not-so-minor disagreements and, particularly, a father that he searches desperately to find, Zac relates his story. Through music and rebellion, and also with humour, down to a mystical voyage to Jerusalem–"to the ends of the earth" as his father was always singing–where perhaps in such a far-away place he finally succeeds in finding him...
A gripping tale from the creator of "Liste noire", Jean-Marc Vallée, starring Michel Côté, one of Quebec's leading actors ("Le Dernier tunnel", "Sur le seuil", "Cruising Bar"). Also starring Danielle Proulx and Marc-André Grondin, and introducing Émile Vallée.
C.R.A.Z.Y. A love story between a father and a son. A mystical and whimsical fable on the human soul, beautiful, foolish and lyrical.
Well this is the synopsis and as you can notice it's a bit formal!!We saw the movie tonight at Istanbul Film Festival and it was really good. Marc-André Grondin is a real hottie! A 22 years old actor from
Quebec.He's playing a gay character in the movie. The encounters between all the characters is sweet but especially the ones between Zach and his father are delightful. We highly recommend this movie to all of you guys...

Tonight is the night! We'll be at the opening ceremony of 25th International Istanbul Film Festival.And the guest of honour is Alain Delon and he'll be awarded with a special Lifetime Accomplishment Award!We are really excited to see him in person finally. This will be his first time in Turkey. Especially Mehmet is extremely excited because of his obsession to Alain Delon since his childhood(by the way , he's one of the best Alain Delon collectors in the world...yes we have a room almost filled with AD stuff!).Well we need to go now , we have a date with the most beautiful man on the world tonite...See you guys ;)
Related :: The Most Beautiful Man of the World

!f istanbul Unveils Top-Notch Film Line-up for 5th Anniversary in February
From Madonna's latest film to Sundance winners, Oscar nominees and rare visual treasures, the !f Istanbul / AFM International Independent Film Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary with a bang this year between February 16 and 26th, 2006.!f features a total 50 films, grouped into different sections designed to highlight new trends in cinema.
Popular !f themes returning this year include Rainbow Films, a collection of award-winning recent gay and lesbian films; Insomnia serving up the Asian-style horror; and, sponsored by gnçtrkcll, Fantastic, featuring the best of recent animation and genre-breaking fantastic films including the much-awaited Quay Brothers feature The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes and Buffy creator Joss Whedon's debut feature Serenity.
As always, !f maintains a political edge with Insiders/Outsiders, highlighting stories from the centers of power as well as those who are on the margins. The section includes multiple award-winning Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, a jaw-dropping chronicle of the Enron scandal, and the much talked-about portrayal of racism in the UK, A Way of Life.
From acclaimed Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki to pop icon Madonna's latest film, the latest LA dance craze 'krumping' to the Broadway hit Rent,  the brand-new Express Yourself! section seeks to capture the creative process on film. These films will have you dancing and clapping in your seats! To celebrate the festival's fifth anniversary, !f-Cholic is a special one-time selection of films that capture the !f spirit in both form and content. These include the DJ mockumentary Its All Gone Pete Tong,  Mutual Appreciation by Andrew Bujalski, whom critics have called a new Jim Jarmusch, Thailand's answer to Amelie, Citizen Dog, and this year's word-of-mouth sensation What the Bleep do We Know?!. 
The festival's backbone is the Hit Films section, which includes the latest titles from acclaimed independent directors, as well as award-winning recent festival favourites. Films not to miss include Miranda July's Cannes winning debut feature Me and You and Everyone We Know, Duncan Tucker's Transamerica featuring Golden Globe winner Felicity Huffman, Nine Lives with a stellar female cast of Sissy Spacek, Holly Hunter and Robin Wright Penn, Sundance winner The Squid and the Whale, Phil Morrison's American treasure Junebug, the new film version of Mel brooks' much-loved The Producers and many more.
Well wish we could see all of them but unfortunately we're gonna miss most of them during work hours...some of our choices will be : Transamerica , Sugar , SummerStorm , Twelve and Holding , A Different Story , I'm Going to Tell You A Secret...

Istanbul is under a white blanket again. Snow is something covers all the dirt and unpleasent things of the city. Istanbul under snow is something really great. Today we fell in love with Istanbul "again".
Especially the old city was marvellous. The mosques , the buildings(the building in the picture above is Sirkeci Grand Central Train Station), the trees under snow , and all that ancient texture were  breath-taking.

The photos are not good enough to express the real beauty of the city so everyone should come and enjoy it in real life...

Built within one of the few original Art Nouveau buildings in Istanbul, and located near Taksim, changa (meaning "mix" in Swahili) is a new fusion restaurant & bar that serves dinner everday except Sunday.

