Twenty quick facts about me

I'm baaaaaack!!!!!
Tell the truth: were you all thinking I could have given up with my blog? Well, I haven't! I have decided to come back with twenty quick facts about me! (Maybe a couple more than that...)
Let's start now!
Full name:
Tommaso Zurli
Birthday:
31 May. Will be my 22nd this year, so...
Languages:
Native Italian speaker. Fluent in English and German. Trying to learn Swedish.
Do you like travelling?
Absolutely yes! Would do it more than once a year...If I could!
Countries you've been to:
Spent five months in Austria last spring as an Erasmus student: loved it! Also been to Spain once, England twice, driven through France, been a couple of times to Germany and Switzerland, one week in the Czech Republic.
Most beautiful places you've been to?
Salzburg, Vienna, Munich, London, the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex.
Dream holiday?
Sweden först och främst! Norway would be equally great, just like Australia and New Zealand. Also, wouldn't mind a third (fourth, fifth...) trip to the UK.
Favourite books?
The Millennium trilogy by S. Larsson.
Favourite TV shows?
Top Gear (the original British one!) and Morden i Sandhamn.
Favourite colours?
Blue and yellow.
Favourite food?
All kinds of fish and seafood.
Favourite sports?
To practice, gym training, cycling and trekking. To watch, rallycross, rallying and endurance racing.
Favourite drivers?
Petter Solberg, Andreas Bakkerud, Colin McRae, Kimi Räikkönen, Ramona Karlsson...and many more.
Dream cars?
Nissan GT-R Nismo, Subaru Impreza WRC, or even pretty much everything built to RX Supercar regulations! (600bhp, four-wheel drive, 0-100 km/h in less than 2 seconds!)
What kind of person are you?
It's not always easy to become friends with me! It all depends on how one approaches me, and if I find them interesting in any way, like having common interests and so on. Once I get along with someone, I always tend to put a lot of energy in our friendship, caring a lot about the other, trying to be as helpful as possible, listening as much as I can...and it usually works! I almost always know what I'm doing, and if I set myself a goal I really care about, no one will ever make me change my mind! I've always been a nerd. I love reading. I hate fashion. I will never be stylish. I don't care about style!
Love stories?
Might sound a bit embarrassing, but...I haven't had one yet! Nor am I in love with any girl, at the moment. There might be one I kinda like, but nothing serious! (Before you start wondering, she lives not far from here)
Blondes or brunettes? You prefer...
Blondes! And redheads.
The first thing you look at, in a girl?
Everything has to start with the eyes, then the rest of her face. Everything else is less important. But her personality is foremost.
Would you get married?
Of course I would! I'd also love to have one or two children.
Any nasty habits?
Well...I don't drink or smoke, but my worst habit is to hate on people who've been mean to me.
Got anything else to say?
At the moment, no!
A final greeting, before closing?
Lycka till, mina kära vänner!

"Low-fat mode", fitness, idiocy and vanity

I will begin with a simple fact, although completely unrelated to the topic of this new post: my previous post about my love of Sweden has been successful, and I also got some congrats for that...saying I'm happy is definitely not enough! I have been a lot more than that! Can't find the right word to describe my feeling...
Now, coming to the actual matter of it: as I have already said, I have been trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle over the last few months. First step: low-fat mode; more simply, eating better, avoiding unnecessary snacks during the day and reducing fat foods in my meals as much as possible. It works.
Second step: training. I go to the gym every day from Monday to Friday. My workout routine has been basically the same since I have started, but I have already lost 8 kg since I began with all of the above. There is still quite a long way to go, but that's a good beginning to me! My weight loss is noticeable (but I'm not going to post any of the before/after photo crap) and, to be honest, I feel much better overall!
There are, however, a few problems with other people.
First one: the instructor. He is not helping me in any way, I have no idea whether or not my workout routine will be good or harmful in the long term, he's not giving me, or indeed anyone else, advice! For a simple reason: he is vain, stupid, sex-obsessed, snooty...
If your gender is female, you are aged between 15-55, and you have big boobs and/or a nicely-shaped bottom, no problem! He will always be at your disposal, he'll promptly answer all of your questions! Otherwise...He won't literally give a fuck about you. As it happens with me. Also, he once said that nothing pisses him off more than people asking him to prepare them a workout plan. YES, I JUST SAID THAT. BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU GET PAID FOR, YOU C**T!
Other problem: guys who only go to the gym to show off. Striving to get a perfect body, just to impress girls. Then, in the changing room, you hear them talking about farts, burps and all sorts of childish stuff. If I were a girl, I wouldn't find anything even slightly attractive in such people, no matter how handsome.
A nice person in an imperfect body is, to me, infinitely better than a handsome piece of shit.  
The second problem can easily be avoided by ignoring those people. And that's exactly what I do.

