7:12 PM, GMT+1
Yeah, it's happening. The Italians wanted the Americans to organize a Halloween party. Hooray!
In other news, I have decided that I will be using the final two days of my Eurail pass for going to Roma next weekend, after midterms.
Goddamn midterms.
In other other news, I've killed about 17 mosquitoes in the last three days. And they still keep coming...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Como-Lugano-Milan-Florence-Milan
Yeah, I was a busy bee. This was all over the course of like two days.
It's the girl's fault. Her parents were in town, so she decided to sit on a train for 5 hours to get to Lake Como. I tagged along, because it is significantly closer to me.
Anyway. We went to Lake Como, which is undoubtedly beautiful... but I think it was mildly overrated. We had lunch.. and then back on the train to get to Lugano.
I bought waaaay more chocolate in Lugano, and admired its beauty once again.
We went back, and somehow, I ended up on a train to Florence with Brittany and her parents. I slept on the floor of their 5-star hotel and woke up totally ache-free. Man, even the floor was awesome.
That was it.
It's the girl's fault. Her parents were in town, so she decided to sit on a train for 5 hours to get to Lake Como. I tagged along, because it is significantly closer to me.
Anyway. We went to Lake Como, which is undoubtedly beautiful... but I think it was mildly overrated. We had lunch.. and then back on the train to get to Lugano.
I bought waaaay more chocolate in Lugano, and admired its beauty once again.
We went back, and somehow, I ended up on a train to Florence with Brittany and her parents. I slept on the floor of their 5-star hotel and woke up totally ache-free. Man, even the floor was awesome.
That was it.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ever hated Italy? I have.
12:40 AM, GMT +1
Right now, I'm just angry, stressed, frustrated, disappointed... take a negative adjective, and it probably describes me right now.
The Trenitalia website lied to me. I'm not going to go into it... but basically it told me I could get to Athens from Battipaglia by bus, which took an hour.
Battipaglia is on the southwest coast of Italy.
For those of you who don't know geography (mom), Greece is to the east of Italy, and the only way to reach it from Battipaglia is by Ferry. Unless the fucking bus floats/sprouts wings and flies. The ferry takes 12 hours.
I really hate my life right now. I already had tickets to Battipaglia, Brittany was really excited to go to Greece, and I was excited to go with her. Now, nothing. We have to cancel the trip, cancel everything, and I'm stuck here going over a stupid presentation and a stupid Italian test for tomorrow with nothing to look forward to this weekend except calcio and depression. Oh, and a field trip in my fashion class-- Yay!
I swear to God, I am so incredibly angry right now, and I wish I could just go find a nice, quiet beach to go sit by for a few days.
Right now, I'm just angry, stressed, frustrated, disappointed... take a negative adjective, and it probably describes me right now.
The Trenitalia website lied to me. I'm not going to go into it... but basically it told me I could get to Athens from Battipaglia by bus, which took an hour.
Battipaglia is on the southwest coast of Italy.
For those of you who don't know geography (mom), Greece is to the east of Italy, and the only way to reach it from Battipaglia is by Ferry. Unless the fucking bus floats/sprouts wings and flies. The ferry takes 12 hours.
I really hate my life right now. I already had tickets to Battipaglia, Brittany was really excited to go to Greece, and I was excited to go with her. Now, nothing. We have to cancel the trip, cancel everything, and I'm stuck here going over a stupid presentation and a stupid Italian test for tomorrow with nothing to look forward to this weekend except calcio and depression. Oh, and a field trip in my fashion class-- Yay!
I swear to God, I am so incredibly angry right now, and I wish I could just go find a nice, quiet beach to go sit by for a few days.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Greece in four days!
10:21, GMT+1
That's right. And it's putting me back... 15.50 Euro a direction. Thanks for the Eurail pass, genitori. It's going to be a nine-hour train ride, but fortunately, it's a night train. Unfortunately, I'm sharing a cabin with four other people I don't know, and one I do. The ones I don't could be... interesting.