The atmosphere of changa singles it out from the others in Istanbul as it combines old and new, classic and modern. changa's menu is prepared by Peter Gordon* and the type of food could be described as "Pacific Rim" or "Fusion" ... Fusion, at its best, allows ingredients from all over the globe to be marinated, cooked & served together in harmony on the same plate.

*Peter originates from the coastal town of Wanganui, New Zealand. He moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1981 and cooked there for 5 years before travelling through Asia for a year – eventually returning to New Zealand. After 2 1/2 years running the kitchen of The Sugar Club in Wellington, Peter moved to London in 1989. A well-known chef in both Britain and abroad, Peter’s food style, loosely called Fusion, was initially inspired by his year of travel throughout South East Asia, and his continuing travels to all areas famous for their culinary delights only increases his interest. ‘I treat the worlds culinary resources as one huge and exciting larder’. Recently Turkey and Spain have provided much inspiration. Peter Gordon, consultant chef of changa is at the forefront of fusion cookery today.

 

For More Info

Snow began falling on Istanbul tonight. All day the weather was freezing and we mostly stayed at home.Surely no hotties like this on the snow but he looks absolutely gorgeous!

*Journey between two worlds

Istanbul is on the cover of French Magazine "L'Express"s latest issue. 36 pages of Istanbul with great photos and articles(Thanks to our friend Lestat for letting us know about that). They've metioned about Istanbul is this year's city. Well for us ,Istanbul is our everything. We're really happy to be a part of it besides its crowd , bad traffic and other stuff. Living Istanbul is a lifetime experience and we suggest all of you guys to come to Istanbul for the mixture of eastern and western cultures...just like Casual in Istanbul...

Photos appear courtesy of Peter Philipsen

Depeche Mode's added new dates to their Touring the Angel 2005/2006...and Istanbul's one of the new additions...YAY! After 4 years ; Exciter Tour we're again gonna enjoy them in Kurucesme Arena. The Arena is a breath-taking place situated near the Bosphorus with a spectacular Istanbul view. Can't hardly wait till July 30th...well actually waiting for DM is a pain that we're used to..!

Related::Precious and Fragile Things

It was a depressive Monday night and guess what? We saw another cute boy who seems like a basketball player going back home after training. He was tall , fresh and firm ; with a cute face. We sat next to him and took all the risks just to share with you that cutie. You'll see a very non-action short clip but all the excitement about that is , it's real and candid!...And now Casual in Istanbul proudly presents...Basketball on the Ferry.

Click here to view the short clip

Related  : A Casual Friday and a hottie on the Ferry!

Sabancı University's Sakıp Sabancı Museum is hosting an exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. Picasso in Istanbul will be the first major exhibition devoted to a western artist to be held in Turkey, with 135 paintings covering every period of his work. The exhibition brings together works from the Picasso Museums in Paris and Barcelona, Lille Modern Art Museum, Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte (FABA), and the family collections, selected by Picasso's grandson Bernard Ruiz-Picasso. In addition, the exhibition will feature photographs of the artist taken by famous photographers.

ABSOLUTE SULTANS invite you to one of the most intriguing and stimulating places on earth.
Probably nowhere else has the has such diversity and allure. From the mythological legends of ancient ruins to the vibrant city of Istanbul where you can discover a cacophony of sights, sounds and smells, from the bustling harbour where the aroma of freshly fried fish and spices pervade the air to the tranquil serenity of the Blue Mosque. Here over 6,000 years of history comes to life with every street corner you turn. The skyline is a vivid mix of the ancient and modern and in the warm glow of a sunset when from the minarets the call to prayer drifts across the city, the magic is complete.You can be sure of a unique travel experience that you will stay with you for ever ......
With the attentive service, you will travel in luxury in a small group of like minded travellers. Your accommodation and meals will be of the highest quality. They select only the finest deluxe hotels and renowned gourmet restaurants, Turkey boasts some of the world's best where you can rub shoulders with the sophisticated jet set And with recommendations and guidance you will be able to experience more than just a holiday.
You will end your vacation with new friends, a wealth of lingering memories and aching need to return soon.

Istanbul has a blossoming and diverse gay scene and nowhere more evident than around the Taksim area of the city, where as dusk falls the young and beautiful, the rich and famous and the simply drop dead gorgeous come out for a hedonistic night of entertainment. Your gay guide on this tour will take to some of the most vibrant and exciting clubs and bars of Istanbul.

Managing director and the real Sultan , Serra sent us a very sweet e-mail with nice compliments about Casual in Istanbul. And after seeing Absolute Sultans ,we admired it. The most elegant Gay Travel Site in Turkey...so what are you waiting for check the site and come here???

