I know that guy!

You might recognize the guy standing on the right as the NYC's Major Michael Bloomber. All my ignorance can do, instead, is to trust the guy on the left, Adam.

I want to dedicate this post to Adam Orford, not because he shows off for having shaken the NYC major hand once in his life, but rather because I truly believe he is one of those who will be able to change a bit of this world for the better.

Adam was the first foreigner to land in the small community of AIESEC Catania back in 2002
after many years of trying to get someone brave enough into mighty Sicily.
He had quite an impact on a few people and some, I'm sure, have befriended him for a lifetime. I myself soon learned from Adam: I was back from my first long experience abroad and had to face the difficulties of reintegration right while Adam was copying with the Sicilian culture and the tough but always beneficial cultural shock of such experiences. I'll never forget when he told me "You guys always say "andiamo" but then it takes you at least 20 more minutes to really go!" I think it somehow helped me to see him going through that!

After Sicily, Adam sailed back to the US and enrolled in a prestigious university to get a law degree... I'll skip you the details but I must say that, though rarely written, Adam's long emails will keep you reading until the very last line!

To cut it short: Adam is now an environmental lawyer : "But I must admit that only in my wildest daydream could I have imagined events as they transpired - at the utmost I was hoping that somebody somewhere might mention to the right somebody else elsewhere that they were looking for somebody like me, and that I could get my name out enough that when the aforesaid mentioning occurred, my name might pop into a head or two - and yet blindest luck has dropped me exactly where I wanted to be: working for the big kahuna."

Adam, blind luck is to believe so much in something that the entire world will conspire to your advantage so as to let all opportunities stand out and make them easy to grasp... Keep rocking, Adam!

I'm hungry, I need a beer!

There is an anecdote with Franz Kafka: Once a friend of his, Max Brod, invited him to sleep in his house. He didn't know the house so when he got there he went into the wrong room where Max's father was sleeping. And Kafka said to him, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb. Consider me a dream.'

Two weeks in Prague and I still don't know if it's either a wrong room I entered or a dream; But things are moving... I joined acting classes at the Prague playhouse, had a game of squash hung around with Alena and our German/Aussie visitors Maurice and Katrin (it's not yet easy to get over Australia!) Tomorrow will go a trip outside Prague, Sunday another game of squash and more acting classes are in calendar too!

I'm slowly entering the job mechanism and started a few speaker hunting phone calls... it's interesting as I never really dealt with "selling"... but I look forward to working on my own conference, investigating a topic and designing an agenda!

By Frank Kafka I only read The Metamorphosis, of which I remember just a big insect and a promise not to read this author again! But many will disagree with me and at the time I had no clues my life would have unfold up until Prague... Under this circumstance, therefore, a second chance can be granted! But for such a task a beer may be needed!

I didn't use to drink it, but the legend of the cheapest drink in all Czech menus, the gift from heaven, the liquid bread (and so on) recently made the trick and few days ago a thought, that I had always considered impossible before, struck my mind for the first time in my life: I wish I could have a beer... and right now too!

Zoe

CONGRATULATION Andy and Fung... people keep looking for meaning in life, but I think the answer is as simple as it can get: life itself!! And you made it, though the toughest as to come yet as well as the best of it!

I bet everyone has told you how good parents you'll be... I couldn't agree more!!

Zoe looks terrific and I'm sure she is taking her time at the hospital because she needs to hear as much as she can about the world outside so as to get out ready to rock it!

Briefly about me... not as brand new, but still a bit of a new life: I'm in Prague now working as conference producer... social and working life are a bit slow at the moment but I just got here 10 days ago... and guess what?! I'm just coming from my first acting class!! Eh, eh... next open air Shakespeare you go to watch, look out for me on stage!! Which introduce me to my PR topic... having been back home for 3 months made me realized that Australia is too far away... I love it, yes, but the idea of slowly forgetting my roots, my family and friends just makes me sad... I don't think I'm going to apply anymore but just keep a good memory and let that same destiny I never believed to make its way through!!

Love you Andy, Fung and Zoe and I wish you all the best as you just deserve it!

Uncle Augusto, looking forward to showing Prague to Zoe and her parents ;)

Home from above

Sicily with a puff strip of smoke originating from Volcano Etna.

Wasn't me who took the photo!

Expanding...

What a day today... 07/07/07, new 7 wonders of the world have been chosen, 7 cities host the world wide broadcasted Live Earth event and more couple than usual are getting married all over the planet: Beauty, Environment and Love... What a blast... Ohh, and le Tour de France started!

And what's my contribution?!

It's said every day can be the first day of the rest of your life...
Yesterday I woke at 6.45am, took a shower, avoid breakfast (my stomach felt shrunk... and that's a big deal!) hugged my mother, drove to airport, hugged my father... hours later I landed in Prague where I'm now spending my first full day, where I got a new job soon to start and where my new life is about to unfold.

Feelings are all known: sadness for leaving and excitement for arriving... a weird mix I try to rationalize: real friends will never change, family is neverendingnomatterwhat love, expectations are kept low so that I have everything to gain.
Only thing is: Are those decisions taken under these circumstances and feelings worth to be implemented?! Do they give you clarity or are just emotions that run over your truth thinking?

A first glance to my new life: I live in a typical soviet grey ugly building, but it's a very nice apartment and got a great room.
Entering a supermarket is always fun to me and now I'm remembered of all those times where shopping in there is all about looking at pictures;
The swimming pool had no bench in the dressing room and of course I entered the ladies changing room.. Ops, how do you say MAN in Czech?!?

A calendar in the kitchen says: "Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one's courage" and I liked it very much, it makes me think a lot...

Puffff... that's a day of changes: Beauty, Environment, Love, Experiences... It does take some courage, doesn't it?!

Save Italy!

If there is a topic a get pessimist about, that's definitely Italy. I believe my country and its people feel the national spirit only every 4 years over the soccer world cup. Sometime we get lucky, we win it and that spirit will last a bit longer than that month of tournament.

Then there is all the rest, the real life: politics, economics, social life, education... and I get sad because I feel Italy is killing itself with corruption, with a few controlling the most, with NOT media freedom, with economical interested prevailing on the social ones, with rich aiming at becoming richer, with constant brainwashing!

Among all this, good things are many, for sure... but often, and that includes me, nothing and none with the guts of really trying to change things.

Today I would like to promote to my small international audience the figure of Beppe Grillo, a man who is dedicating his life denouncing all the robbery of politicians and people with economic power... a man gaining popularity once again (he has been blacked out several times from the media world) through his website that thousands of people visit everyday and which I consider the most relevant Italian hope for a better country... awareness needs to be risen and increased!..

Let's save the beautiful life of Italy!