I love writing, but I do love reading even more. I read on average a book every four-five days. I give myself a couple of days break usually! My passion came from my mother - she is an avid reader and I grew up surrounded by shelves full of books of any kind.
From Danielle Steel to Wilbur Smith, from Shakespeare to Herman Hesse, from Ernest Hemingway to Erica Jung, from Erich Fromm to Stephen King, I had the pick of the best and the worst! I had romance and thrillers, I had philosophy and serious literature, psychology and history and I embraced them all.
All these books shaped and influenced me at a very young age and helped me become who I am today. Many things I have learned from the pages, many different dreamscapes anf worlds I inhabited, many journeys through the fantasies conjured from the hundred different stories. Every time a book ended, a small part of me also ended and disappointment was small or big, depending on how much I loved the book in question.
At 19 I broke my leg in a scooter accident and I had to stay six months in bed, back at my parent's place. Every day I was completely immersed in reading and read about 1 book per day. When you are in bed every day, immobile, without being able to even get up for anything, and I mean anything, all I could do was read.
Of course my mum's books were long ago read, so every visitor kept bringing me new or second hand books! I read anything and everything, just to take my mind off the situation I was in.
As time went on, reading became more and more my love and passion, but after moving to London, I decided to start reading in English instead of my own language, Italian. At first it was hard, even though my English was ok grammatically, it was lacking a lot of vocabulary. I started with I was hoping were easy books, something not too challenging, and so I chose Dean Koontz. I am not saying it is a completely easy read, but it's not exactly academic. I didn't get much at first, but slowly understood more and more. And I got hooked - he is so great and to this day, I still read all his new books. After him, I loved Patricia Cornwell, and I am still following all of her Dr Scarpetta series. The others I love from this genre are: Jonathan Kellerman (and his wife Faye), Michael Connelly, and Jeffery Deaver. Other authors I love are from different genres like Milan Kundera, Noam Chomski, Joanne Harris and also many Italian authors. The result is that my flat is full of books, full of shelves and every new book goes into a pile next to my bed!
I have run out many times of space and I really don't know where to put them anymore. I have started borrowing them from the library, so that I could also save some money, not only space!! Now I only buy new books when I go away travelling; the smell of new books is wonderful and browsing in a bookshop is the most relaxing past time for me.
So reading for me is a pleasure and very entertaining, but also sometimes can be anti-social and selfish, as nobody else can join in. I feel I shut people off a lot when I am reading, I hate being interrupted and so ignore everybody around me. I must then ''read with moderation''. There was a time when I was constantly reading and at that point I had to stop for a while and have a break, before this would have become an obsession. Now, I feel I have a more healthy relationship with books. I don't stay awake half the night like I used to, because I couldn't put a book down. I don't read every second I have free, and even on holiday I stopped reading on the beach for hours and missing life. So, I think that as long as I take it easy and limit my 'selfish pleasure', I should be okay!
I thank my mum for introducing me to this wonderful word of words, and I will certainly pass it on to my children one day, but I will also teach them to enjoy life outside of the dream world of books and not miss out anything else that life has to offer!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
To Have or Not to Have: Kids Anyone?
Dilemma of a career couple
There is no escaping the question: whether you want to have kids or not, and if you do, when will you have them? It is a question mainly women ask themselves and some men as well, or maybe most of them think, how long can I go avoiding the issue?
But sooner or later it comes back, as your friends start having kids. Once you marry everybody starts asking you about them – from your mother to your friends, from the co-worker to the neighbour.
Your life is perfect, you have a wonderful career, that special someone, you are having great fun, drinking and going out with your friends, weekends away, travelling, money for yourself, maybe for the first time you feel you know who you are and what you are doing, no care in the world.
Your job brings you satisfaction, or if not that, at least some money. Money for shoes, cars, clothes, travel, you have paid your student's debts and now you are just enjoying spending every last penny you earn. And why not, you work hard for it.
Then you wake up one day and your wife or husband says: Hey, what about kids, should we at least start to think about it?
We all have our reservations, whether you are a woman or a man, you both may have a good career that you don’t want to give up. More than the career, you don’t want to give up the freedom and the fun, the carefree days and also the money.
But I think that a day comes when the money, the freedom, it is just not enough. All the self-indulgence starts to bother you and all the going out and the fun start to feel hollow and shallow. And then you start wondering, is there more to life than this?
There is no escaping the question: whether you want to have kids or not, and if you do, when will you have them? It is a question mainly women ask themselves and some men as well, or maybe most of them think, how long can I go avoiding the issue?
But sooner or later it comes back, as your friends start having kids. Once you marry everybody starts asking you about them – from your mother to your friends, from the co-worker to the neighbour.
Your life is perfect, you have a wonderful career, that special someone, you are having great fun, drinking and going out with your friends, weekends away, travelling, money for yourself, maybe for the first time you feel you know who you are and what you are doing, no care in the world.
Your job brings you satisfaction, or if not that, at least some money. Money for shoes, cars, clothes, travel, you have paid your student's debts and now you are just enjoying spending every last penny you earn. And why not, you work hard for it.
Then you wake up one day and your wife or husband says: Hey, what about kids, should we at least start to think about it?
We all have our reservations, whether you are a woman or a man, you both may have a good career that you don’t want to give up. More than the career, you don’t want to give up the freedom and the fun, the carefree days and also the money.
But I think that a day comes when the money, the freedom, it is just not enough. All the self-indulgence starts to bother you and all the going out and the fun start to feel hollow and shallow. And then you start wondering, is there more to life than this?
Monday, October 09, 2006
Losing my mind
Well, I am lucky again, third time lucky to be exact. Let me explain...for the third time I have lost my wallet (purse in U.S. I think) and someone has found it and given it back to me. If I lived in a small town where everybody knew me...but I live in London!
The first time was in May 06 - I left it at an off licence shop not too far from my home, I was buying a bottle of wine for a party we were going to and I left the wallet on the counter.