Are you ready to watch a fabulous fairytale? Because this is a fairytale all about Istanbul...Istanbul Tales is a film , in which Istanbul , one of the most alluring cities in the world , tells its tales. Audiences will discover that Little Red Riding Hood , The Pied Piper , Snow White , Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella are not merely the fairytale heroes of books we once read,  but that tales mirror life in Istanbul itself. Istanbul Tales achieved a first in Turkey in that it was shot as a single story by five directors. They breathed life into five stories making up part of the whole.

The Film includes five different stories somehow connected to each other and combined with spectacular Istanbul views. Not only the beauties of the city ; underground life also...And surely two eye candies , Ismail Hacioglu and Mehmet Gunsur for your viewing pleasure...

It was a casual Friday...worked hard , checked time every 10 minutes...we met at the ferryport to go back to asian side to home. A beautiful weather ; warm and clear , Istanbul's spectacular view during sunset...then we noticed there was somebody else who also enjoying the weather and the view. He was a hot teen with a cute face and a shy attitude. We followed him all the way to home in ferry. Thanks to 3G cell phones ; we captured something to share with you guys. Well it isn't a high quality video but at least you can enjoy his shyness as well as we did...

Watch the short clip!

If I wasn't that shy , i'd tell "f*ck-off to those two old perverts 

Ernest Hemingway, one of the prominent figures of the 21st century literature, became source of inspiration for one of the works exhibited in the 9th International Istanbul Biennale.

While Hemingway highlighted his fear of death in some of his books, he ended his life by shooting himself in 1961. Setting off from the question, “What kind of smell may express his paradoxical identity?” Bulgarian origin artist Daniel Bozhkov produced a perfume of which its dominant smell is “musk”. The name of the perfume meaning powerful, independent, but turbulent and sensitive is “Eau d’Ernest” and it is marketed under the slogan “elegance in difficulty”.

Bozhkov, combining the smell culture of the Ottoman period with today’s world in terms of the cultural and political atmosphere of 1920’s, explains the genesis of the project: “I had come to Istanbul to participate in the Biennial in 2003 and stayed in the Great London Hotel which had a big influence on me. Then, I learned that Hemingway also stayed in this hotel while he was a war reporter for the Toronto Daily Star newspaper in 1922. While I was staying in the hotel, the world was tense as well as in that period. I was interested in designing something to reflect the emotional state of that lonely man who was under pressure.” The artist recorded hundreds of Hemingway look-alikes a competition held in Key West in Florida every July and used the images for his advertising film.

The perfume will be launched on the market after the biennial, and has passed all clichés of the capitalist system. All processes like designing the bottle, writing the story of smell, shooting the film of the story and working with a musician have been realized. The situation carries the art and art work being to the verge of turning into a commercial object; however, the most delicate part of the issue says: “A promotional campaign composed of banner and ad films may direct people to think in that manner. But, when reading the notes in bottle’s label, they will understand this is not the same; because, they will find a complex and deep text.”

Those who want to find Hemingway’s both masculine and fragile personality in the perfume including anise and basil beside musk should visit Antrepo Number 5 until October 5. Visitors will be able to watch the ad film showing a young Ernest drinking a cup of Turkish coffee writes notes in the Great London Hotel lobby in 1922 and can buy the perfume at the biennial area.

Diesel Turkey and fashion magazines in Turkey refused to use some ad pictures which are included Diesel's 2005 Fall Campaign. The Ad Campaign's photos which are very brave and provocative are taken by a Turkish photographer Mert Ulas and his partner Marcus Piggott. The magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Cosmogirl, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Marie Claire, FHM and Madame Figaro refused to use either the photo with the hot butt or the hot butt with jeans without any restrictions from the government.At least they can use the one below (with some modifications) for some public service...LOL

Related  Who Wanna Play Tic-Tac-Toe?!

Nowadays on Istanbul streets we have eye candies everywhere. Thanks to Diesel , their 2005 Ad Campaign took us back to our childhood :) Tic-Tac-Toe , Matrushka , Pinball...such a shame we didn't have that kind of buddies to play...these bitches are very lucky

Turkey’s biggest open air festival Rock’n Coke Music Festival takes place at Hezarfen Airfield on September 2nd, 3rd and 4th by the support of The Coca-Cola Company as the main sponsor.
With its content, musical vision and its structuring, Rock’n Coke stands alone among the other events in Turkey.Open air music events have become an integral part of many cultures in the world and the main field of attraction for the majority of population, especially for the younger population Bearing this simple fact in mind, Rock’n Coke Music Festival’s prior goal is to stimulate this “global” tradition in Turkey and provide a common platform for a wide range of people. Rock’n Coke Music Festival, where music is the basic motivation, aims to offer an alternative life experience to 50.000 people for two full days and to build a cultural and artistic town.