How I fell in love with Sweden (without even having been there!)

I'm so sorry! I haven't been updating my blog regularly over the past few weeks! The problem is, when I'm at home on holiday, it's a bit hard for me to be inspired to post something new, I always end up thinking about something else...
But now...I have announced you that my next post would be about some aspect of my life that I mentioned in my older posts, but never thoroughly treated.
More specifically, it's my great interest (or should we call it love?) for the country of Sweden, its culture, or, broadly and basically, everything related to it!
First things first: this is a passion that started in my teenage years, unlike the ones for English language and reading, which I had since my childhood.
As a child, geography has always been one of my favourite subjects; I could name the capital cities of every single European country, and most of the others, but when it came to Sweden, my knowledge was a bit limited, and, honestly, a bit on the stereotypical side: Stockholm, snow, cold temperatures all year long, blonde people with blue eyes, reindeer, high standards of living, IKEA, ABBA, Volvo, Saab, and nothing else.
But how did it really start?
I was 17 years old. It was summer. My mum had just finished reading the most famous of all my (not-yet-)beloved Swedish thriller novel series, Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. I was, at the time, reading a book on hackers and cybercrime. The author wanted to approach readers who didn't necessarily have specialised knowledge in IT, and therefore he chose a character from a popular novel series who perfectly embraced the figure he wanted to portray.
Lisbeth Salander.
I won't tell you anything about the character or the story, just read them!
So I became curious. Are those books any interesting? Worth reading?
As soon as I had a chance, I bought myself a copy of all three novels, and, with immense curiosity, I started reading them.
The girl with the dragon tattoo. 
The girl who played with fire.
The girl who kicked the hornets' nest.
And, quickly, I started learning about the places where the stories are set.
Stockholm and its surroundings.
Norrbotten county.
Gothenburg.
I am the kind of person who tends to be almost obsessed by the things I really like; back then, not a single day went by without me looking for information on some place, institution or any kind of Sweden-related topic; and I decided that, one day or another, I would have learnt some Swedish. I have found an online language course, a nice one, and I also get some little help...
I decided I wanted to be friends with someone from Sweden, and three years later, I was glad and honoured when I finally got in touch with one of them, with whom I share my great love of racing; we keep in touch regularly and we exchange postcards and greeting cards on special occasions, without having ever met in person! Tack så mycket, Emma!
And, of course, my ultimate dream is a trip to that beautiful country. I don't care what the others say, it's expensive, it's not interesting, blah blah blah...I just need to choose the right time, the right places, and get some money on my own. Needless to say, I'll soon start looking for a little job...and save!
Now that my interest has been well established for years, I have also read many other books, alongside the aforementioned three, and gained an even deeper knowledge of the country; also, watching films and TV series helps a lot, and sometimes, I watch them just for the setting, as it happened a couple of months ago with a terrible story set in an amazing piece of countryside!
There is, however, one more reason why Sweden attracts me so badly: the popularity of motorsports, such as rallying and rallycross, by far my favourite ones! I had chances to meet Swedish racing and rally drivers in the past, very nice people indeed! Also had some kind of crush on a certain Ramona Karlsson...(nothing serious, I think everyone at some point in their life become extremely attracted by some celebrity...average Italian guys usually choose stupid people...proud not to be one of them)
Before closing with the usual photos, a little question in case I had any readers who often go to Sweden or, even better, live there: Are there many Italians in Sweden, either as tourists or expatriates? If the answer is NO, then it's a great thing to me, on the day I'll go there! We can be extremely annoying! (not all of us, luckily :D )

Panoramic view over Stockholm, from Kungsholmen:

The Kungsportsavenyen in Gothenburg:

Fjällbacka in Bohuslän:

 Åre, a famous ski resort in Jämtland:

An amazing New Year's Eve

After the festivities...here I come, with a new post! I have spent my New Year's Eve in the mountains, as usual! I was in Brusson, a village in the northeast of Italy, with all of my friends! I must say that I haven't had this much fun...in quite some time! And that's impressive, considering that I spent just three days there! One of the funniest things that happened? One day, we wanted to go to Champoluc, a famous ski resort in the area. We had no choice but to take a bus. My friends couldn't read the timetable (it was a bit messy, but other than that...) so they asked a couple who were also waiting for the same bus...and they couldn't understand anything! The tourists they asked were Welsh and couldn't speak Italian, so...only one person could save us all. Guess who?

