A new week begins

Today is the last Monday in November. A new week begins. Today is going to be a pretty normal day: university right now, then lunch, a little rest, training for an hour, dinner, family time, sleep, and repeat. Still waiting for videos from the Nismo Festival to be uploaded. Speaking of racing, yesterday marked the end of the World Rallycross championship season, with Robin Larsson winning in Argentina, and Petter Solberg being declared world champion for the second time; the title was to be decided in this race, as Timmy Hansen of Sweden was a definite contender, but he still got a honourable second place as well as the Teams' Championship title. Unlike in F1, where Lewis Hamilton's domination became clear a few races back (and, in case you were wondering, he is NOT my favourite driver).
That said, I wish you all a pleasant week! Stay tuned for more contents coming in the next days!
I'm closing this post with a picture of the sky, last night at sunset. I loved those colours.

A happy weekend

Okay, it might seem like a pretty average weekend, but it isn't.
I am pleased because last Friday, after my usual training, followed by a good dinner, I spent most of my evening on Skype, talking to my dear friend Katie from England! We first met last spring in Salzburg, during the Erasmus, and we have quickly become friends! It's always nice to hear from each other. She is a languages student, and since one of the three languages she studies is Italian...she often asks me for help, and being helpful to a good friend is a thing that makes me really, really happy! We've spent more than two hours talking, which means...we had so much to say!
She also recommended me, as I am on a diet, to have a treat day every week: mine was yesterday in the evening. I treated myself to some mixed fried fish with baked potatoes (delicious! but I'm not going to have another one for at least ten days...), and an amazing, three-layer chocolate cake! I'm staying low-fat for today. I promise.
Other nice things? Well, if I were in Japan, I could have been to the Nismo Festival at Fuji Speedway. I'm not, so...I must be thankful to the people who invented live streaming. And social networking sites. And hope that, someday, I'll be there. Probably.

Public transport

Every Italian commuter knows the struggle, especially if they use trains. Delays. Cancellations. Heating systems gone mad (completely off in winter and on full power in spring). And, today, was no exception.
I arrive at the station. My train is 40 minutes behind schedule. But, even in that case, I'd have had all the time to get to university. Then it is cancelled. Having used them pretty much every day for about eight years, I was prepared to such events. So I had to call my father who picked me up and drove me to a nearby village, where I could catch a bus. Which, luckily, was on time. And heated. Even though the man sitting in front of me reeked disgustingly. But that's another story...
Then I found out, the train I was waiting for was stopped by a breakdown, so they had to send an engine to tow it. Which means...It hasn't been cancelled at all!!!
ARE YOU JOKING, OR WHAT?
This, then, is the everyday life of an Italian commuter. If you are reading from abroad, I sincerely hope that railway services in your country are not this rubbish. Ours aren't even cheap...
As EVERY CLOUD HAS ITS SILVER LINING, last night I watched Fjällbackamorden. And that's nice.

Calm after the storm

Yes, really! Calm after the storm. Winter has been in the air for quite a few days, but last night...It showed up! There has been a big rainstorm, a couple of months after the last one, with strong winds too. And, up on the hills, it even snowed! Nothing to be worried about, but here, the first snow usually falls in mid-December! This afternoon I treated myself to a 100 or so kilometres drive in the countryside, going up the hills to see that snow. The roads were fairly clear, but in some spots, which aren't exposed to sunlight, the tarmac was wet and slippery, as the snow on it didn't melt properly. Result? If it was a bend, and it usually was, the car started to slip and slide. And, well, I'm not a skilled rally driver, so I was a bit frightened, and slowed down. But no crashes!!! :D
Speaking of rallying, today also marks the 20th anniversary of an important championship win: to be specific, on this day in 1995, legendary Scottish driver Colin McRae was declared, for the first and only time, World Champion. Whereas his story is well known, and his premature death in 2007 saddened a huge number of fans all over the world, I must say that my interest in rallying is in some way linked to him; precisely, around the age of ten, I started playing with a video game, belonging to an extremely successful series that carried his name. I therefore thought it was right to pay him a tribute on this day. Which I did, by means of this Instagram post.

