Showing posts with label Friends and family business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends and family business. Show all posts
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Friday, 11 December 2009
Roman Visit
Last week I spent a few days in Rome for my cousin's graduation ceremony. She completed a degree course in communication studies in less than three years.
Admirable.
We celebrated with a fat dinner, a six course affair, and she received top class presents, including a stylish trolley, a trip to Amsterdam, a posh pen by Campo di Marzio, a Calvin Klein handbag and, last but not least, an engraved Tiffany bracelet by myself {and my mum}. And she is still not happy about her life.
But this is another story.
I spent a whole day with my mum downtown Rome, and we were determined to do serious shopping. But we could find absolutely nothing. Luckily we have a second close chance as she is flying to London in five days time.
The same night {Friday} I met up with my lovely girlfriends: Ari {maid of honour}, Fede {a devoted asthanga yogini who was doing a workshop with yoga celebrity Lino Miele} and Cri {who divides her time between Rome and her Agriturismo in Sabina}. We ate fish in a taverna of San Lorenzo and played catch-up but time flew by and it was definitely not enough.
Saturday was a restful day. My cousin's house is so huge that I could sleep in undisturbed. My other cousin left in the early morning to go skiing to the Alps with my uncle, but I didn't hear a thing. At lunch time I said goodbye to my mum who was going home that day {she lives on the opposite coast} and we {my cousin, her boyfriend and I} went for lunch in a far-west inspired restaurant where I ate an excellent fillet steak. We then browsed the shops of a brand new shopping centre - who was supposed to be an emulation of American malls - before I boarded my plane back home.
The next day I arrived at my yoga training late and wet. I missed the alarm clock and it was pouring down when I left home. I got straight into meditation which helped restore my nerves. The day progressed with a intense class on anatomy and physiology. I felt I learnt a great deal but still need to get my head around the mechanisms of thoracic and cellular breathing...
Friday, 30 October 2009
Talents in the Family
Did I tell you I have got a very talented sister-in-law living on the other side of the pond? She is a published historical romance author. She chooses unusual historical periods to set her tales of love and intrigue. She has written three books, so far, and an e-novella who won the Through Garden Gate Contest in 2007. {Add to that that she is the mother of two very bright little girls who have just embarked on their school journey.}
Her third book is scheduled for publication on 5th January, and its first review has already leapt through. That's not all. She is currently busy working on a number of top secret projects, and I am very curious to hear where will be time travelling next.
Her third book is scheduled for publication on 5th January, and its first review has already leapt through. That's not all. She is currently busy working on a number of top secret projects, and I am very curious to hear where will be time travelling next.
What a Scoundrel Wants Review
"From its opening scenes I was completely swept away by this 13th Century tale of addiction and deception, of love and abuse. [...] Reading this extremely well plotted novel was much like watching a really great action adventure movie. Ada and Gavriel find themselves in danger from their first encounter, and things go from bad to worse for them as the story progresses, leaving the reader on the edge of her seat."
*Honeybee
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Adriano Dos Santos Tempestini
the happiest man in the planet and his cutie-pie
Do I look uncomfortable?
Does he look uncomfortable?
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
BIG UPDATE
Hey, here I am... bright and sound. I have been quite caught up in the blog of life lately, but now I am back with a few stories to divulge... But, first of all, here are some highlights of the last two months you may be curious to nose:
Makeover: I have a new haircut - the usual sixties bob but with a long fringe thrown on one side - and a new colour: ^rich chocolate^. I also have - here I am going to be really personal - a Brazilian bikini. I had it done in August for the first time in my life and am now addicted to it - I have just had a second one this afternoon. I also began a laser treatment for permanent hair removal. Both are new territory for me, but, so far, I am v. happy of this ^smooth^ choice. Ah ah ah.
Social Life:
The 30th of August was my 31st birthday which I celebrated together with Richard's* leaving do at the local pub, which recently received a ^poncification^. I was lucky enough to find an Italian bar-woman who prepared me delicious Bellinis with freshly squeezed raspberries all night long. Despite the absence of some good friends, the party was successful. A group of us ended up crashing at Richard's, on the sofa, one on top of each others. Great fun. In the morning, four of us, with smudged make-up and aching bodies, decided to conclude the fiesta with an organic breakfast in Queen's Park. What a great birthday! Thanks to all, again!
*He is off to experience this world and I am following him with the atlas and my mind.
Sunday just past, we had a ^Haircut Day^ at Vale's, who, after 30 years of house-sharing, has finally got her own space and is over the moon (her, not her house). Four of us gathered for a Spanish-inspired lunch followed by a haircut session with a premier stylist from Tony & Guy.
Facebook - my blessing and my ruin. Thanks to Facebook (even if I was not here, I have always been there, BTW), I found two old friends: Eli, who I met when I had just arrived from Italy and she was about to leave for Milan, and Betta, a girl with whom I have been glued for the four months I have lived in Venice. She was a student at the time and I was an intern at La Biennale di Venezia. They are both back in London, one with a lovely English husband (what a coincidence!) and one with a new sparkling job! But thanks to Facebook, I also forgot to invite some friends to my party. Che figura!
