Day 363: Back again

It's been a long time since my last post. Mostly, I've been very lazy about feeding this blog; then I just rushed out of ideas, so I thought it was going to be too monotone and I suspended it for a while, that had been a long while. Now I'm back again. Hopefully, this time I'll be much more dedicated, I'll bring new ideas and be stick to my goal of writing a few posts every week. Not a big deal, but from my point of view is a great step.

Zara. It's almost a year that I'm working there. Still with my 16 hours, my same contract and my stockroom overnight duties. I'm getting used to it, I've got lots of spare time that I can spend doing what I like most. Old colleagues leaving, new colleagues coming: always the same story, but I'm quite happy now that we are a nice bunch of people.  

Gym. That's my first passion and that's how I spend a good part of my free time. Now going to the gym much more frequently and early in the morning. Love to have my time when most of the machines are free. Treadmill, row, crunch and push-ups just to warm up, then it starts the real training. I want to get fit before start again doing Krav Maga: it's just a matter of few months, then I'll be back again. 

IELTS. Now I'm studying during most of my spare time. Getting better and better every day, and practising my skills to achieve a good score on the exam booked for the end of this month. I know it's really hard, not only for the required hours of study but even for the specific format, but I think I can do it. I'm quite confident of my skills, but sometimes it's just a matter of luck. In any case, my English is already getting to a new level, even if it wasn't really easy to get there when you're already good at it. 

Roadhouse. IMHO, that's the best club in London. And after a week of work, training and study, it is the best way out. I won't tell you how good they are at making cocktails (even because sometimes I can't remember it, LOL!), but wines and whiskies are good enough to let you enjoy the night. That's my usual way to rock my Fridays, so why don't you join me?!

Day 141: Health is Wealth

Health is wealth. "Health is one of those things we take for granted until we lose it". It's a quote from the book I'm reading. It made me think. It is strongly true. 

The same book suggests to just three things, very easy to accomplish.

1) Exercise regularly: those who don't make time for daily exercise, must eventually make time for daily illness. 

2) Avoid junk food: chemical treatments and meat contaminations are very dangerous for the health and they slow down our digestion and metabolism, making you sluggish and lazy.

3) Rest enough and get up early in the morning: sleeping at least six hours every night is fundamental to better work and enjoy the day. Waking up early in the morning (and going bed early in the night) gives you more energy and boosts your productivity, so you won't challenge every morning your watch and you'll be less stressed. 

Remember. If you lose your health, you lose everything because then your first aim will be reclaiming it again and you'll have less energy to focus on other important goals.

Young or old? "When we are young we sacrifice our health for wealth. But when we become old and wise, we become willing to sacrifice every bit of our wealth for just a day of good health" (R.S.).

Day 140: 20 weeks later...

Time flies. Today is exactly 20 weeks of London: 3360 hours, 201.600 minutes and 12.096.000 seconds. Now it really seems that I left Rome quite time ago. And I hardly realised it. Last time I wrote a post for this blog it was the end of January and now I've been thrown to the beginning of April. Lots of adventures, experiences, happy moments and even fearful instants.

February misadventure. Someone tried to mug me with a gun during one of my night walking around London. And he didn't except that I could react as I did, thanks to my Krav Maga skills learned in Italy. I sent him to the hospital: by now he should have learned that lesson.  All's well that ends well!

Second job. As I don't believe in God, I don't believe in coincidences, but sometimes opportunities are hidden where you least expect them. Thanks to English lessons through Meetup website, I got in touch with several people and I took the chance to start writing articles for a budding commercial website. Extra money is a good reason, brave new projects have always attracted me and last but not least in this way I won't lose my Italian writing skills. That's the way.

Rome break. At the end of February I went to Italy for a few days. It was great to see again my family and all my friends, but my impression was really negative. After more than three months away, Rome wasn't changed at all, in fact it was even worse. Same life, same shops, same people, same complaints: it was a distressing view. I was truly happy to leave again: that broad mood can drag everyone down and I was lucky to have the possibility to change. 

Cold spring. March went away very fast among long nights of work, great nights of fun and a really cold weather. It was sunny most of the days, but I didn't except this freezing cold in late March, so even during spring. Anyway, the weather is not a problem: after the first cocktail it's already gone! 

April is gonna be a tough month (and I even need to find a new room!)... 

Day 76: Book vs. e-Reader

I love books. Printed books. I really like the texture and the smell of different papers, the shape and the design of the covers. And the feeling of having them in my hands. After a friend’s suggestion, I started thinking about e-Reader, but I'm still not persuaded of buying it. So, let’s list pros & cons.

Books pros:

• Property. A paper book is something real. You own it, it’s yours. You can underline it, make notes in the margins and display in your bookshelf.
  
• All senses involved. Having a paper book is not just about reading. It involves more senses than just sight. Smell, touch and hearing are very involved in reading paper books.
  
• Libraries and used books. You can borrow books from libraries for free or just buy used ones. You can do book crossing. All that books can be read by dozens of people over their lifetime.