Sorry for the lack of continuous updates- I can't write about anything if things don't end up happening. But a few things have.
Last night, the Collegio threw a godawful party for some Collegio alum. It was... really, really bad. I stayed about thirty minutes and then returned to my room.
Today, though, Brittany and I went to Centrale (Milan's primary train station... in the center of the city. I know, huh. I wish I was that creative.), and lo and behold, there was a huge fair in front of it. Full of CHOCOLATE. Mmmmm.... fresh chocolate of all kinds.... any type you could name (except Lindt's Cresta Blancor, of course) was being sold there. And they sold it by the 100 g, also known as the "etto" here. Oh yeah. It was fantastic.
I had a much better game of calcio today, too. I scored my first goal! Yeah, it was kinda lucky though. I just kinda touched it past three defenders and saw a goal, loaded up, and fired- upon which the ball kinda just rolled forward in a typical defender shot. But it got under the goalie's leg, so it counted.
Other than that, I may be out of touch for a little. I've got so much work to do in the next week that it's unbelievable. I am going to be stressed out of my mind... but once I'm past it, smooth sailing. Grande.
Alrighty folks. Time to hit the books.
That's right. And it's putting me back... 15.50 Euro a direction. Thanks for the Eurail pass, genitori. It's going to be a nine-hour train ride, but fortunately, it's a night train. Unfortunately, I'm sharing a cabin with four other people I don't know, and one I do. The ones I don't could be... interesting.
Sorry for the lack of continuous updates- I can't write about anything if things don't end up happening. But a few things have.
Last night, the Collegio threw a godawful party for some Collegio alum. It was... really, really bad. I stayed about thirty minutes and then returned to my room.
Today, though, Brittany and I went to Centrale (Milan's primary train station... in the center of the city. I know, huh. I wish I was that creative.), and lo and behold, there was a huge fair in front of it. Full of CHOCOLATE. Mmmmm.... fresh chocolate of all kinds.... any type you could name (except Lindt's Cresta Blancor, of course) was being sold there. And they sold it by the 100 g, also known as the "etto" here. Oh yeah. It was fantastic.
I had a much better game of calcio today, too. I scored my first goal! Yeah, it was kinda lucky though. I just kinda touched it past three defenders and saw a goal, loaded up, and fired- upon which the ball kinda just rolled forward in a typical defender shot. But it got under the goalie's leg, so it counted.
Other than that, I may be out of touch for a little. I've got so much work to do in the next week that it's unbelievable. I am going to be stressed out of my mind... but once I'm past it, smooth sailing. Grande.
Alrighty folks. Time to hit the books.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
F*cking Mosquitoes.
7:43 AM, GMT+1
Note: This post will probably contain copious amounts of swearing.
So let's all ask ourselves why the hell I'm awake this early on a Sunday. Well, it's because of those fucking mosquitoes. Or rather, one in particular.
I awoke to unbearable itchiness on my shoulder, forearm and... forehead. See, a mosquito doesn't bite you on the forehead because he's hungry. He does it because he's an asshole and so he can laugh about it afterwards with all of his little mosquito friends. Bastard.
Not only that, while I was itching, I heard a constant buzzing in my ear. That means the sonofabitch was still around, contemplating seconds-- or thirds, or fourths, or whatever. I cocooned myself up in my blankets, and I could hear his buzzing. I tried to sleep, but I was so distracted by the buzzing, and I was afraid I was gonna throw my blankets off in the middle of my sleep. I also couldn't breathe, due to the lack of ventilation in the sheets.
So I had to lie there, listening to his buzzing, thinking that I might be paranoid and just imagining things, then convincing myself that I really wasn't because I could hear changes in frequency when he would move around, etc.
Then I really had to go pee.
Oh yes. That would have involved getting up and throwing my sheets off, exposing myself to the world. I tried to resist, but after awhile, it became too much. I tossed my sheets away, then jumped into the bathroom. After doing my business, I walked out... and I saw the filthy bloodsucker flying around.
