My weekend and my new microwave.

It is a nice and relaxing weekend. Finally. No need to work on Sunday, my turn to keep the emergency phone (for the students, "just in case") is over. It's quite stressful to have this phone active 24/24. You need to remember to keep it always on you, the bettery should be always charged etc. Sometimes the students call without a really good reason: the light bulb in their bedroom got burnt or there's a dead pigeon in front of their appartment; whereas the reason we keep it is for a real emergency: someone is hurt, someone needs to be taken to a doctor/hospital, sth got stolen, etc.

Anyway, yesterday we went out with some friends (and my bf's brother and his gf who came from Milano for a short holiday) and we had a great time together. First, we had some pizza in an open air restaurant followed by a stroll in the historical center. We had a drink in a bar (mine was called "pick me up" and I can't really explain where its name derived from) and then (at 00.30!) we opted for some pancakes with Nutella in one of the most famous "creperias".

My plans to go to the beach unfortunately fell through: the weather is quite changeable this weekend and you can't really rely on it. Then I had this idea (you know this little light that out of the blue appears in your head..) to visit the new commercial center they opened close to Catania (it's called Katané) but after I gave it some thought, I arrived at the conclusion it could be extremely crowdy today: it's Sunday and I'm sure there are plenty of people as curious as I am therefore we've postponed it until a later date. We're having a blissful day at home instead.

What I really wanted to write about is what has happened to me quite recently (and about what I couldn't write earlier because of lack of time). Some weeks ago we bought this new microwave oven since the last one we had suddenly stopped working.



We brought it home, started using it but it wasn't until some days ago that I noticed something really strange about it... I was cleaning my kitchen when all of a sudden I noticed this:


There wouldn't be anything particular about this message if it wasn't written... in Polish! Let's face the truth: it happens to me to find some Polish instructions on the electro-domestic products but only because these products are sold to many different countries and there's one only manual that should serve everyone (it's usually "a book" with 100 pages divided into "chapters" written in various languages). It's amazing though to see a writing like that written ONLY in Polish on a product I bought in Italy. So I think it's a sign. Maybe it's stupid but the message describing only the technical characteristics of the device made me smile. I felt warmth growing in my heart and it wasn't even that I noticed this message in a difficult, "nostalgic" moment, no. But I believe it somehow was meant to be. Did anything like that ever happen to you too?

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4 lists.

I haven't been blogging in a while, it's all about the hard time at work we're having at present. I really hope that next week will be much easier and that I'll be able to catch up with the posts.

8 THINGS (PART II)

Anyway, some days ago I was tagged by Ella (thanks!!!) so I'd like to answer some more "8 things" questions:

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

• having my parents here, in Sicily for holiday in July
  
• going to Poland in September
• looking for a new appartment in about a year
• choosing the paint colours (you can be sure there'll be a lot of violet, purplish, lavender and lilac) and the furniture to be put in it (most from Ikea, I bet)
  
• getting a puppy
• planning my trip to a nice ski resort in December or January
• going to New York and Japan
• buying some new clothes

8 shows I watch

• Grey's Anatomy (episode 10, series 5)
• Everwood (about to start series no.3)
• Lost (episode 22, series 1)
• Brothers & Sisters (about to start series 3)
• Prison Break (espisode 16, series 4)
• Verissimo (Italian entertainment & gossip show presented by Silvia Toffanin that I watch every Saturday from 3.30 to 6.30 pm while I'm ironing)
• Amici di Maria De Filippi (Italian talent show)
• I loved Felicity!!!

Some posts ago, Sarah has asked me to post the:

MY MUST SEE MOVIES

here we go then:

• Ocean's Eleven
• Amélie
• Notting Hill
• Erin Brockovich
• Lost in Translation
• L'ultimo Bacio
• Love Actually
• Gladiator
• American Gangster
• Man on Fire

Then, Sarah again asked me for a list of

MY FAVOURITE CELEBRITIES

Here you go:

• Edyta Gorniak, a Polish singer, please visit this website and listen to this voice: isn't she amazing??!!!
  