The next evening the clerk of the shop knocked on our door and gave me my wallet back! It was lucky that I had my home address on the provisional driving licence in my wallet, otherwise he wouldn't have known where I lived.
The second time I lost it was back in July, in a club while paying for my drinks and again I left it at the counter. I realised after 10 minutes and ran to the bar and asked the barman if he had found a wallet, and after looking and asking around, they had found it in the manager's office where someone had put it for safekeeping.
The third time was last week. After a party we were heading to a bar near my area and after looking inside, we actually decided to head home by taxi instead of having another drink. Needless to say, when I got home I found that I had no wallet, immediately cancelled my cards and went to sleep. Today, after losing hope that somebody might have found my wallet, a phone call came at work! It was a clerk at my gym, somebody called her from this bar saying that they have found my wallet and the only way they could think of reaching me was by calling my gym and get them to call me. So this evening I will be on my way to this bar to pick it up!
I am thinking two solutions to this constant losing my wallet:
1) I don't go out to a bar ever again
2) I stop carrying my wallet anywhere with me
Seriously, why do I always keep losing it? It happens when I am busy - drinking - distracted - in a rush - nervous, it seems like I am losing my mind most times!
The first time was in May 06 - I left it at an off licence shop not too far from my home, I was buying a bottle of wine for a party we were going to and I left the wallet on the counter.
The next evening the clerk of the shop knocked on our door and gave me my wallet back! It was lucky that I had my home address on the provisional driving licence in my wallet, otherwise he wouldn't have known where I lived.
The second time I lost it was back in July, in a club while paying for my drinks and again I left it at the counter. I realised after 10 minutes and ran to the bar and asked the barman if he had found a wallet, and after looking and asking around, they had found it in the manager's office where someone had put it for safekeeping.
The third time was last week. After a party we were heading to a bar near my area and after looking inside, we actually decided to head home by taxi instead of having another drink. Needless to say, when I got home I found that I had no wallet, immediately cancelled my cards and went to sleep. Today, after losing hope that somebody might have found my wallet, a phone call came at work! It was a clerk at my gym, somebody called her from this bar saying that they have found my wallet and the only way they could think of reaching me was by calling my gym and get them to call me. So this evening I will be on my way to this bar to pick it up!
I am thinking two solutions to this constant losing my wallet:
1) I don't go out to a bar ever again
2) I stop carrying my wallet anywhere with me
Seriously, why do I always keep losing it? It happens when I am busy - drinking - distracted - in a rush - nervous, it seems like I am losing my mind most times!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Meeting Mr or Mrs Right in London
Here we go, my first unpublished article...I should probably stick to blogs!
The evening is about to end, the club is about to shut, you are alone, with your friends, but alone, no ‘conquest’, another lonely night and weekend ahead of you – you are desperate for some affection some contact but you want more than a night of lust. You despair, you panic, but all you meet are the ones out for a one night stand, sex with no string attached, that’s all that some guys want and that’s all that some girls want (sometimes).
The place is full with available people, attractive people, and people that you wouldn’t even share a coffee with, people that you wouldn’t speak to in a million years, but the club is about to close and you are desperate…. It’s a lottery and you gamble and then you wake up on a Saturday morning, in a stranger’s bed, trying to work out where are your shoes, your purse, the nearest station, and even in which part of town you are in.
This is a likely scenario for many of us Londoners lost in a city of lonely souls, in a city of millions of lonely people. Everywhere you see couples, but you wonder how did they meet in such a city, a city where you don’t even know your neighbour’s name.
Meeting the right person is hard everywhere in the world, but especially in London where everybody has such high expectations, such high standards. They have everything - money, careers, friends, but they are missing that special someone, that special person to wake up with on a Sunday morning and with whom they can read the papers in bed. That special connection that you can only have with somebody that gets you – and not everybody gets you, we all know that.
The secret of meeting Mr or Mrs Right in London is to simply stop looking. I know it might sound like a cliché, but it is so true. The minute you start having a full life, and not worrying about whether you will meet that special someone, that’s when you will meet them. The minute you put yourself out there and be who you really are and be confident about yourself, that’s when you’ll hit the jackpot. The way you do it is to feel good about yourself, and that way you do that is to stop caring about whether you are good enough to be loved by anybody, and start loving yourself with all your limitations and insecurities. Someone will love you especially for your insecurities and your weaknesses because they are part of you and they make you who you are, a unique special person. And they make the other person feel that you’ll then accept their weaknesses too, which would really make you quite a catch!
So don’t ever hide them, be yourself and trust always your instinct, even if it goes against everything you have ever believed in. Even if it makes you do things that you’d never do, abandon yourself, forget your shyness, your inhibitions and your worries, and always always know that somewhere out there, there is somebody for you, somebody for everybody. In London especially, or anywhere really, you must believe in yourself and believe that anyone would be lucky to have a person like you, a person so endearing, that anyone would be crazy not to go for.
Where to meet? Anywhere, just smile, look at people in the eyes, be genuine, not too forward but not too shy, that’s the formula. All you have to do is to be fulfilled and have lots of passions and interests and soon you’ll meet somebody that will share those passions with you...or at least you’ll have something to talk about when a cute guy or girl happens to be in your circle of friends.
Of course this all sounds so obvious, but it is not easy to accept yourself fully, I still don't myself, but if you don’t accept yourself, then who would? In terms of my Mr Right, I met him in a bar, of all places, and never I would have thought this would turn out to be the best decision I made to go out that night, that night when I wasn’t looking for anybody, for the first time, that night when meeting someone was further from my mind than ever before.
It started like a bit of fun, but ended up being a marriage, so never assume anything about any situation, because you never know how it’s going to turn out, and that’s the beauty of life, the unknown, the surprise. I hear incredible stories about people that met in a supermarket or on a train, or at a traffic light, just be open to anything at anytime and you will not be disappointed. Ok, you might get disappointed a few times, or many times like I was, but I believe that in the meantime, until you do find someone special, you’d would at least had great fun trying...
