mercoledì 23 giugno 2010

A day in Palermo



So, yesterday I finally made it to Palermo!
It's a very interesting city to visit, but the most interesting thing to see there is, for sure, the Capuchin catacombs. If you plan to visit Sicily, you can't skip that place!

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It's nice too, to walk around the center of the city. It has a lot of monumental buildings, it's very full of turists and souvenirs shops, very chaotic... but nice.

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... and of course, like every city in Sicily, there is a lot of veeeeeeeery good food!!

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(That was the best Setteveli in the world!!)

I won't post pictures of mummies because not everyone would be happy to see them, but if you want to know more about the mummies of Palermo you should google "Palermo cappuccini mummie" or something similar. And, if you can understand Italian, you can take a look at the official website.

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And... something I recenly sent!

Snail mail

Snail mail

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More about Ho sognato la cioccolata per anni More about Gran Bretagna
Progress: 24/50

martedì 15 giugno 2010

You can't reread a phone call

Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company.
Lord Byron

And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
W.H. Auden

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.
Liz Carpenter

I consider it a good rule for letter-writing to leave unmentioned what the recipient already knows, and instead tell him something new.
Sigmund Freud

Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Politeness is as much concerned in answering letters within a reasonable time, as it is in returning a bow, immediately.
Lord Chesterfield

In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people's lives.
Anatole Broyard

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If you love LONG letters and you'd like to become a long-letters-writer, you could start by reading Joana's advices. The first part, and the second.
You can join the discussion in comments, or even here.

What's interesting, is the sort of "war" that seems to exist between long and short letters writers. I don't really like that. We don't have to fight. We all just have different ideas, tastes, requests. Penpalling is great because there isn't just a way to see it, but many. The thing is, the amount of people who can write a long letter is becoming smaller and smaller. Why?
Maybe our life pushes us to write less? We use cellphones, Facebook (well, I don't), Twitter, and everything around us is fast, we have to be fast too and use language in this rush. Not anymore to express our feelings, to open our minds... but just to update our status, to say where we are right now, to a world that doesn't really care.
Why, all around the world, young people seem to forget how to write in their mothertongue? Do we really need to be always so quick? What is the purpose of language, of writing, of penpalling?
Oh, no, I'm not against modernity... I love it. But I think that being smart means... to be able to keep the good from the past, and to use the better from the present. Don't you think?

Why, nowadays, everytime I say I keep a journal, they look at me like I was an alien? Is that so crazy? To indulge a bit, day by day, wondering about what I've done, what I lived... Yes, for sure we don't have a lot of free time now, and we have Internet, TV, and stuff. But I love Internet and still... I keep a journal.

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If you'd like to link my blog with a banner, you can use these:





(Do you need more sizes? Let me know!)

lunedì 14 giugno 2010

Still breathing


Do you like Lush? If you do, you should consider Lush UK. It's the cheapest online shop they have, and my first order went very smooth (with the Italian online shop, I always had weird problems!). Of course I've bought too much, but I loved Lemony Flutter and I'm very happy to have it! I love to feel all idratate and flavoured!

And, because UK is the best, there is another website you want to know: Bookdepository!
Without shipping cost, you can buy a lot of books (in English, of course) for very very cheap prices! I wonder if in UK it's normal to have such prices for books... If yes, I should live there. And, the site sells too some stationery. Labels, postcards, notebooks... you just have to search a bit. The "search system" is very messy I think, but not so bad.


I bought Anne Taintor's postcards! They're amazing!


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More about La casa delle sorelle More about Storia naturale della religione
More about Era ieri More about Roma. Itinerari, shopping, ristoranti, alberghi

Progress: 22/50

I still haven't found my BOOK OF THE YEAR, I have to say. Maybe I should read more by Cioran.

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I loved to spend some time signing the places where I've been, on the Trip Advisor's map.
Well, the problem is... To look at this map makes me sad! I've seen so little of the world! I really need to travel more!
For now, I'm planning to visit Palermo and Roma. What next? Who knows...
(You can click on the map to enlarge it, and navigate it as you like!)







martedì 1 giugno 2010

Tagged!

Snail mail
I did the Alice one! ^^

Snail mail

I was tagged by Joana to answer these questions:

1.When you were a child each band or singer was your favourite?
Oh my. I loved some pop, Italian bands, and that's a shame. XD I liked Laura Pausini, but just until I was like 12, and AQUA, and more.

2.If you could change your name, what would be the name you would pick?
I change my mind all the time about this. Today, I could say... Ginevra, or Rebecca, or Nadia. Or Lilith, or Zephyr. Who knows about tomorrow.

3.Mention five things that make you very upset.
Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. Mmh... and the lack of care from friends. I hate rudeness, often I'm SHOCKED about what people can say/do. I hate who does his/her work without even trying to smile. Aaand... another one... I HATE racism, any kind of it. To meet a racist person makes me very upset.

4.What do you do to protect Earth? (name a few things or just one)
I try, even if I'm not sure to really do something useful. I try to not waste energy or water. I don't leave my trashes around in natural areas (a lot of persons do that, on mount Etna!!), I try to use natural products.

5.Each book would you pick to go with you to other planet if life on Earth was in the end?
Wasted. :D (by Marya Hornbacher)

6.Are you terribly afraid of something?
To suffer and to die in boredoom. And robots, ah ah!

7.Name five people you would love to erase from Earth.
I don't think I could "erase" someone. There are some people I really don't like, maybe someone I hate, but I'm ok with their existence. I just would like them out of my way and, in case of very bad and "famous" people, I would like that Italy could not give so much attention to them. But not erase them, no.

8.Each one was the most beautiful moment of your life?
Mmmh, I guess it has to came yet.