• Jessica Alba (see my previous post)
  
• Michelle Hunziker (beautiful, intelligent and talented: a real Miss Independent)
  
• Leonardo DiCaprio (first I considered him a gorgeous heartthrob: I went to the cinema with my friend M. 3 times to see Titanic and 2 to see Romeo & Juliet but then I grew up and I think he's an outstanding actor with an incredible potential)
• Marilyn Monroe (I know I'm not very original but I really love her for everything she was and everything she did as a person and actress)
• Barack Obama (because he made us believe that WE CAN)
  
• Beyoncé (for her heavenly voice)
• David Beckham (OF COURSE)
• Jennifer Lopez (she can't sing neither is she a great actress but she has THIS something. Definitely.)
• Elisa (another singer and another Italian: I love her for her voice and being descrete and normal like us)

I'm sure that the more I think, the more I can add to those lists. Well, that's what blogging is about: you can always deepen and elaborate on the arguments : )

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How HOW is it possible???

I'm not pregnant, nor I would like to be in the nearest future. Did Jessica Alba think about a downfall in her career when finding out she was pregnant at the age of 26 in the peak of her blossoming career? I don't know. Nonetheless the fact, the baby I mean, didn't at all prevent her from taking part in one of the most amazing Campari campaigns. She gave birth to Honor on June 7 2008 and just after a couple of months she was invited to take part in this wonderful project. But do you really think it is possible to look like this after a nine-month pregnancy??!!


I mean how on earth... And maybe, maybe I could believe it's all about the Photoshop but not after seeing her pictures with Honor taken in the Hyde Park or doing some shopping with her husband... She looks so amazing!!!

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Chanel...

I know I'm being boring but I just couldn't resist... I'm writing about another commercial...

Chanel no.5 has always been a symbol. A symbol of elegance, vogue, grace and luxury. Since 1921 (the year in which the perfume was officially introduced), Chanel invested lots of money promoting its product (even though, to my mind, this particular brand doesn't really need it, I could bet it would sell like hot cakes even without it) asking the most famous actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Estella Warren to become spokesmodels for the fragrance.

Have you already seen the newest Chanel no.5 commercial-film with Audrey Tautou (yes, that's the one who interpreted Amélie in Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain 8 (!!!) years ago)? It's sooo beautiful... Audrey is another person/character here: more sensual and "adult" but her intense look, the brightness and sincerity of her eyes remained the same. As always, I want you to savour the longer version of the commercial (2'20min). If you would like to see the interviews with the actress and the director, visit the official website of Chanel5.

Just after seeing that one, I have to show you the earlier commercial of Chanel no.5 starring Nicole Kidman. Please notice the interesting coincidence: Tautou shot the spot just after completing her newest film "Coco avant Chanel", in which she interpreted no one else but the famous designer. Plus, the director of the commercial is Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the same who directed "Amélie"! On the other hand, we have Nicole who agreed to shoot the commercial just after her famous performance in "Moulin Rouge!" (which became a strong inspiration for the plot of the spot itself) and again, both the film and the commericial were directed by the same person: Baz Luhrmann. By the way, have you known that the three-minute commercial produced for Chanel No. 5 perfume made Kidman the record holder for the most money paid per minute to an actor after she reportedly earnedmillion for the 3 minute advert?!

I think I prefer the one with Nicole. Cannot really explain why... Maybe because I will always associate Audrey with the role of young, naive, sweet Amélie (unfortunately this is an example of so called trap-movies that tend to "trap" an actor in a particular role forever...). Maybe Nicole is more convincing?

And you? Which one do you like more? Please let me know : )

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Thirst for happiness...

Hello everyone! This week (and the next one as well) is quite tough for me, we have new students' arrivals at school so there's plenty of work. Therefore I'm sorry for lack of posts in this period. Finally real Sicilian spring has come, we've got sunny hot long days and short warm nights. I hope to go to the beach the next weekend! : )

Anyway, apart from that, look what I spotted on the Italian tv this week. The new Coca- Cola commercial. Intriguing. First watch, and then I'll translate it for you.