The evening is about to end, the club is about to shut, you are alone, with your friends, but alone, no ‘conquest’, another lonely night and weekend ahead of you – you are desperate for some affection some contact but you want more than a night of lust. You despair, you panic, but all you meet are the ones out for a one night stand, sex with no string attached, that’s all that some guys want and that’s all that some girls want (sometimes).
The place is full with available people, attractive people, and people that you wouldn’t even share a coffee with, people that you wouldn’t speak to in a million years, but the club is about to close and you are desperate…. It’s a lottery and you gamble and then you wake up on a Saturday morning, in a stranger’s bed, trying to work out where are your shoes, your purse, the nearest station, and even in which part of town you are in.
This is a likely scenario for many of us Londoners lost in a city of lonely souls, in a city of millions of lonely people. Everywhere you see couples, but you wonder how did they meet in such a city, a city where you don’t even know your neighbour’s name.
Meeting the right person is hard everywhere in the world, but especially in London where everybody has such high expectations, such high standards. They have everything - money, careers, friends, but they are missing that special someone, that special person to wake up with on a Sunday morning and with whom they can read the papers in bed. That special connection that you can only have with somebody that gets you – and not everybody gets you, we all know that.
The secret of meeting Mr or Mrs Right in London is to simply stop looking. I know it might sound like a cliché, but it is so true. The minute you start having a full life, and not worrying about whether you will meet that special someone, that’s when you will meet them. The minute you put yourself out there and be who you really are and be confident about yourself, that’s when you’ll hit the jackpot. The way you do it is to feel good about yourself, and that way you do that is to stop caring about whether you are good enough to be loved by anybody, and start loving yourself with all your limitations and insecurities. Someone will love you especially for your insecurities and your weaknesses because they are part of you and they make you who you are, a unique special person. And they make the other person feel that you’ll then accept their weaknesses too, which would really make you quite a catch!
So don’t ever hide them, be yourself and trust always your instinct, even if it goes against everything you have ever believed in. Even if it makes you do things that you’d never do, abandon yourself, forget your shyness, your inhibitions and your worries, and always always know that somewhere out there, there is somebody for you, somebody for everybody. In London especially, or anywhere really, you must believe in yourself and believe that anyone would be lucky to have a person like you, a person so endearing, that anyone would be crazy not to go for.
Where to meet? Anywhere, just smile, look at people in the eyes, be genuine, not too forward but not too shy, that’s the formula. All you have to do is to be fulfilled and have lots of passions and interests and soon you’ll meet somebody that will share those passions with you...or at least you’ll have something to talk about when a cute guy or girl happens to be in your circle of friends.
Of course this all sounds so obvious, but it is not easy to accept yourself fully, I still don't myself, but if you don’t accept yourself, then who would? In terms of my Mr Right, I met him in a bar, of all places, and never I would have thought this would turn out to be the best decision I made to go out that night, that night when I wasn’t looking for anybody, for the first time, that night when meeting someone was further from my mind than ever before.
It started like a bit of fun, but ended up being a marriage, so never assume anything about any situation, because you never know how it’s going to turn out, and that’s the beauty of life, the unknown, the surprise. I hear incredible stories about people that met in a supermarket or on a train, or at a traffic light, just be open to anything at anytime and you will not be disappointed. Ok, you might get disappointed a few times, or many times like I was, but I believe that in the meantime, until you do find someone special, you’d would at least had great fun trying...
Back from France
Hello, I am back from France! We went to Bolougne-Sur-Mer and Le Touquet and it was beautiful...here is a photo of the beach at Le Touquet:
We actually took the train under the Channel and it was a crazy experience to be shut in a car on a train travelling under the sea! A bit suffocating if I must admit...
Once we were back in London on Saturday night, I drove our car (we just bought it secondhand two weeks ago) for a bit in the center of the city at 10.30 at night, tired from the journey and I made a mess of it. I have only had my licence a little while, as you might know from this post: on top of the world, and this is the third time I have driven our new car, and I should not have done so being late and tired and dark and so on. I was all over the place and making mistakes after mistakes. Nothing happened, but I was disappointed that I wasn't driving very well at all and that I was so nervous. Also I need to get used to the car, it's a sportscar, too powerful and scary, while I learned in a Ford Fiesta, small and practical.
Anyway, I am posting my article right after this, later on today.
We actually took the train under the Channel and it was a crazy experience to be shut in a car on a train travelling under the sea! A bit suffocating if I must admit...
Once we were back in London on Saturday night, I drove our car (we just bought it secondhand two weeks ago) for a bit in the center of the city at 10.30 at night, tired from the journey and I made a mess of it. I have only had my licence a little while, as you might know from this post: on top of the world, and this is the third time I have driven our new car, and I should not have done so being late and tired and dark and so on. I was all over the place and making mistakes after mistakes. Nothing happened, but I was disappointed that I wasn't driving very well at all and that I was so nervous. Also I need to get used to the car, it's a sportscar, too powerful and scary, while I learned in a Ford Fiesta, small and practical.
Anyway, I am posting my article right after this, later on today.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Ferry Trip
We are off to Calais, France - we are taking the ferry tonight from Dover and we'll spend a day or two in Calais.
When I come back I will post my MR & MRS RIGHT article!!
Have a nice weekend everybody!
When I come back I will post my MR & MRS RIGHT article!!
Have a nice weekend everybody!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Writing
Not sure what to write about lately, I am having a very 'dry spell'. Lots of things happened I suppose, that I could write about, but when I start a new post, nothing comes out. When I do manage to get a few sentences, they are boring and pointless.
So, here I am, starting from zero, trying to get back into my writing and blogging. I am happy though that blogger has resolved the issue with the comments and I can now happily comment away.