I also found the whole valley to be popular with tourists not just from the UK, but also from Sweden! So we joked: someone here would be pleased if we ever had to ask a Swede to give us a lift home! :D

 Personal opinion: Swedes drive nice cars, but they are...a bit reckless! That explains many things!

Other than that, I'm posting a few photos from my holiday, and...see you soon for a new post on a topic I already mentioned a few times!

The days after Christmas

Sorry for my absence, again! The problem is, Christmas festivities take up a lot of time, with all those lunches, dinners, relatives around...
Now, though, most of that is gone, and that makes for extremely boring days! And, unfortunately, these aren't even particularly nice: from ill grannies to parents about to undergo surgery...that means spending a lot of precious time at home! :(
Of course, this isn't making me particularly happy; but then, I realise that in a couple of days I will be in the mountains to celebrate New Year's Eve!
Weird winter, this: it hasn't snowed at all, even in the mountains...and it's not good! But it's going to be fun anyway!
Stay tuned for more coming in the next few days!

Christmas week

Haven't been posting for a few days. You missed me, didn't you? :D
Honestly, I haven't had that much to say, last week.
Boring, sad days...apart from Friday night, when I had dinner out!
In the weekend, though, things went better: I got my first Christmas gifts and met up with a dear friend! Last night, though...
I went home slightly late, and started watching a new TV series! 100 Code, it's called. It tells the story of an American detective, Tommy Conley (Dominic Monaghan), who goes to the stunningly beautiful city of Stockholm (where else?) to investigate on a serial murderer who, apparently, started killing in New York City and then continued his spree in Sweden. Here, he is teamed up with Stockholm Police detective Mikael Eklund (Michael Nyqvist), whose methods are entire different from his new colleague's...
I've just seen four episodes so far, that is, just one third of the whole series, and I already love it! I'm not giving you any further information...if you're interested, just watch it!
Quite apart from this, I wish you all a nice week, and...see you soon! :)

Things I have learnt in one and a half year on Instagram (plus something else)

Ah, this week...
All the courses and modules in this semester have come to an end, so this week I am completely free! Before you start thinking that's awesome!, please keep in mind that, for me, there is nothing as boring as having nothing to do and staying at home!
I have, then, decided to write a new post. Something funny, not serious! So here we are.
The subject I have chosen is Instagram, the popular, photo-based social networking service. 
For a long time I thought Instagram to be absolute rubbish; but then, some friends persuaded me, and I joined it in August 2014.
Almost one and a half year after opening my own profile, I can say I have learnt a thing or two about the people who populate such network. Some of them, like the enormous number of fake profiles, are pretty obvious. Others aren't.
Here are the funniest ones, according to me: (NO DISCRIMINATION INTENDED!)

• As a social network, it doesn't offer much, in terms of actual communication between members, but still, some very good (amazing, actually...) friendships have started from there;
• There is a huge number of people around my age who still have an interest in cars and racing, a lot more than I expected, but still less than the bloody hipsters (and then they wonder why I hate fashion...). Of those racing enthusiasts, the majority seem to be girls, which is not bad at all (unless you are a sexist twat);
• Most of the above mentioned girls seem to be Swedish or, more generally, Scandinavian (other not bad thing);
• There are people who look like they are kind of obsessed with my profile: they like every single thing I post, from beautiful landscapes to nerdy stuff, EVERYTHING! And they are girls, so...can it be that they are secretly in love with me? :D (one of them is 6 years younger than me, so I definitely hope NOT; the others...I have no idea!);
• #throwbackthursday is a nice thing to me;
• The algorithm they use to give you suggestions for the people to follow is RUBBISH, as it thinks I might be interested in following footballers, socialites like Kim Kardashian and, even worse, MALE FASHION BLOGGERS! Can't possibly find anything farther from my tastes and interests;
• Last, but not least: those who kindly asked me to open an Instagram profile, promising that they would have followed me...well, they've been the first to ignore me! Okay.

Having discussed my Instagram experience, I would also like to talk a little about music: in the last few weeks, (too) many people in Italy have strongly criticised British singer Adele, whose new single, Hello, had just been released. It seemed as if, in those people's opinions, Adele had reached the lowest possible point, in terms of quality, in the whole of international music. First of all, I think that, while she is not my favourite singer and I do realise that her songs are not the happiest of them all, she is not as bad a singer as they want us to believe! To me, the lowest point in music has been reached by those extremely successful (an undeserved success, I believe) wanna-be rappers, the most influent of whom is the one who is also a judge on the Italian edition of The X Factor. If you are Italian, then you certainly know who I am referring to. If you are not, don't even bother: they REALLY are rubbish!

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.

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.