"My name is Giulia and I live in Pisa. Everyone has been speaking about the crisis lately; I am optimist, maybe because all I need are simple things: I prefer riding my bike to going by a super car, I prefer going on holiday to my Granny to staying in a holiday resort, I prefer pizza to sushi, and a sandwich with salami to the caviar. More than going to a gala dinner, I prefer staying at home and eating ragù (typical Italian meat sauce) prepared by Mum. And then all to play the cards!"

And the caption: "The happiness at the table doesn't come to crisis".

So I like this ad for two reasons. The first one is its beauty in its simplicity. In times when the more sth costs the better it is, the more elaborated sth is, the more quality it obtains, it's nice to see sth so incomplex, transparent and uncomplicated. Not many colours used, images which don't "jump" and change on the screen every split second, and most of all, the beautiful meaning and description of happiness in life. I must confess, I'm not like Giulia. I often forget about things she mentioned. Dinner is a normal thing, after all. I like going to holiday resorts, I enjoy dressing up for some important events... Wrong, wrong WRONG. Everything is fleeting and impernanent (look: crisis). I should be happy with things I have and not crave for more and more everyday...

The second thing I like about this ad is that in just a brief 30sec spot it shows us so many features/characteristics we associate with the Italians. Giulia mentioned: Pisa (and you can see the famous leaning Tower in the background) pizza, "panino con salame" (sandwich with salami), ragù and playing cards (this popular Italian hobby I haven't discovered until when I came to Italy actually). That's incredible. So I just wonder if you have seen this ad in your countries and how it is different from this one. What for example would a Spanish girl say? I prefer paella? And an English girl: I prefer fish and chips? What about the pastimes? In Sri Lanka: "..and then all to play cricket!", in Japan: "...and then all to do Ikebana!"?

Or maybe you've seen some other spots describing the nature/habits of a particular nation?

Please let me know, I'm awfully curious! : )

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Viralogy.

Dear Bloggers,

Thanks to Joseph, my blog was submitted to Viralogy. Vote for my blog, please (if you like it, of course) : )

Thank you!!!!

Yours,

Jo.

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Cannes 2009. The poster.

I love cinema. I love watching films. And so I love film festivals. In the US there's the Oscar ceremony. In Europe there's the Festival De Cannes. This year (May 13-24) the Festival caught my attention before even starting because of the official poster.

The official poster : The official poster of the 62nd Festival de Cannes is inspired by a photogram of l’Avventura (1960), the timeless masterpiece of that master of film, Michelangelo Antonioni. The poster was created by Annick Durban.

To my mind, it is incredibly beautiful and captivating. At first glance, you can't see much, just a female silhouette. You can't see neither her face nor her smile, you don't know what colour of eyes she has or how big her nose is. Nevertheless you don't mind it. What you can really see is a alluring woman in a gorgeous black dress looking out of the window. On the official webiste you can read "A mysterious female silhouette, caught in mid-movement, seems to be opening a window onto the magic of cinema and invites us into a dream." The female "protagonist" looks sooooo charming, sexy and... intelligent. Everything is soo classy about her: the outfit, the hairdo, even the posture. She's Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe mixed together.

And I think this is what cinema should be about. It creates impressions, it welcomes us to the world of dreams. Of course there are good films and bad films; films that we're going to remember forever, and those ones we forget after a few days. And this is how you recognize the good cinema. Something always remains. It could be a particualr scene, a shoot, maybe an actor. What is important is the class and style. And you can't learn it by attending a school (to name at least one, one of the most prestigious school in the world is the Lee Straberg Theatre and Film Institue in NY and Los Angeles). No. You just have it or you don't. As a film director, an actor, a choreographer, set designer etc. Whatever. You can't measure the quality, just like you can't measure the style and charm something or somebody possesses.

Maybe this seems quite radical what I have just said and maybe many of you will not share the same opinion. Never mind, I just had to express myself, get it off my chest.

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Another tag! 8 things...