The reason that I haven't been writing is that I applied to write for an online magazine and did not succeed very well. The editor was really lovely, she gave me praise, but also criticism. The criticism was correct and spot on. She suggested some things, to try and change the articles I wrote into something more journalistic, but I think I am just not capable of that. I am not even sure I like to write in such a way. I am not a journalist, I wouldn't like it, I prefer plain old writing, I can't add quotes or such journalistic things, I rather talk about my own experiences.
I have kept the articles and maybe I should publish them in my blog and see what the others think. I was naive though to think that I could get published so easily. I have no training, just a passion. It seems to me that I am more of a writer than a feature journalist. Or maybe I am just a blogger and should concentrate on doing my day job....
The articles are two:
''Meeting Mr or Mrs Right in London''
''Kids anyone? Dilemma of a career couple''
Which one should I put on the blog? Which one would you most like to read? From now on you will be my editor!!!
So, here I am, starting from zero, trying to get back into my writing and blogging. I am happy though that blogger has resolved the issue with the comments and I can now happily comment away.
The reason that I haven't been writing is that I applied to write for an online magazine and did not succeed very well. The editor was really lovely, she gave me praise, but also criticism. The criticism was correct and spot on. She suggested some things, to try and change the articles I wrote into something more journalistic, but I think I am just not capable of that. I am not even sure I like to write in such a way. I am not a journalist, I wouldn't like it, I prefer plain old writing, I can't add quotes or such journalistic things, I rather talk about my own experiences.
I have kept the articles and maybe I should publish them in my blog and see what the others think. I was naive though to think that I could get published so easily. I have no training, just a passion. It seems to me that I am more of a writer than a feature journalist. Or maybe I am just a blogger and should concentrate on doing my day job....
The articles are two:
''Meeting Mr or Mrs Right in London''
''Kids anyone? Dilemma of a career couple''
Which one should I put on the blog? Which one would you most like to read? From now on you will be my editor!!!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Comments
I have changed my blog from blogger to beta because it gives you more editing freedom or whatever, but now I can't leave comments on some of your blogs! On some I can write as ''other'' which means they don't put my photo, on some I can't post at all, unless I want to post as anynomous!
So please don't think I am not reading, 'cause I am, they just are not allowing me to comment. And what's bad too is that some bloggers are not able to leave me comments either!!
It's so unfair, but Blogger & Beta Blogger have promised to do some changes urgently, as I am not the only to complain. Let's hope this will soon improve, but rest assured I am still reading you all!
So please don't think I am not reading, 'cause I am, they just are not allowing me to comment. And what's bad too is that some bloggers are not able to leave me comments either!!
It's so unfair, but Blogger & Beta Blogger have promised to do some changes urgently, as I am not the only to complain. Let's hope this will soon improve, but rest assured I am still reading you all!
Monday, September 11, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
New York Photos
Just a few photos of my trip in New York last February.
It was the best time ever, loved NY so much, cannot wait to go back as soon as possible.
Here is the first one with a view of New Jersey
Fog above 5th Avenue
View from the Brooklyn Bridge
Grand Central Station
It was the best time ever, loved NY so much, cannot wait to go back as soon as possible.
Here is the first one with a view of New Jersey
Fog above 5th Avenue
View from the Brooklyn Bridge
Grand Central Station
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Inspiration
Don't have a clue what to write today - I am bored, utterly bored, sitting at my desk, surfing the internet all day (my boss is on holiday). I know I should do some work, but there isn't much to do and that little there is, I just can't be bothered to do it. All year I long for August so that I can relax at work and not do anything, but every year I then get so incredibly bored that I end up working anyway.
3 hours 1/2 to go until I get out of this dark horrible basement where I work (it's a furniture showroom) - the walls are painted a horrible shade of green/gray, my desk is blindingly white and the spotlight above is cooking my brain on a daily basis - the rest of the place has hardly any lights - they call it ''ambience''. They don't care that people actually work here - all they care is how the place looks.. Well the place looks sh*t. It's depressing and makes me feel sleepy. Plus it's just me and the boss down here - you can hear me breathing, that's how silent this place is. You can hear me munching my lunch at my desk (yes there is a kitchen where one could eat, as long as one doesn't mind eating while standing) - I hate it. The others are upstairs and they hate it too, but for different reasons. And it's freezing in the winter, even with the heating at full blast.
You must think I am mad to stay here - but hear me out..the place is horrible, but the people I work with are really nice, and even my boss is ok after all. The pay is really good for what I do - I am admired and respected by everybody, clients and colleagues, and I have lots of freedom. I come in late twice - three times a week, nobody says anything, and I have 26 vacations days, which is pretty good by any standard. It sounds like I don't do any work, but I actually work really hard and that's why I get to do what I want and I get respect and admiration. I feel I should actually say I USED to work really hard, as I must admit that the past few months I haven't cared at all, at least not as much as I used to for 5 long years. I keep doing the minimum necessary and hope I get away with it..
I feel like I am still relying on that respect gained earlier in the years, to excuse any mistake that happens and lately my mistakes are happening a lot more.
People excuse me because they know how good I am and everything, but it ain't going to last forever!
It sounds horrible, I know, and that is just not me, I have a very strong work ethic and I usually always loved working hard, so I really don't know what is going on with me. Then sometimes the guilt gets the better of me and I work hard for a few days, but then the low comes back again, and so it goes up and down, highs and lows. I wonder if it is the job or just me? Maybe I am unconsciously sabotaging this job?
AHHHHH! I think I need another job or another me!
3 hours 1/2 to go until I get out of this dark horrible basement where I work (it's a furniture showroom) - the walls are painted a horrible shade of green/gray, my desk is blindingly white and the spotlight above is cooking my brain on a daily basis - the rest of the place has hardly any lights - they call it ''ambience''. They don't care that people actually work here - all they care is how the place looks.. Well the place looks sh*t. It's depressing and makes me feel sleepy. Plus it's just me and the boss down here - you can hear me breathing, that's how silent this place is. You can hear me munching my lunch at my desk (yes there is a kitchen where one could eat, as long as one doesn't mind eating while standing) - I hate it. The others are upstairs and they hate it too, but for different reasons. And it's freezing in the winter, even with the heating at full blast.