I grabbed a long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and socks, and got ready for my mosquito hunt. I was gonna put him in a world of hurt.
And of course, I had to grab a weapon, which, being Filipino, was a flip-flop.
So for five minutes, I had to chase the little shit with wings around the room as he dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and.... dodged. He was also small enough that he could blend in with several items in my room. Unfortunately for him, I have bare white walls.
I caught sight of him again when he emerged next to my dresser drawer. I spotted, aimed, and let fly with the flip-flop. However, I didn't see him afterwards. But there was a funny little red spot on my dresser. Just to make sure, I walked into the bathroom, got a piece of toilet paper, and wiped at the red spot.
Yup. Fresh blood.
That's RIGHT, bitch. Maybe if he hadn't eaten so much he'd still be alive... Nobody makes me bleed my own blood.
Note: This post will probably contain copious amounts of swearing.
So let's all ask ourselves why the hell I'm awake this early on a Sunday. Well, it's because of those fucking mosquitoes. Or rather, one in particular.
I awoke to unbearable itchiness on my shoulder, forearm and... forehead. See, a mosquito doesn't bite you on the forehead because he's hungry. He does it because he's an asshole and so he can laugh about it afterwards with all of his little mosquito friends. Bastard.
Not only that, while I was itching, I heard a constant buzzing in my ear. That means the sonofabitch was still around, contemplating seconds-- or thirds, or fourths, or whatever. I cocooned myself up in my blankets, and I could hear his buzzing. I tried to sleep, but I was so distracted by the buzzing, and I was afraid I was gonna throw my blankets off in the middle of my sleep. I also couldn't breathe, due to the lack of ventilation in the sheets.
So I had to lie there, listening to his buzzing, thinking that I might be paranoid and just imagining things, then convincing myself that I really wasn't because I could hear changes in frequency when he would move around, etc.
Then I really had to go pee.
Oh yes. That would have involved getting up and throwing my sheets off, exposing myself to the world. I tried to resist, but after awhile, it became too much. I tossed my sheets away, then jumped into the bathroom. After doing my business, I walked out... and I saw the filthy bloodsucker flying around.
I grabbed a long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and socks, and got ready for my mosquito hunt. I was gonna put him in a world of hurt.
And of course, I had to grab a weapon, which, being Filipino, was a flip-flop.
So for five minutes, I had to chase the little shit with wings around the room as he dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and.... dodged. He was also small enough that he could blend in with several items in my room. Unfortunately for him, I have bare white walls.
I caught sight of him again when he emerged next to my dresser drawer. I spotted, aimed, and let fly with the flip-flop. However, I didn't see him afterwards. But there was a funny little red spot on my dresser. Just to make sure, I walked into the bathroom, got a piece of toilet paper, and wiped at the red spot.
Yup. Fresh blood.
That's RIGHT, bitch. Maybe if he hadn't eaten so much he'd still be alive... Nobody makes me bleed my own blood.
Italian Ice
5:15 PM, GMT+1
I went ice skating with the Italians yesterday. Yay!.... They're absolutely terrible at it. But at the same time, I saw about four old guys there on hockey skates who were without a doubt the best skaters I have ever seen. This is apparently one of the biggest rinks in Italy, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were like ex-national team hockey players or something.
Then today, Kristen and I decided to go explore the city. In other words, we got off on a Metro stop way past where we've ever been before. Arriving at Cascina Gobba, we walked around... and straight into a Romanian gypsy market that was enclosed, had security guards, and had trucks bearing advertisements for immigration services, etc. It was kind of scary, especially when you definitely don't look like you're one of them. However, it was interesting at the same time. We got to see all different kinds of foods and materials, but we still weren't all that comfortable with staying there.
Afterwards, we kept going east towards Gessate. Our Metro became a train when it got out of the tunnels, and we were looking at countryside in Milan. I know, right? What countryside? We got off at a place called Gorgonzola, and wandered about a very suburban part of Milan which was incredibly awesome. After that, we called it a day.
