The end of first semester

Everything comes to an end. That includes, of course, semesters at university. This has mostly been a week of festivities, so I only had a class this morning. From next week onwards, I'll be (almost) completely free. I will, then, have time to think about Christmas presents and everything related to that day. Already booked my New Year's Eve in the mountains, just like two years ago. There's quite a bit of interest, this year, so I'm sure there'll be many other people, most of whom I already know! Not bad.
Just read the news. My dear and favourite driver, Ramona Karlsson, has just announced her pregnancy!  And of course, I couldn't help but wish her all the best! Hope the baby is going to be even just half as beautiful as his/her mother!
Strangely, though, she hadn't appeared in that dream I had last week...
Other than that, I wish you all a nice and pleasant weekend!

Boring days

I am so sorry for not regularly updating my blog in the last few days; the problem is, I couldn't find any inspiration to write.
Don't you think, however, that I am going to give up with this! I am sure that I will find new ideas soon!
The last few days have been quite boring and poor of things to do; Also, my grandmother has been hospitalised a fortnight ago, due to lung and heart problems, and only went home on Monday, even though she'd better have undergone rehabilitation at a specialised clinic. Other than that, my fitness plans are still going well, even though my instructor isn't exactly as serious as he ought to be: he prefers fooling around with women and girls instead of giving useful tips to us guys, he keeps telling stupid jokes and references sex-related topics every now and then. Annoying, isn't he?
All my closest friends are feeling well, some have exams, others are working, and it's always nice to hear from them!
I'm already thinking about Christmas gifts: I think I'll spend a couple of days abroad in February or March, but still I haven't decided where to go exactly. I have an idea, though...
On the other hand, I am sure my beloved sister is going to buy me a book. Chosen by me.
See you all soon! :)

Weird dreams

It's not the first time, nor will it be the last one. Last night, after having watched Fjällbackamorden, I was having a very good sleep. Then, all at a sudden, I started to dream. A strange one.
Let me describe it.
I was attending a high-profile rallycross event on what appeared to be an improvised track (seriously? Professionals racing on an improvised track in world-class cars? Can't be real! And it wasn't.)
A heat was about to start, and one of the teams found itself, for no apparent reason, without a driver, so...They started looking for a replacement...among the audience! A member of the audience was about to be randomly selected to compete in the race!
Weird.
And, of course, that one was me. Don't ask why.
I lined up on the starting grid, don't remember which car I was in. Full throttle, anti-lag system on, green light, off we go. I was, APPARENTLY, racing against the likes of Petter Solberg, Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen and others. Me, a 21-and-a-half year old who's never driven anything faster than a Toyota Prius. Can't be real.
A couple of corners into the race, while trying to defend my fourth place, I spin. Sixth place out of six. But I keep pushing. By the end of the race, I manage to get to P3, behind Solberg and Hansen. And there I stay, till the chequered flag.
I repeat, once for all, that it all was A DREAM. I would also like to specify that I hadn't drunk anything else than water before going to bed.
But still, I wouldn't mind if anyone ever gave me a chance to drive in there...
One for the closing photos,  the one with the sunset, is mine. The other isn't, and therefore belongs to its rightful owner.

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.