You must think I am mad to stay here - but hear me out..the place is horrible, but the people I work with are really nice, and even my boss is ok after all. The pay is really good for what I do - I am admired and respected by everybody, clients and colleagues, and I have lots of freedom. I come in late twice - three times a week, nobody says anything, and I have 26 vacations days, which is pretty good by any standard. It sounds like I don't do any work, but I actually work really hard and that's why I get to do what I want and I get respect and admiration. I feel I should actually say I USED to work really hard, as I must admit that the past few months I haven't cared at all, at least not as much as I used to for 5 long years. I keep doing the minimum necessary and hope I get away with it..
I feel like I am still relying on that respect gained earlier in the years, to excuse any mistake that happens and lately my mistakes are happening a lot more.
People excuse me because they know how good I am and everything, but it ain't going to last forever!
It sounds horrible, I know, and that is just not me, I have a very strong work ethic and I usually always loved working hard, so I really don't know what is going on with me. Then sometimes the guilt gets the better of me and I work hard for a few days, but then the low comes back again, and so it goes up and down, highs and lows. I wonder if it is the job or just me? Maybe I am unconsciously sabotaging this job?
AHHHHH! I think I need another job or another me!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
A Start....
Ever since I was 15 and I discovered Leo Buscaglia, I have been reading and re-reading his books to try and learn to live by his words. Every time I read his words, I know that’s exactly how I should live and think. Not that I can’t think for myself, but I admire so much his thinking and agree with pretty much everything he says. You can be the judge of this. Here is a little something he wrote a few years back:
A Start by Leo Buscaglia
Each day, I promise myself not to try to solve all my life problems at once -- nor shall I expect you to do so;
Starting each day, I shall try to learn something new about me and about you and about the world I live in, so that I may continue to experience all things as if they had been newly born;
Starting each day, I shall remember to communicate my joy as well as my despair, so that we can know each other better;
Starting each day, I shall remind myself to really listen to you and to try to hear your point of view and to discover the least-threatening way of giving you mine, remembering that we are both growing and changing in a hundred different ways;
Starting each day, I shall remind myself that I am a human being and not demand perfection of you until I am perfect, so you're safe;
Starting each day, I shall try to be more aware of the beautiful things in our world -- I'll look at the flowers, I'll look at the birds, I'll look at the children, I'll feel the cool breezes, I'll eat good food -- and I'll share these things with you;
Starting each day, I shall remind myself to reach out and touch you, gently, with my words, my eyes and with my fingers, because I don't want to miss feeling you;
Starting each day, I shall dedicate myself again to the process of being a lover -- and then see what happens;
Is this a bit too sugary? I don't want to appear as a preacher, I was worried about posting this, but I love each and every word of this transcript. I hope you like it and can take something from it.
I try and live by his words, but often real life comes in and distracts me...
A Start by Leo Buscaglia
Each day, I promise myself not to try to solve all my life problems at once -- nor shall I expect you to do so;
Starting each day, I shall try to learn something new about me and about you and about the world I live in, so that I may continue to experience all things as if they had been newly born;
Starting each day, I shall remember to communicate my joy as well as my despair, so that we can know each other better;
Starting each day, I shall remind myself to really listen to you and to try to hear your point of view and to discover the least-threatening way of giving you mine, remembering that we are both growing and changing in a hundred different ways;
Starting each day, I shall remind myself that I am a human being and not demand perfection of you until I am perfect, so you're safe;
Starting each day, I shall try to be more aware of the beautiful things in our world -- I'll look at the flowers, I'll look at the birds, I'll look at the children, I'll feel the cool breezes, I'll eat good food -- and I'll share these things with you;
Starting each day, I shall remind myself to reach out and touch you, gently, with my words, my eyes and with my fingers, because I don't want to miss feeling you;
Starting each day, I shall dedicate myself again to the process of being a lover -- and then see what happens;
Is this a bit too sugary? I don't want to appear as a preacher, I was worried about posting this, but I love each and every word of this transcript. I hope you like it and can take something from it.
I try and live by his words, but often real life comes in and distracts me...
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Things I have learned in London
Since I have been in London (it will be 10 years October 6th!), I have been through a lot of bad and good experiences, and have learned so many important things.
I came here a young naive 21 year old from Italy and have now become a 31 year old Londoner (but still an Italian at heart!)
So here is a list of what I have learned in the 10 years just gone:
Useless/Useful things I have learned:
To use chopsticks
To read my paper standing in a crowded metro carriage
To always always carry un umbrella in my purse, even when it seems hot and sunny
To walk fast avoiding slow or stationery tourists (it is a useful skills actually, especially when late!)
To dance flamenco
To wait tables and pull pints! (yep, my first jobs in London!)
Important things I have learned:
Well, to speak English (and write - hopefully well enough:)
To have fun!
To drive (wasn't easy, as you might read here failed again...grrr)
My job - where I am respected and rewarded for my hard work (not waiting tables anymore..)
mmmmm, can't think of much else yet.....surely there is more! That's got to be, but can't think of anything else right now.
Things I have never learned and doubt I ever will....
To cook (even though I think I am good, my husband sort of disagree...)
To budget my money - can't help it, I work in an office in the middle of the shopping district of London, temptation is everywhere, especially shoes!
The only question that I have is, would I have learned all those important things if I had been somewhere else? Yes, probably, but would I be who I am today? Probably not.
Do we even care to speculate who would I have been, if I had never left Italy or went to NY instead of London? No, but it is a slow day here in the office :)
Jokes aside, I do wonder sometimes how and who would I be instead, but I am happy with myself and would not want to be any different. All the bad and good things I had to go through, they were worth it in a way, as I have learned to love myself.
And that must be the most important thing I have learned.
I came here a young naive 21 year old from Italy and have now become a 31 year old Londoner (but still an Italian at heart!)