This is the 2nd Rock'n Coke in Istanbul.This year the program is very nice...powerful bands such as The Cure , Apocalyptica , Offspring and Skin is gonna rock the festival area...but again we'll be in España...LOL!

World's most famoust flamenco dancer and choreographer Joaquin Cortes will be in Harbiye Open Air Theatre in Istanbul on 10 September, 2005. Cortes will perform his new show called "Mi Soledad - My Loneliness".

We are sorry , we couldn't see your show this time...but we have a good excuse ; we'll be in España!

Surely that doesn't change the fact that you're pure adrenaline and extremely hot. We'll catch you up next time hunk.

Fauna is a small cafe with home made delicious pasta. It's located in the next street to our apartments.When we're tired to cook after work(like today) we generally go there to eat or have a cup of coffee.The owner of the place is a professional photographer and he is a very briliant cook in the same time.He has a very good taste and he really enjoys cooking. Fauna is a peaceful place.We really have great time there.

After so many decades of trying to become Western, Istanbul glories in the rediscovery of a very modern identity. European or not, it is one of the coolest cities in the world.

Spend a summer night strolling down Istanbul's Istiklal Caddesi, the pedestrian thoroughfare in the city's old Christian quarter of Beyoglu, and you'll hear something surprising. Amid the crowds of nocturnal revelers, a young Uzbek-looking girl plays haunting songs from Central Asia on an ancient Turkic flute called a saz. Nearby, bluesy Greek rembetiko blares from a CD store. Downhill toward the slums of Tarlabasi you hear the wild Balkan rhythms of a Gypsy wedding, while at 360, an ultratrendy rooftop restaurant, the sound is Sufi electronica—cutting-edge beats laced with dervish ritual. And then there are the clubs—Mojo, say, or Babylon—where the young and beautiful rise spontaneously from their tables to link arms and perform a complicated Black Sea line dance, the horon. The wonder is that each and every one of these styles is absolutely native to the city, which for much of its history was the capital of half the known world.

Our city...we really proud of her especially when we see such articles. We always complain about our lives in Istanbul , traffic jam , dirt  ,people...but when we're away always miss her.

Kimi Raikkonen wins the first Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul on Sunday and Renault's title favorite Fernando Alonso snatches second place after a mistake by Raikkonen's McLaren team mate Juan Pablo Montoya.

Spaniard Alonso, now 24 points clear of Raikkonen with five races left, takes the runner-up position after Colombian Montoya spins on the penultimate lap while following Raikkonen home.

Well...it's over for this year ; hope to  see you guys next year in Istanbul.

English artist Ned Pamphilon (who loves Turkey, especially Istanbul) is trying to get permission from the government to paint Bosphorus Bridge in rainbow colours for peace in the world(god finally we have a gay bridge which bonds 2 continents!!)Both of us use that route to be able to go to work .We support him by voting for Rainbow Bridge so you should do that too. Unfortunately we think Turkish Government somehow is going to notice that the rainbow is something related to gay people and won't accept that!

Out Istanbul is the one and only Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Turkey. Last year we saw couple of good movies such as "Eating Out" , "Danny in the Sky" , "Cock and Bull Story". They were all nice.This year's festival has just announced , but still no news about the movies. We'll let you know about all the details in September hopefully.

Last night the weater was terrible in Istanbul. Thunder storm , heavy rain and stuff.Problems with electricity , cable services...but the view was spectacular. We lighted candles , headed to the terrace with our drinks , watched the lightnings (some of them were scary), rain and breathe fresh air.That was really nice. (images from 34TR.com)

Artist Spencer Tunick has been documenting the live nude figure in public, with photography and video , since 1992. Since 1994 he has organized over 65 temporary site-related installations in the United States and abroad. Tunick's installations encompass dozens , hundreds or thousands of volunteers ; and his photographs are records of these events.Since 1992 , he has been arrested 5 times while attempting to work outdoors in New York City.

We read on papers that he is planning to organize an installation in Istanbul.We don't think that is a good idea! Have mercy to our eyes. O.K. ,there are lots of good looking guys in Istanbul but Spencer please be sure that your volunteers from Istanbul will probably be like that!!!

After 40 years , Kadikoy Provincial Municipality decided to convert the Caddebostan sea shore to a beach!! There used to be a beach in Caddebostan in 60's but after water pollution in the Sea Marmara it has been shut down. We're not sure if the water is crystal clear right now and after swimming in Mediterranean Sea there's no way for us to  think there as a beach. Besides it's free for public and you can enjoy(!!)watching lots of hairy man trying to swim in their white and loose briefs.

  They brought truck-loads of sand , some palm trees and famous models.And the title of the day was "Rendéz-vous with Sea , Sand and the Sun".Such a shame that we're not be able to see beauties like that!!!