I was tagged again! This time by Mary Evelyn. It's about responding these questions:

Eight things I like:

• the sea in Sicily
  
• hot chocolate
  
• Vanilla ice-cream
  
• light suntan
  
• pink and violet
  
• sleeping
  
• reading in bed
  
• presents (giving and receiving)
  
  

Eight things I did yesterday:

• worked 10 hours with one 20min break
  
• recharged my cell phone
  
• had pasta con pomodoro for dinner
  
• watched "Yes, man" with Jim Carrey. Very VERY good. I highly recommend it! : )
• read some of my favourite blogs and posted some comments
  
• bought plane ticket to Poland (yes, I'm going to PL for 2 (TWO) weeks in September, yuppppiii!)
  
• had a shower
  
• rode my scooter
  

Eight things I wish I could do:

• have 60 days of holidays/year
  
• ride a horse
  
• dance ballet
  
• meet Beckham in person
• play the piano
• knit and sew
  
• go out right this minute and buy a dog
  
• have more time for reading

Eight things I don't like:

• the smell of fish and seafood
• hoovering (vacuum cleaning)
  
• teaching cheeky, dense and mindless students
  
• feeling helpless
  
• waking up early (before 8.00 a.m.)
  
• travelling by ship (seasickness)
  
• lying
  
• being at home when there's no water or/and electricity
  

So now, according to the tradition I should ask my blog friends to answer these questions as well. I'm curious, so Sarah, Al, Hezabelle, Sara, PMA, Cee, AJ go for it!!

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I got an award! The Awe-Sum Award!

Wow, I think nothing could make my day better today... Horrible, stressful time at work, sunny warm morning which changed into cloudy, cold afternoon, things that kept slipping through my hands, etc... And then I came back home and saw this: "jo i gave you an award on my blog!" I couldn't believe my eyes! : ) Thanks so much for this, Sarah!

The rules: List seven things that make me awe-summm and then pass the award on to seven other people who I think are fabulously awe-summm.

Well, difficult to find them right now, but let me think..

1. I can untie and disentangle anything: knots, charms, neck chains, etc.

2. I can fall asleep everywhere (no need for earplugs even if my neighbours are having a a party all night long)

3. I can do many things at the same time: last Sunday afternoon I was watching Everwood while I was ironing, in the meantime I burned 3 cds for my English classes, drank a cup of coffee and talked to my Mum on the phone (using headset).

4. The last time I lost sth was many years ago (don't even remember what it was)
5. I can speak 4 languages
6. I inherited quite a green finger from my Grandma (look at the pics of my terrace)
7. I never forget to remove my make up at the end of the day.

Pheeew... I haven't bragged so much in my life since the kindergarten years, I believe.

Now I'm passing this award to: Working Girl, Natalie, Hezabelle and Tesni. Congratulations!

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Heineken. Made to entertain (?) (!)

So a few weeks ago I saw this commercial on TV. I'm not a huge fan of beer commercials to be honest. They're usually about men and Barbie dolls dancing. Heineken though tends to be more intelligent about promoting its product. We all know men love beer, right? We all know that most men who drink beer are not the most smart in the world, correct? You should admit that when you think about a man who's drinking beer, you imagine him with a belly. Well, this is the only thing Heineken doesn't seem to see (unfortunately). In spite of this, Heineken admits and accepts all these stereotypes we normally associate with beer and men together and want people to laugh about it. Result? Very funny commercials which reveal the whole pure truth about men (our boyfriends?) men and their friends (our boyfriends' friends?), women (watch the second spot) and drinking in general.

What I like about the Heineken's philosophy is that it doesn't want to distinguish its product from the other companies by pretending that this particular drink is made for some kind of intellectuals, geeks, people with money, power, etc. No, it fully understands what kind of men are "into their product" (i.e. NORMAL people)

The second spot, instead is soooo real and sooo about us, girls! Here, not only does the commercial give us a very thorough observation of men's character but also women's! Don't you recognize yourself in one of these women? : ) I do... : )

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I'm back!