So here is a list of what I have learned in the 10 years just gone:
Useless/Useful things I have learned:
To use chopsticks
To read my paper standing in a crowded metro carriage
To always always carry un umbrella in my purse, even when it seems hot and sunny
To walk fast avoiding slow or stationery tourists (it is a useful skills actually, especially when late!)
To dance flamenco
To wait tables and pull pints! (yep, my first jobs in London!)
Important things I have learned:
Well, to speak English (and write - hopefully well enough:)
To have fun!
To drive (wasn't easy, as you might read here failed again...grrr)
My job - where I am respected and rewarded for my hard work (not waiting tables anymore..)
mmmmm, can't think of much else yet.....surely there is more! That's got to be, but can't think of anything else right now.
Things I have never learned and doubt I ever will....
To cook (even though I think I am good, my husband sort of disagree...)
To budget my money - can't help it, I work in an office in the middle of the shopping district of London, temptation is everywhere, especially shoes!
The only question that I have is, would I have learned all those important things if I had been somewhere else? Yes, probably, but would I be who I am today? Probably not.
Do we even care to speculate who would I have been, if I had never left Italy or went to NY instead of London? No, but it is a slow day here in the office :)
Jokes aside, I do wonder sometimes how and who would I be instead, but I am happy with myself and would not want to be any different. All the bad and good things I had to go through, they were worth it in a way, as I have learned to love myself.
And that must be the most important thing I have learned.
Ginger please come back!
Just as I decided to get my blog redesigned by Ginger at BabyJane, she has unfortunately decided to call it quits! I loved her work so much that I am sad I have missed out on this opportunity. No other designer I have checked out seems to be as good as her.
I'll wait a couple of months in the hope that she changes her mind...
I'll wait a couple of months in the hope that she changes her mind...
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Soccer, Romance & Sunshine
It's been a long time since my last post I know, but in my defense I was taking a couple of trips abroad.
First I went to my family in Rome for a week and enjoyed the World Cup final! We celebrated all night with my sister and friends and it was a great feeling. I have always been interested in soccer (as you say in the US), but it's mainly something that I love to share with my dad.
Still I wouldn't watch any game just for the sake of the sport, it has to be my team playing, Rome or Italy.
Here in London was great to follow the World Cup but to enjoy the final in Rome among my fellow italians, was 100 times better, as when we won it last, it was 1982 and I was too small to remember.
Here is a photo from the celebrations in Rome:
After I came back from Rome I had about 5 days before I took my husband on a surprise weekend to Paris! It was his birthday on Sunday and two months ago I booked a trip to Paris with the Eurostar , with 1 night in a 4-star hotel. I had to keep it secret for two months and it was so difficult, was just dying to tell him! So on Friday night, I gift-wrapped a Paris guide and gave it to him! His look was priceless as he quickly realized that his gift was not the actual guide!!
So we left the next day and had a great romantic weekend in Paris, it was wonderful. It was our third time there, but it still amazes me how beautiful the place is and what romantic and passionate mood it puts you in.
But the heat was unbearable, could hardly breath, let alone think rationally. Couldn't wait to get back to London for that, because even though this year the heatwave has hit us too, it's not as bad as Paris. It's ironic how I have always complained about the British ''summer'' and now I am longing for a bit of refreshing rain!!
Happy summer wherever you are!
.....and my tip is: keep fresh and cool with lots of ice creams!!
First I went to my family in Rome for a week and enjoyed the World Cup final! We celebrated all night with my sister and friends and it was a great feeling. I have always been interested in soccer (as you say in the US), but it's mainly something that I love to share with my dad.
Still I wouldn't watch any game just for the sake of the sport, it has to be my team playing, Rome or Italy.
Here in London was great to follow the World Cup but to enjoy the final in Rome among my fellow italians, was 100 times better, as when we won it last, it was 1982 and I was too small to remember.
Here is a photo from the celebrations in Rome:
After I came back from Rome I had about 5 days before I took my husband on a surprise weekend to Paris! It was his birthday on Sunday and two months ago I booked a trip to Paris with the Eurostar , with 1 night in a 4-star hotel. I had to keep it secret for two months and it was so difficult, was just dying to tell him! So on Friday night, I gift-wrapped a Paris guide and gave it to him! His look was priceless as he quickly realized that his gift was not the actual guide!!
So we left the next day and had a great romantic weekend in Paris, it was wonderful. It was our third time there, but it still amazes me how beautiful the place is and what romantic and passionate mood it puts you in.
But the heat was unbearable, could hardly breath, let alone think rationally. Couldn't wait to get back to London for that, because even though this year the heatwave has hit us too, it's not as bad as Paris. It's ironic how I have always complained about the British ''summer'' and now I am longing for a bit of refreshing rain!!
Happy summer wherever you are!
.....and my tip is: keep fresh and cool with lots of ice creams!!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
On top of the world...
I have finally passed my driving test yesterday!!!!
I cannot believe it yet, but it is true.....the words this time were: I am pleased to say that you have passed, congratulations!!!!!!
Now I have to wait 3 weeks for the license to turn up, but it doesn't matter, I just wanted to have it, and it has taken longer than I thought, more pain than I thought, more strength that I thought I needed and had.
I had to analyze my attitude, my confidence and my strength, I bought self-help books about optimism and never giving up, I went into driving forums and spoke to people that failed a lot and then passed, I spoke to many friends, boring them with all the details of my fails. Even I was bored of listening to myself talking about it.
Each time I failed, it destroyed me, I would be depressed for a week and then pick myself up from the floor and start all over again, with lessons and so on.
I had put my life on hold for this, when I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it, I just wanted it out of the way so that I could get on with life. Than I thought, this is life, and so get on with it, whether is failing at something or being upset, this is life, there is no other life and you better live it now before it's finished.
So I joined a gym and changed my driving teacher, two things that made a world of difference. Exercise made me feel better about myself and gave me energy and my new teacher gave me all the tools I needed to pass my test, while the previous one just didn't care at all.