Just another Friday

Friday, or: the worst day of the week in university.
Just one lecture today: Media professions. Boring as hell. Doesn't seem to make much sense either. But here I am. I luckily have with me a good read for the breaks, and once again, it's Camilla Läckberg.
Last night, boredom was taking over. I watched some Top Gear. Being in a brace yourselves, winter is coming mood (as it's already rather cold, here, but not freezing or snowy! 😁), my choice went for the Winter Olympics special. Speaking of winter, it's definitely the most boring season of the year, or at least, it is here. But, elsewhere in the world, things are surely different...just look at the photo below! (Picture belongs to its rightful owner)

Friendship

The time has come, for me, to have my say on friendship. First of all, I must admit that, in my childhood, I have never had quite as many friends as everyone else. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, the only other children I was in touch with were my schoolmates, and as you might have read on these very pages, there has never been much attachment between me and them. Briefly, many of them didn't really like me, and if I'm honest, I couldn't find anything likable in them either. This is the reason why I never really got along with the boys and girls I basically grew up with.
Then came the teenage years; and with that, my spectrum started to widen, as my age allowed me to attend summer camps with other teenagers, not necessarily from here. Nice, isn't it? Very nice indeed! That's where my first true friendships started! Really nice people, with most of whom I am still in touch today! Another important experience, as far as friendship is concerned, has been my Erasmus last spring! And also, there are a few people, with whom I have gotten in touch by means of social networking sites (Facebook, mostly) without having ever actually met in person. But still, I consider them as friends. Very good friends. Some of the best I have ever had. Physically very distant indeed, but technology makes us feel as though we were face to face! ☺
So, what is my definition of friendship? I will start with a quote from my favourite novel of all time, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson:

Friendship- my definition- is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble.

That sums it up perfectly. You may respect many people, but needn't necessarily be friends with them to do so. Trust, then, is the real glue that joins two or more people in a relationship of every kind: a friendship, a professional relationship, a love story...
And, when all is said and done, it's fair to say that, many times, you get along better with people you barely ever met, or you haven't even met once, than you do with others you've known for decades. This is what happens to me. They trust me. I trust them. And we are happy with our friendship. And in some cases, we are definitely looking forward to that day when we'll finally meet...

PS: in case the aforementioned book has sparked any strange ideas in you...Please be aware that its female protagonist, who goes by the name of Lisbeth Salander, is THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what I would call my ideal woman. I loathe violence. I hate tattoos. I don't like girls covered in tattoos. And I wouldn't be exactly proud of being friends with someone like her...

Business as usual

Today has been...A pretty normal Monday. University in the morning, then lunch, some free time, training late in the afternoon, and so on. Unremarkable, in one word. But not boring! Once again, my training efforts are paying off, having lost a further 2 kg over the last fortnight. I started doing that without expecting great results...but I was wrong! Sometimes I just tend to underestimate myself...
I'm sure I will achieve some of my goals by Christmas...but then, I'll have to be careful with the typical lunches and dinners! 😃
Other than that, I'm enjoying a cosy evening, and tomorrow, in the evening...it's Fjällbackamorden time!
What will be shown next? One of the many series based on Wallander? Hopefully it will be!
Hope your week has begun in the best possible way. And wish you it will keep on being nice!
See you soon! ☺

Great racing news!

Yes, even in this weekend of bloodshed and violence there is space for some good news.
More specifically, I am talking about the Japanese Grand Touring car championship, now called Super GT, as this year, for the fourth time, Italian racing driver Ronnie Quintarelli has been crowned champion, together with his teammate, Tsugio Matsuda of Japan. Both drivers shared a factory-backed Nissan GT-R, competing in the series' GT500 class. With four championship wins (2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015), all of which obtained at the wheel of a Nissan GT-R, Quintarelli has now become the most successful foreign driver to ever compete in the Super GT, formerly known as JGTC. I would like, then, to congratulate with him, and wish him all the best luck for all the years to come. As well as I wish I could ever have a chance to meet him!
There is, however, a problem. If you live in Italy, you will never see these news on any sports newspaper. They are all too busy covering that nasty shit called football! An Italian driver who wins in Japan is, in my opinion, a lot more deserving of coverage than a stupid twat of a footballer moving from one team to another for the sake of money! But here we are. The average Italian bloke thinks it's so interesting to watch 22 others chasing a ball for one and a half hour...
Sometimes they might show a modicum of interest in Formula One, but only if Ferrari scores any points, and also in motorcycling, especially when their idol (that one with number 46, I know his name but won't name him because he is extremely far from my idea of a good sportsman) has a clash with someone else, they must defend him, even if he is clearly, and undeniably, wrong. But a true Italian excellence in international motorsports? No thanks, and he even drives a Japanese car! (Needless to say, this last sentence is not my thought, I just want you to see how stupid people can be!)
Yes, of course we do have magazines which specialise in motorsports, and they luckily provide good coverage of these stories. But, as I said some time ago on this blog, who is interested in racing anymore? We are not many, but we are still passionate. And every time I meet another racing enthusiast, I realise we are actually a lot more than I was expecting.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

Yesterday, I took a voluntary break from posting. I was shocked and horrified by the events that happened in Paris. I couldn't really find appropriate words to discuss the situation.