Hello everyone! This weekend passed sooo quickly! : ) To my surprise, I managed to entirely follow the program I prepared before leaving! : ) The weather was gorgeous, we stayed in a wonderful hotel and ate delicious food in various bars/restaurants. I love Milan (and Rome too!). If I was to choose I would definitely move to one of those cities immediately. (Un)fortunately "serce nie sluga" (it's in Polish and if translated would be sth like: "the heart knows no master"). In this case, I wouldn't associate this with a person but with a person and his work together. Nevertheless it's nice I have possibility to come back there now and then, to visit various cities and countries, to be able to travel during the holidays. I can't complain, I'm lucky. Please take a look at some of the pics I took and tell me what you think about this city : )

1. The hotel and Navigli

The hotel is situated in Navigli district. According to the travelplan:

"The origins of the Navigli date back to about 1100, but this stretch of water was only made navigable from the Ticino to the center of Milan at the end of the 14th century, to help transport the marble that was needed to build the Duomo. The Milan Wharf, that was an important commercial port for river transport for many centuries, was still working up to the end of the Second World War, and then closed permanently in 1979.

Today the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese (that connects Milan to Pavia) make up one of the most charming places in Milan, with the old, typical “case di ringhiera” houses, antique shops and hundreds of clubs standing on each side, that are invade the banks of the rivers from April to September with their open-air tables."

To our surprise during the weekend there was the annual art exhibition (which I had no idea even existed) along the canal. More than 200 Italian artists showed and sold their pieces of art. It was amazing!







2. Fashion, design & Vogue exhibition








3. Things we saw, places we visited

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Dress Code.

I wanted to talk about the dress code on the occasion of this year's Ascot races. I don't know if you've heard but in order to participate in the event, you're obliged to conform to very strict rules concerning the outfit. Got to the official Royal Ascot website and read...

"Her Majesty’s Representative wishes to point out that only formal day dress with a hat or substantial fascinator will be acceptable. Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch and miniskirts are considered unsuitable. Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and colour.

Gentlemen are required to wear either black or grey morning dress, including a waistcoat, with a top hat. A gentleman may remove his top hat within a restaurant, a private box, a private club or that facility’s terrace, balcony or garden. Hats may also be removed within any enclosed external seating area within the Royal Enclosure Garden.

Overseas visitors are welcome to wear the formal national dress of their country or Service dress.

Ladies and Gentlemen not complying with the above dress regulations will be asked to leave the Royal Enclosure and relieved of their Royal Enclosure badge."

You can even take a look at the imagines taken during the previous Ascot events which show outfits that were (are) suitable and unsuitable... Wow... I think we need something like this also in our school. How is it possible that despite the fact my place of work is called a school, the (mostly American) students tend to dress as if they were at the Miami beach bar?! Ok, we are in Sicily but that doesn't mean students con wear bikinis, sarongs and flip flops to school! I'm not the most conservative person in this world but rules are rules and they should be respected.

Talking of Ascot, this year it's Vivienne Westwood (together with the legendary hat-maker Stephen Jones) who leads the way in fashion and style and gives all the directions for those who will participate. Westwood, who I always associated with punk style, craziness and bright screaming colours, this time surprised us all. The dresses she created are more "polite" than ever, the colours are subdued, it seems as if the Queen Elizabeth II herself participated in the whole "process". I like this pastel dress in particular.

Complimenti, Mrs Westwood! : )





PS. For those who are interested, those are links to Telegraph and Vogue's articles (1) (2)on the Ascot event.

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Milan, I'm coming!

Next weekend my bf, his parents and I are going to Milan for weekend. We visit that city quite frequently since my bf's brother lives and works there. I love Milan. I remember going to Milan for one of my very first dates with my bf (I flew from Warsaw, he flew from Catania). It was just as I imagined it. It was February (so quite chilly and cloudy). The city was clean, the public transport worked perfectly well (no delays!), I met skinny and tall like trees models in the underground. There were art exhibitions and concerts, and to my astonishment, shops were open from 9.00 to 8.00 p.m. without the famous siesta break from 1.00 to 4.00 (which you can "experience" even in Rome). There aren't many spots to sightsee, though. There's the famous Forzesco castle (amazing!) but apart from that, it's all about art, shopping and having good fun (i.e.what Jo actually loves).

What is my plan? It's just 2.5 days (Friday-Sunday) so in order to do many things it should be well planned and organized.