Now, not only I have a driving license, but I have gained new confidence in myself and found strength I never knew I had. And I feel a much safer and better driver that if I passed first time around.
It probably all meant to happen like this, so that I could learn a bit more about life and about myself, I am not sure, but in any case, I am glad to be on the other side finally!!
A big thank you to all the people that supported me, still believed in me and never let me give up.
I cannot believe it yet, but it is true.....the words this time were: I am pleased to say that you have passed, congratulations!!!!!!
Now I have to wait 3 weeks for the license to turn up, but it doesn't matter, I just wanted to have it, and it has taken longer than I thought, more pain than I thought, more strength that I thought I needed and had.
I had to analyze my attitude, my confidence and my strength, I bought self-help books about optimism and never giving up, I went into driving forums and spoke to people that failed a lot and then passed, I spoke to many friends, boring them with all the details of my fails. Even I was bored of listening to myself talking about it.
Each time I failed, it destroyed me, I would be depressed for a week and then pick myself up from the floor and start all over again, with lessons and so on.
I had put my life on hold for this, when I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it, I just wanted it out of the way so that I could get on with life. Than I thought, this is life, and so get on with it, whether is failing at something or being upset, this is life, there is no other life and you better live it now before it's finished.
So I joined a gym and changed my driving teacher, two things that made a world of difference. Exercise made me feel better about myself and gave me energy and my new teacher gave me all the tools I needed to pass my test, while the previous one just didn't care at all.
Now, not only I have a driving license, but I have gained new confidence in myself and found strength I never knew I had. And I feel a much safer and better driver that if I passed first time around.
It probably all meant to happen like this, so that I could learn a bit more about life and about myself, I am not sure, but in any case, I am glad to be on the other side finally!!
A big thank you to all the people that supported me, still believed in me and never let me give up.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Favorites...
I've not been tagged but I hope it's okay :)
10 Favorites:
Favorite Season: Summer
Favorite Color: Sea blue
Favorite Time: 3:00pm
Favorite Food: Italian
Favorite Drink: Lemonade
Favorite Ice Cream: Pistachio
Favorite Place: Rome, Italy
Favorite Sport: Tennis
Favorite Actor: Al Pacino
Favorite Actress: Juliette Binoche
9 Currents:
Current Feeling: Happy
Current Drink: Tea
Current Time: 3:20pm
Current Show on TV: No TV - I'm at work
Current Mobile used: Nokia 6030
Current Windows Open: None
Current Underwear: Topshop white cotton thong
Current Clothes: GAP jeans, short sleeve top, black cardigan, white flip flops
Current Thought: I hope my boss won’t be coming back for another hour or so, so I can blog a bit longer…!
8 Firsts:
First Nickname: Fragolina (little strawberry in italian – given by my dad)
First Kiss: A swiss boy on holiday at the beach - I was 14 1/2
First Crush: Michael J Fox
First Best Friend: Giada
First Vehicle I Owned: Honda 50 red scooter at 16
First Job: Working at an estate agent – hated it
First Date: With the swiss boy at the local ice cream parlour
First Pet: A lovely cat called ‘’Miciolina’’ – thankfully she is still around, as I was 18 when we got our first pet!!!
7 Lasts:
Last Drink: Tea
Last Kiss: My husband
Last Meal: Ceasar Salad sandwich and crisps for lunch
Last Web Site Visited: American Spoken Here
Last Movie Watched: The Constant Gardener with Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz
Last Phone Call: My sister
Last TV Watched: Charmed finale
6 Have You Ever...
Have You Ever Broken the Law: No!
Have You Ever Been Drunk: Yes!
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: No
Have You Ever Been in the Middle/Close to Gunfire: Thankfully no
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: No
Have You Ever Broken Anyone's Heart: Once
5 Things:
Things You Can Hear Right Now: Italian radio through the web
Things On Your Bed: Pillows, sheet, duvet
Things You Ate Today: Strawberry tartlet for breakfast, ceasar salad and crisps for lunch
Things You Do When You Are Bored: Surf the net, watch tv
Things You Do For Comfort: Read, watch tv, eat unhealthy foods
4 Places You Have Been Today:
My apartment
’Paul’ patisserie
My office
Pret a Manger sandwich shop
3 Things On Your Desk Right Now:
Tea mug
Stapler
Laptop
2 Choices:
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Spring or summer: Summer
1 Place You Want To Visit:
San Francisco
Tagged:
Pam
Mindi
Cheryl
Have fun!
x
10 Favorites:
Favorite Season: Summer
Favorite Color: Sea blue
Favorite Time: 3:00pm
Favorite Food: Italian
Favorite Drink: Lemonade
Favorite Ice Cream: Pistachio
Favorite Place: Rome, Italy
Favorite Sport: Tennis
Favorite Actor: Al Pacino
Favorite Actress: Juliette Binoche
9 Currents:
Current Feeling: Happy
Current Drink: Tea
Current Time: 3:20pm
Current Show on TV: No TV - I'm at work
Current Mobile used: Nokia 6030
Current Windows Open: None
Current Underwear: Topshop white cotton thong
Current Clothes: GAP jeans, short sleeve top, black cardigan, white flip flops
Current Thought: I hope my boss won’t be coming back for another hour or so, so I can blog a bit longer…!
8 Firsts:
First Nickname: Fragolina (little strawberry in italian – given by my dad)
First Kiss: A swiss boy on holiday at the beach - I was 14 1/2
First Crush: Michael J Fox
First Best Friend: Giada
First Vehicle I Owned: Honda 50 red scooter at 16
First Job: Working at an estate agent – hated it
First Date: With the swiss boy at the local ice cream parlour
First Pet: A lovely cat called ‘’Miciolina’’ – thankfully she is still around, as I was 18 when we got our first pet!!!