Maybe we'll ride a different line next time. But for now... I gotta do my laundry.
I went ice skating with the Italians yesterday. Yay!.... They're absolutely terrible at it. But at the same time, I saw about four old guys there on hockey skates who were without a doubt the best skaters I have ever seen. This is apparently one of the biggest rinks in Italy, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were like ex-national team hockey players or something.
Then today, Kristen and I decided to go explore the city. In other words, we got off on a Metro stop way past where we've ever been before. Arriving at Cascina Gobba, we walked around... and straight into a Romanian gypsy market that was enclosed, had security guards, and had trucks bearing advertisements for immigration services, etc. It was kind of scary, especially when you definitely don't look like you're one of them. However, it was interesting at the same time. We got to see all different kinds of foods and materials, but we still weren't all that comfortable with staying there.
Afterwards, we kept going east towards Gessate. Our Metro became a train when it got out of the tunnels, and we were looking at countryside in Milan. I know, right? What countryside? We got off at a place called Gorgonzola, and wandered about a very suburban part of Milan which was incredibly awesome. After that, we called it a day.
Maybe we'll ride a different line next time. But for now... I gotta do my laundry.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
"Do you know what this means in Italian? This means, 'I'm KEEL you' in Italian!"
4:05 PM, GMT+1
I'd never even heard of Volterra before this most recent weekend. However, it's one of those beautiful old-time Italian towns with old buildings, narrow roads, and a great view of the Tuscan countryside. I didn't go to look at the countryside, though.
I went to play calcetto, or 5-0n-5 soccer, with the Italians from the Collegio di Milano. Apparently, there was some tournament that included competitions in all the typical Italian games- calcio, ping pong, biliardino (foosball), scacchi (chess), and poker. The American got asked because their weren't enough Italians to fill a roster. They all had exams.
These kids were just about the best players I've ever seen- and they're probably average for Italians. I got my ass kicked on a regular basis there, but it was a good experience.
It was kind of funny- it took six hours to get down to Volterra from Milano. On the way, the Italians were teaching me how to swear and other random things in Italian. I was also dubbed "Don Giovanni" for the duration of the tournament. They taught me some hand-signals too. Apparently, when you kiss the tips of your fingers and then open your hand to the air (I can illustrate the next time I see you), it means that whoever you're addressing is/will shortly be dead. Keep that in mind.
As for the tournament itself, well. We lost, and I'll leave it at that. However, I had some free time after the tournament, so I decided to take a little sight-seeing visit to Florence. Yeah, that's right. I felt like going to Florence randomly. No other reasons. Nope.
More to come.
I'd never even heard of Volterra before this most recent weekend. However, it's one of those beautiful old-time Italian towns with old buildings, narrow roads, and a great view of the Tuscan countryside. I didn't go to look at the countryside, though.
I went to play calcetto, or 5-0n-5 soccer, with the Italians from the Collegio di Milano. Apparently, there was some tournament that included competitions in all the typical Italian games- calcio, ping pong, biliardino (foosball), scacchi (chess), and poker. The American got asked because their weren't enough Italians to fill a roster. They all had exams.
These kids were just about the best players I've ever seen- and they're probably average for Italians. I got my ass kicked on a regular basis there, but it was a good experience.
It was kind of funny- it took six hours to get down to Volterra from Milano. On the way, the Italians were teaching me how to swear and other random things in Italian. I was also dubbed "Don Giovanni" for the duration of the tournament. They taught me some hand-signals too. Apparently, when you kiss the tips of your fingers and then open your hand to the air (I can illustrate the next time I see you), it means that whoever you're addressing is/will shortly be dead. Keep that in mind.
As for the tournament itself, well. We lost, and I'll leave it at that. However, I had some free time after the tournament, so I decided to take a little sight-seeing visit to Florence. Yeah, that's right. I felt like going to Florence randomly. No other reasons. Nope.
More to come.
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