FRIDAY
1. 12.00 noon arrival at the airport
2. 13.00 check-in at the hotel, a short nap + a quick shower
3. 15.00-20.00 Shopping in the Corso Buenos Aires, Piazza San Babila and Piazza del Duomo
(Shops I cannot miss: Zara, Bershka, H&M, Furla, Bagatt, Geox, Tezenis etc....)
4. 20.30 Dinner in a fancy restaurant

SATURDAY
8.00 wake up
8.45 breakfast
9.00 leaving the hotel
9.30 visit at the Palazzo Reale (Duomo) to see the art exhibition dedicated to Monet
11.30 visit at the Palazzo della Ragione to see a photo exhibition organized by Vogue America (with the collaboration of Dolce&Gabbana) entitled Extreme Beauty in Vogue.
13.00 free for lunch
15.00-16.30 visit at the Planetario (lecture "Stories told by the stars: costellations, myths and leggends" and a guided observation of the sky)
17.00-18.30 rest at the hotel
19.00 a classical music concert
21.00 dinner

SUNDAY
9.00 visit at the Pinacoteca di Brera which offers an amazing journey in time thanks to the collection of exquisite pieces of arts (paintings, sculptures, drawings, etc) by the greatest artists in history; to name just a few: Rubens, Van Dyck Canaletto, Caravaggio or Rembrandt)
13.00 lunch
14.00 check out from the hotel
18.00 departure for Catania

Well, that should be it. Hopefully my plans will not fall apart. keep your fingers crossed and wish me good luck/a good journey! : )

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Politics. Hope. Obama.

I am not very much into politics. I do not follow every news program neither do I read newspapers every day. I could even declare that for a long time I just despised politics. I associated it only with the never-ending debates, quarrels, intermittent conflicts and greed. Once a person I believed in got elected, they became avid, hateful and hideous. I mean, come on, let's face the truth, once a man/woman becomes an important politician, power and money takes place of honour, values and need to help others. And both countries I have lived in proved that. However since Obama "appeared on the horizon", I have started to warm to the idea that politics could mean something more, something different, something positive. I work at the American University and I remember very well that day when Obama got elected the President. There was serenity and happiness in the air that day. Some students cried, the others cheered the strangers in the streets. It was a significant moment for the US but not only. For us as well. For me. Not that I immediately knew he would change the course of the events, no. But I believed. Plus he seems (IS) sooo normal. He is not the kind of a stiff, serious VIP seen only during the press conferences in Armani suit: always smiling, always perfect. Obama plays basketball, accompanies his daughters to school, walks his dog Bo, goes jogging, listens to IPod,. He is not ashamed or embarrassed to kiss his wife in front of other (sometimes very important) people, etc. Therefore, even though it's been more than 100 days since Obama's victory, I need to post the pictures that, I'm sure, most of you have already seen: on TV, the Internet, some newspapers or magazines. I found a collection of 100 pictures of Obama on the NY Post website. Barack Obama: 100 days, 100 photos. Here's just a sample.

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Isn't it funny/stupid/useless/useful? (delete as applicable)

So I surfed the Net a little after my morning Saturday lessons, and this is what I came across on LuxLux... At first I thought it's stupid... then I thought hmmm why not, it could be even more effective than a normal air freshener in spray (whose smell usually wears off after 5-10 mins). The shop website is in Polish, so let me just tell you what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a floral powder for your vacuum cleaner (!) (?). According to the producer, "Flower of flowers, Peony red, majestic and refined, accompanies the bride. Pledging happiness and prosperity." WOW. Just think how promising this scent must be!

You just need to take 1-2 table spoons of the product, spill it on the floor and the vacuum it. Then vacuum the room and you feel like on your own wedding day on a warm spring day.... Isn't it fantastic? It costs about €10. But maybe it's worth it? What do you think?

PS. For those who are interested, the official site of the product: Esteban Paris.

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Palazzolo (part 2) Food and the Church.

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Palazzolo (part 1). Finally!

So as I promised (one week ago), I finally put the pictures from our outing in Palazzolo.

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