7 Lasts:
Last Drink: Tea
Last Kiss: My husband
Last Meal: Ceasar Salad sandwich and crisps for lunch
Last Web Site Visited: American Spoken Here
Last Movie Watched: The Constant Gardener with Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz
Last Phone Call: My sister
Last TV Watched: Charmed finale
6 Have You Ever...
Have You Ever Broken the Law: No!
Have You Ever Been Drunk: Yes!
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: No
Have You Ever Been in the Middle/Close to Gunfire: Thankfully no
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: No
Have You Ever Broken Anyone's Heart: Once
5 Things:
Things You Can Hear Right Now: Italian radio through the web
Things On Your Bed: Pillows, sheet, duvet
Things You Ate Today: Strawberry tartlet for breakfast, ceasar salad and crisps for lunch
Things You Do When You Are Bored: Surf the net, watch tv
Things You Do For Comfort: Read, watch tv, eat unhealthy foods
4 Places You Have Been Today:
My apartment
’Paul’ patisserie
My office
Pret a Manger sandwich shop
3 Things On Your Desk Right Now:
Tea mug
Stapler
Laptop
2 Choices:
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Spring or summer: Summer
1 Place You Want To Visit:
San Francisco
Tagged:
Pam
Mindi
Cheryl
Have fun!
x
Page 161
Thanks to Pam!! This is so much fun...
1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open to page 161
3. Find the fifth sentence
4. Post the text of the sentence along with these instructions
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
So I have grabbed the book in my purse: ''Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' by Jonathan Safran Foer.
This is the fifth sentence on page 161:
''Yesterday! Today! Five minutes ago! Now!''
...wonderful book by the way.
1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open to page 161
3. Find the fifth sentence
4. Post the text of the sentence along with these instructions
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
So I have grabbed the book in my purse: ''Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' by Jonathan Safran Foer.
This is the fifth sentence on page 161:
''Yesterday! Today! Five minutes ago! Now!''
...wonderful book by the way.
Friday, May 26, 2006
5 Item Meme
I've been tagged by Pam!
5 items in my fridge
Yogurt
Tomatoes
Italian fresh gnocchi
Mozzarella
Tuna steaks
5 items in my closet
Belts and scarves I forget to wear
Summer and winter clothes all together (In London you never know!)
Old skirts I would never wear again
Bikinis
Lots of black tights everywhere
5 items in my car
(don't have a car, but if I did, this is what I would like to have in there)
Blanket
City map
Umbrella
Water
Sweets
5 items in my purse
Hairband
Book by Tess Gerritsen
Pen
A button from my jacket
My diary
I would like to tag Cheryl, Marissa and Kiki.
Have a good weekend everybody!
x
5 items in my fridge
Yogurt
Tomatoes
Italian fresh gnocchi
Mozzarella
Tuna steaks
5 items in my closet
Belts and scarves I forget to wear
Summer and winter clothes all together (In London you never know!)
Old skirts I would never wear again
Bikinis
Lots of black tights everywhere
5 items in my car
(don't have a car, but if I did, this is what I would like to have in there)
Blanket
City map
Umbrella
Water
Sweets
5 items in my purse
Hairband
Book by Tess Gerritsen
Pen
A button from my jacket
My diary
I would like to tag Cheryl, Marissa and Kiki.
Have a good weekend everybody!
x
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Beautiful sea
This beautiful beach here is in Cornwall and it's where we are going (in a couple of weeks time) to have three amazing days walking on the beach, relaxing, having intimate dinners, I cannot wait! Work is so stressful for both of us that sometimes we just need to get away and my choice will always include the sea. The sea relaxes me and makes me feel small and makes my problems shrink in size. Just the smell of the sea drives me crazy with longing - I just fool myself I can live without it most days here in London :)
Since I was a little girl my parents always took us to the beach and so I grew up spending up to 3 months in the summer, every single year. This was thanks to my grandfather that bought a house in Sardinia, a lovely italian island, many many years ago when it was still cheap, and so we could go there anytime and for long periods of time.
Life in Sardinia as a young girl was simple: jump out of bed, hurry up with breakfast (not too much breakfast - you would not want to wait too long before going in the sea) then rush off to the beach ahead of our parents (the beach was relatively close and the village very safe for our parents to trust us). We would spend all day there, eating italian bread with mozzarella and tomatoes for lunch, and spending every possible minute in the water. At 8pm (or as late as possible) we would go back home, tanned, full of sand and tired from the day and we couldn't wait to do it all again the next day. Shower, dinner and then bed.
As a young teenager, life by the beach slightly changed, suddenly I was sleeping longer in the mornings and arriving at the beach fashionably late like 11-12pm, to join friends there. My summer friends were special friends. We would only see each other during the summer months and every year we would all look forward to meet again, we came from all different cities in Italy and it was great to spend time with them. With them I discovered my first juke box (the song I loved to play again and again was 'Paradise City' by Guns & Roses), my first sip of an alcoholic drink
(I hated it, it was Cointreau!), my first crush and my first very best friend.
At this point I would spend very little time with my parents and my sister, and by far the only time we would spend together was dinner, as I was always rushing out after, to meet my friends down at the harbour for ice creams and gossip.
There I had my first ever kiss with my first ever boyfriend at 14 (a keyboard player from Switzerland!), and my first clubbing experience. And I could go on and on about my first experiences there, there are many and all my memories are tinged with nostalgia of the place that I could really call home. More than my own home in Rome.
Years went by, friends grew up and stopped coming, couples would form and reform, then I started coming with my steady serious boyfriends from the city, mainly to show them my home and what I was all about.
Somehow I never managed to take my husband there, my mum was always renting the house in the summer months, and we always chose to go away to different places.
I feel sad as now the house is sold, the only place I could call home, and the last time I was there, it was 5 years ago. I am not angry with my mum, she had to do what she had to do, she couldn't keep up with it anymore, it was an old house and she would have needed lots of money to refurbish it.
That's why, wherever I go, I always look for the sea, hoping that the smell has the strength to take me back home, if only for a few moments.
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