Every cloud has its silver lining

It all seemed very nice, when every single day in early November was sunny and warm. But now...The enchantment is over! It's all foggy and chilly again. As it should be, here, in this season. Not yet freezing cold, luckily!
But, as we Italians say, not all the evil comes to harm you, so even though the weather has changed (worsened, to be honest), it brought some nice things, too.
First of all, I just started reading The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg, and it's really, really nice! Thinking about the places where it's set always puts me in a good mood!
Second thing: after a few weeks I have learned how to use Snapchat. And on there, I think I am making a new friend: her name is Katya, she is roughly 18 years old, lives somewhere in the UK (where, I suppose, she was also born) and her father is a famous personality. Whom I hold in great esteem.

Fjällbackamorden - a series worth watching

Last night, I found myself craving for something nice to watch. I haven't considered streaming, mostly because it takes, to me at least, more time to decide what to watch than the episode actually lasts! So I resorted to the TV set in the living room. And things weren't promising well...
First of all, my dad was keeping on watching idiotic documentaries on how household objects like brooms, chopping boards, even toilet seats, are made. I can't find anything interesting in that. No one else does, I suppose. Adding insult to injury, he thinks that all the crime thrillers that me and my mum like watching so much are crap and only an idiot can watch them. Said the man who thinks it's interesting to see how a toilet seat is made...
The alternative appeared to be a stupid (Yes, for real!) comedy show...that isn't funny at all!
But, luckily, I remembered that a channel belonging to an important and famous publisher, every Tuesday evening, is broadcasting Swedish thrillers! So I tuned on that. And, for the first time in my life, I saw an episode of Fjällbackamorden! The series is based on the novels written by Camilla Läckberg, which I liked very much! 

What makes, then, this series so nice to me? Well, the stories are fine, but the setting, the landscapes...those are simply amazing! 
As the name itself suggests, it is set in Fjällbacka, a small town on the western coast of Sweden, north of Gothenburg. The author was born there...such a lucky woman you are, Camilla!
It reminds me of another series I loved, Morden i Sandhamn, set on the island of Sandon, Stockholm archipelago, also based on a series of novels by Viveca Sten.
Next step? Going there and visiting those places, of course!

A warm, sunny November?

Yes, you have read it right! A couple of weeks ago I was telling you about the typical autumn weather in this part of Italy, that is: cold and foggy! Now that the month of November has begun, things seem to have changed. Dramatically. Early in the morning, it's chilly as usual. But later in the day (not much later, around 11)...Thanks to the shining sun, it settles on a lovely 20°C! Nice, for sure, but as soon as you realise you've gone out wearing warm clothes, it starts to be a little too warm! It feels a lot like early spring. But with the beautiful colours of autumn. And that's not bad at all!

A little ride in the afternoon

A warm, sunny afternoon on a Sunday in November? Seize the moment!
It feels a bit strange to find such a nice day in this season, but it's been a good opportunity to do some open-air activities, like cycling! That's exactly what I do in the sunny months to keep myself fit, 20 kilometres every day, in the sun, on country roads! Sunday, of course, has the worst traffic of the whole week, but the back roads remain enjoyable, so I rode for 30.29km, in one hour and 49 minutes. I reckon I could do better, but I admit my pace was a bit...leisurely! It's been nice, though, and that made me happy! I definitely needed it! ☺

A couple of photos are always welcome, so...here they are! By the way, the sign on the second one indicates dangerous potholes: a common sight on Italian roads! even though I didn't really want to capture it!

