Unboxing IV: A soldier’s diary, first professional job, Beta vs. VHS

After a long hiatus, here is a new episode in the unboxing series. 2 August 2009 Sunday 07:30 I found some of my notes during the military service. Not all notes are in the same calibre, but check out this one: It’s the 112th day of my military service. There are 45 days left, including … Read more

Unboxing IV: Fragments of Memory – From a 1988 Fanzine to Some Other Pieces of a Life

With an increasingly busy schedule (May will be overwhelming) and CIV 7 playing, I could not find much time to unbox for a while. There is also the problem of storage. Where will I put the boxes? I am redesigning my office space and also our apartment. In the meantime, here are some findings: 1988 … Read more

Unboxing- The email message that had informed me about my admission to Rice Anthro…

19 February 2001 Among myriad tasks and projects, I continue unboxing my personal history. Here is the print of the email from Prof. George Marcus. He announced my acceptance to the Rice Anthropology PhD program. I remember that day vividly. I got the message while working as a TA at the Bilgi Media Department. It … Read more

Here is the second part of “unboxing”; Milli İstirahat and more…

After a long hiatus, here is the second post in my unboxing series. Now that we are back in İstanbul, I can start looking around the boxes with a touch of nostalgia. 2006-2008 Milli İstirahat I have spent many evenings in coffeehouses playing cards until the pandemic! I guess until 2013, I spent more time … Read more

Unboxing/Unpacking a personal history

I am feeling strong doses of nostalgia after taking my personal belongings from my parents’ storage place. Like many families in İstanbul, my parents finally decided to move away from their apartments because of the expected major earthquake. Istanbul is in a frenzy of urban renewal, and the building they lived in for 45 years … Read more