Books cons:

• Weight and space. Paper books are heavy and cumbersome. It can be awkward to transport them and sometimes it’s hard to keep them open at a certain page. Finally, you have to find the space to store them (and maybe buy a bookshelf).
  
• Perishability. It is just paper. So, real books are affected by dust, dampness, yellowing and silverfish. Then, you can easily damage or lose them.
  
• Cost and sustainability. Books have to be printed, packaged, and distributed. From paper to plastic and fuel: it is very expensive to create them. They have a real impact on the environment. However, at the end, they are easily recyclable.

e-Reader pros:

• Portability. A little larger than a paperback book cover, the e-reader can easily be transported everywhere: thousands of books in just 200gr.
  
• All-in-one. Dictionary, clock, internet browser: a great world is hidden inside this small and slight device. There are even many tools very useful for reading, like highlighting, notes and immediate translation of foreign words. 
  
• Privacy. People can't see what you are reading and you can protect your book (and device) with a password.

e-Readers cons:

• Cost and sustainability. e-Readers are very expensive (start from 89£)and then you have to buy the books (and you can’t buy used ones). As well as real books, e-Readers have to be manufactured, packed and shipped. What happens after? Are all parts recyclable or will they boost the e-waste mountain? No more trees and paper, but are we sure that will be better?
  
• Battery and lifetime. Reading depends on a battery. You can really be wishful to read a book, but if your battery is flat, you can’t. And you have to remember to charge the device. What if it suddenly stop working? What if it fall from your hand? And if it get stolen?

Great readers. A TerraPass study explains that "e-readers are the more environmentally responsible choice only if you are reading in excess of 23 books per year (almost two books every month)". But if the keyword is money, I don’t think I will buy an e-Reader.

Reading is culture and culture should be free. So, why pay for something that is already free? I’ve my answer, but…

What do you think?

Day 66: Let It Snow...

I've always loved the snow. It gives you a sense of peace and softness. It's nice to stay at home while everything outside becomes slightly white, the snow falls and slowly drifts, so the anonymous landscape of everyday ironically becomes more visible. The snow it is not so much, not a real storm like in Montreal, but it's enough to make me feel joyful and relaxed.

Keyword: organisation. A week ago, newspapers and TVs announced that today would have snowed. Everyone knew and everyone was prepared. Indeed, everything here is extremely organised. Clear and frequently updated information, closed schools, salt on the roads, reduced public transport but fully in service and open shops till late. No one is concerned, there is no reason to be. 

After all it's just snow, not the end of the world! So, let it snow... 

Day 62: Two Months in London

Sorry. It passed a long time since the last time I wrote a post: I'm sorry, but I was not able to constantly update this blog till now. Time is money as businessmen say: it's not my case, but here in my new life in London the time is short and there are always plenty of things to do. However, from now on I will try to be more consistent: it is one of my good intentions for the coming months and for this new year! 

Changes. Since the last time I wrote (3 Dec. 2012), much changed. Just few days after that date, I found a room in the beautiful area of Wood Green, just 6 minutes from the tube station and within walking distance to all major shops, groceries stores and shopping centre.

Beautiful job. My Zara job goes on well and every day I love and I'm passionate about more and more. Organization and precision have always been two of my main skills and being able to practice them at work makes me excited: it's always nice to receive compliments for your work! Indeed, it's really appreciable the British habit of thanking those who work at the end of their shift, as the manager will always say "thank you for your time"... it's preferable not to think to the Italian comparison!

The new year began under a lucky star. I decided that, as I was in London, my new year would have to be absolutely original. So, putting aside my shyness, I went to a meetup with other 250 people in a traditional British pub in St. James's Park. Funny and amazing night: I drank good wine, I watched the fireworks on the Thames from a great spot, and above all, I talked to many people and take ​​contacts of some of them to meet them again in the future. A great experience.

My English is going better every day: movies, books and conversations with different people are helping me a lot to improve my vocabulary and my pronunciation. But it can never be enough! Indeed, one of the goals in the coming months is definitely to attend more meet-ups and meet as many people who speak English as possible, to attend an advanced class in writing and conversation and to get the IELTS Certificate with a good score. More effort and commitment in 2013.

Among many good intentions, the first one is to be more punctual. Too many times in the two past months here I've been late and for the British punctuality does really matter. I'm not talking about work, except for once when I made a mistake calculating the travel time from my new home to job place, but especially in interpersonal relationships. I have to learn to better manage my time within the next two months: this is my goal!

Two more. Finally, in addition to the previously stated goal of learning to iron shirts, there are two more good intentions related to each other: sleep less and make special every new day. Seven hours each night will be enough because sleeping more is a luxury. I'm in London, so I wish I could take the best of every day, every hour, every minute, making it special for me, thanking to still be here every time the sun rises.

Lots of ideas for the coming months. Once again, time is short, so now I need to get dressed and go out to attend the next meet-up, before it's too late.

Stay tuned! (I stole this beautiful expression to a dear friend of mine!)