How I fell in love with reading...and why, once again, we'll live happily ever after

My dear readers and friends,
I am now pretty sure you know that my favourite hobby is, and has been for quite some time, reading. For the second time, I would like to say this is more than an interest; it's more of a love story, just like the one with the English language I described last week. And however strange it might seem, this one started even earlier!
To be honest, I don't remember how, but at the age of three and a half years, I was already able to read. What I clearly remember, though, is that this fact caused mixed reactions among the people around me: schoolmates made me unpopular; teachers were half impressed, half shocked; but the worst of them all were some parents who started pressing on my parents with stupid theories on my mental health. Twats. Just like the children they gave birth to. And with whom I never became friends, and rightly so. But that's another story...
In my childhood, then, I spent most of my time reading, instead of playing with the others. But not reading comic books, children's magazines and stuff like that: no, I was a lot more interested in science, nature and technology! Very nerdy, then!
In primary and middle school, my reading skills were, as a matter of fact, better than my mates', and I was extremely proud of being able to read long and complex words without slowing down and reading them syllable by syllable, as they did. There has even been a time when I developed a passion for...medicine data sheets!
During the secondary school years I started reading novels, in addition to everything else, but at that time, there wasn't much to improve anymore...
Having attended a technical school, I clearly was the only one in my class with such an interest, and that made my literature and history teacher very happy!
Not much has changed since then; every day, on my journey to university and back, I always read a few pages, just like I do in the breaks between a lecture and the following one. And, if I'm not too tired...before going to bed!
Reading, then, has been more than a passion, to me. It's an important part of my life. Something I love.
And don't forget that...

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies... The man who never reads lives only one. George R.R. Martin

P.S. I know, you will be wondering: oh, you talk about love stories with a language and with reading, don't you have time for a girlfriend?
Well, at the moment I am happily single, and yes, I have never had any love stories with girls. Is it because of my personality? Who knows? All I know is that my soulmate is hiding somewhere among seven billion other people, maybe we have already met and known, maybe we are still ignoring each other's existence...only time will tell.

Little Things that made my day

My dear readers and friends, 

I can finally say that all of my flu is gone!!! No more fever, no more headache, everything is going as well as it should! 

And...to add a pinch of extra happiness...What's better than a good book? Actually, I got myself three of them! I went to my local library and borrowed Camilla Läckberg's "The preacher" and " the Stone cutter", together with "The White Lioness" by Henning Mankell. You were expecting that, weren't you? 

The librarian couldn't help but notice my fondness for Scandinavian thrillers (almost exclusively Swedish, but also a few Norwegian ones), and promised me I won't be disappointed by the suggestions she'll make me as soon as I bring these ones back! I'm hopeful! 

I also cooked dinner tonight. Everyone liked it. Including my sister's boyfriend. 

Feeling better

I can now say that I have already started feeling better! My day has been cosy, warm and a bit sleepy, to be honest, but thanks to my personal nurse (my mum, who has been doing just that for a lifetime)...everything is going well!
I need something nice to end this post. What's better than a selection of photos from my early childhood?

Not a nice day

No, today's not been a nice day for me! I woke up with some kind of intestinal virus, which is taking me to the toilet every few hours! But that's not the end of it: it is also accompanied by a temperature around 38,5°C (that means fever) and a headache too! Bloody hell!
So, tomorrow I will stay at home. Where I would have stayed anyway, because tomorrow is the day of the Freeing. What does it consist of? It's an old tradition from Pavia: on the first Tuesday of November, members of university students' societies known as Goliardia go around town, wearing garishly coloured cloaks and hats, entering the various secondary schools around town, as well as the university itself, blowing whistles, trumpets and horns, and shouting things like We've set you free! Now go away!
And every secondary school or university student's day of lectures and classes ends there. Usually, no later than 9 in the morning.
In secondary schools, it is one of the most eagerly awaited moments throughout the school year. But once you have grown up? It all starts to feel a tad...childish, isn't it?

Looking for something to think about

Quite a boring day, today. Nothing exciting to do, no interesting places to go, and I'm even slightly angry. I went to the train station in Pavia to buy a new monthly ticket, as I commute every day from home to university and back. Last month, weekly and monthly tickets had a 30% discount, as there have been many delays and inconveniences during September. The same happened all over October. But for November, I had to pay the regular full price. That's what makes me angry.
Apart from that, I have found a nice way to distract myself: strangely, it's not reading! I was listening to music, in fact; to be specific, to my favourite song: Right here, right now, by Fatboy Slim. You can listen to it here.
Also, thinking about nice places helps me a lot. I have chosen a photo of a village named Fjällbacka, in Western Sweden, where Camilla Läckberg set many of her novels.
And on that bombshell... (sorry for quoting Clarkson!) it's time to close. Wishing you all a good night and a nice new week!
See you tomorrow!