Entertainment:
I went to Gwen Stefani concert last weekend and it was fun. She is so cool - an uplifting model of glam and energy. Both her style, burlesque and sophisticated, and her music, (hip) pop with a twist, distinguish her from the other crap artists such as Sugarbabes or Britney. She was really personal as well, a very well tailored approach to her fans, mainly scrappy teenagers, tasteful children, stylish gays, chameleon-type women, exuberant ladies and us (I am not sure where we fell into).
I saw Two Days in Paris at the cinema and loved it because it reflected, in many ways, the relationship between myself and Lofty, at both cultural and personal level. Lofty had the same impression and found this rather embarrassing. Ehm... ehm....
I also watched Atonement and its first crucial scene at the villa was exactly as I imagined it. Whereas the war scene, although slow going as it was in the book, on the big screen it kinda lost its rhetorical function of making the personal story epic. Admittedly, it would be a boring story had you not read the book, an inner path towards an horrendous awareness and a painful process of atonement, indeed.
I read three books by Kundera and am about to start his masterpiece, the Unbearable Lightness of Being, for the second time. Kundera and his quotes deserve their own raison d'etre.
I watched tons of Kusturica's films, including documentaries and interviews. I love that man. He is, artistically speaking, at the antipodes of my other idol: Almodovar. The former is manly, rough and chaotic, whereas the latter is stylish, feminine and fame-adamant. But both are colourful, folkloric, in love with their countries and uplifting.
Holidays: No holidays till Christmas. Sigh. But in three weeks I am doing a SPA Day in Bath and we have just booked a trip to Italy/Finland for Christmas/New Year. Yuppy! So, much of my time has been spent planning for this adventure with other 10 people from all over Europe. More to follow.
Family issues: My buddy has got a new job! Yu Hhuuu. And il culone is in gardening leave for nonetheless than three weeks. Scusate se e' poco! I proposed him to go to Italy for a couple of weeks to learn the language, but how can we plan accommodation, course and flight in three days? Unless he goes and stays at my parents... I threw the coin at him and I am waiting for a response... or reaction. Eh eh eh....
Shopping:
I bought myself a huge bookshelf which is doing my life much easier. I have started cataloging all my books by genre and sub-genre. Next pile to tackle will be CDs and DVDs, for which I bought a ^tower^.
As a good Londoner, I could not not to own a pair of Converse trainers, low cut in optic white (for now) framed by a red stripe (in other words, the most common shoes in London earth).
In August I spent a week with my mother looking for the perfect dress for the book launch we never did (it has been post-poned and trans-posed: it'll be some time in Jan and in Brussels instead of Florence). And the dress we found is unusually black and less than perfect. On the contrary, it was source of shame. A dedicated post will elaborate on this.
Finally, I got a tunic dress in silk and seventies print, which I inaugurated at Gwen's concert, and the longest earrings you can find in the market.
Next purchases: a powerful laptop, a duffle coat (or montgomery coat) from Gant and skii trousers by Stella McCarthy for Adidas - savings allowing. ; )
Makeover: I have a new haircut - the usual sixties bob but with a long fringe thrown on one side - and a new colour: ^rich chocolate^. I also have - here I am going to be really personal - a Brazilian bikini. I had it done in August for the first time in my life and am now addicted to it - I have just had a second one this afternoon. I also began a laser treatment for permanent hair removal. Both are new territory for me, but, so far, I am v. happy of this ^smooth^ choice. Ah ah ah.
Social Life:
The 30th of August was my 31st birthday which I celebrated together with Richard's* leaving do at the local pub, which recently received a ^poncification^. I was lucky enough to find an Italian bar-woman who prepared me delicious Bellinis with freshly squeezed raspberries all night long. Despite the absence of some good friends, the party was successful. A group of us ended up crashing at Richard's, on the sofa, one on top of each others. Great fun. In the morning, four of us, with smudged make-up and aching bodies, decided to conclude the fiesta with an organic breakfast in Queen's Park. What a great birthday! Thanks to all, again!
*He is off to experience this world and I am following him with the atlas and my mind.
Sunday just past, we had a ^Haircut Day^ at Vale's, who, after 30 years of house-sharing, has finally got her own space and is over the moon (her, not her house). Four of us gathered for a Spanish-inspired lunch followed by a haircut session with a premier stylist from Tony & Guy.
Facebook - my blessing and my ruin. Thanks to Facebook (even if I was not here, I have always been there, BTW), I found two old friends: Eli, who I met when I had just arrived from Italy and she was about to leave for Milan, and Betta, a girl with whom I have been glued for the four months I have lived in Venice. She was a student at the time and I was an intern at La Biennale di Venezia. They are both back in London, one with a lovely English husband (what a coincidence!) and one with a new sparkling job! But thanks to Facebook, I also forgot to invite some friends to my party. Che figura!
Entertainment:
I went to Gwen Stefani concert last weekend and it was fun. She is so cool - an uplifting model of glam and energy. Both her style, burlesque and sophisticated, and her music, (hip) pop with a twist, distinguish her from the other crap artists such as Sugarbabes or Britney. She was really personal as well, a very well tailored approach to her fans, mainly scrappy teenagers, tasteful children, stylish gays, chameleon-type women, exuberant ladies and us (I am not sure where we fell into).
I saw Two Days in Paris at the cinema and loved it because it reflected, in many ways, the relationship between myself and Lofty, at both cultural and personal level. Lofty had the same impression and found this rather embarrassing. Ehm... ehm....
I also watched Atonement and its first crucial scene at the villa was exactly as I imagined it. Whereas the war scene, although slow going as it was in the book, on the big screen it kinda lost its rhetorical function of making the personal story epic. Admittedly, it would be a boring story had you not read the book, an inner path towards an horrendous awareness and a painful process of atonement, indeed.
I read three books by Kundera and am about to start his masterpiece, the Unbearable Lightness of Being, for the second time. Kundera and his quotes deserve their own raison d'etre.
I watched tons of Kusturica's films, including documentaries and interviews. I love that man. He is, artistically speaking, at the antipodes of my other idol: Almodovar. The former is manly, rough and chaotic, whereas the latter is stylish, feminine and fame-adamant. But both are colourful, folkloric, in love with their countries and uplifting.
Holidays: No holidays till Christmas. Sigh. But in three weeks I am doing a SPA Day in Bath and we have just booked a trip to Italy/Finland for Christmas/New Year. Yuppy! So, much of my time has been spent planning for this adventure with other 10 people from all over Europe. More to follow.
Family issues: My buddy has got a new job! Yu Hhuuu. And il culone is in gardening leave for nonetheless than three weeks. Scusate se e' poco! I proposed him to go to Italy for a couple of weeks to learn the language, but how can we plan accommodation, course and flight in three days? Unless he goes and stays at my parents... I threw the coin at him and I am waiting for a response... or reaction. Eh eh eh....
Shopping:
I bought myself a huge bookshelf which is doing my life much easier. I have started cataloging all my books by genre and sub-genre. Next pile to tackle will be CDs and DVDs, for which I bought a ^tower^.
As a good Londoner, I could not not to own a pair of Converse trainers, low cut in optic white (for now) framed by a red stripe (in other words, the most common shoes in London earth).
In August I spent a week with my mother looking for the perfect dress for the book launch we never did (it has been post-poned and trans-posed: it'll be some time in Jan and in Brussels instead of Florence). And the dress we found is unusually black and less than perfect. On the contrary, it was source of shame. A dedicated post will elaborate on this.
Finally, I got a tunic dress in silk and seventies print, which I inaugurated at Gwen's concert, and the longest earrings you can find in the market.
Next purchases: a powerful laptop, a duffle coat (or montgomery coat) from Gant and skii trousers by Stella McCarthy for Adidas - savings allowing. ; )
Thursday, 1 March 2007
various news
- after 40 odd years, my mum has stopped smoking (!). my friend ilenia had to email me when she heard the news, which i am breaking only now because, after two months she (my mum) hasn't touched a fag, it is more credible. she is putting on weight though, so she is getting into walking a lot, but not into revising her diet... one step at the time.
- alice is still in hospital. she is a bit itterica (= yellow) and needs to undergo a photonic therapy (= under a lamp).
- steve had an accident and lia's back wheel came off. auch. the bike is fixable and steve came out uninjured - just about. so, it is okay.
- today at yoga i have been invited to think of *small deaths*... and then let them go, of course. a small death is the end of something implied by a change. so today i tried to enter my poses in a different way, for a change, and also to see what would happen, but i was too concentrated in overcoming the pain of my joints with the pranayama to notice any change. it will arrive that moment though... millimetre after millimetre...
- work is getting interesting: i got my KBOs (key business objective) and a couple are just scary, but exciting, especially when i will hand over my strategy plan to the company.
- today i could smell spring in london. it is coming, people. happy march!
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Friday, 22 December 2006
Tuesday, 19 December 2006
announcement
... i am not pregnant, i am not getting married, i am not moving back to italy (yet),
but i am proud to announce that my cutie-pie of a cousine, at the green age of 15 (his birthday was yesterday, happy birthday cugino!) has set up his first blog narrating his main passion (cyclism) and the hard life of a biker ...
p.s. some grammar improvements still need to be implemented, especially the missing *hs*, which, as all the italian speakers know, are vital to support a sentence (he assured me that he was simply saving them ~ the *hs*). but there is valuable content in there and some candid messages. : )
I have just noticed that he linked me to his blog as a *bellissimo blog*... Let me stop here before i get too emotional.
how my friend described her pregnancy:
"... si muove molto. a volte si vedono i suoi arti spostarsi nella mia pancia e altre si punta sotto la gabbia toracica tanto da togliermi il fiato... ma ti assicuro che è una sensazione meravigliosa! ..."
"... she moves a lot. sometimes you can see her limbs moving in my bump and other times she plants herself underneath my chest, making me breathless... but i ensure you that it is a wonderful sensation! ..."
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