Wines: a taste of.... life :-)

There are no doubts that wines makes not only table but life much more colorful :-) Today I enriched my home collection (destined to continously diseappear) with 5 new bottles. Following a short description of these tasteful and enjoyable wines:

1. Gavi di Gavi. This is a white wine, my favorite one. Made with Cortese grape it is traditionally grown in the area around the town of Gavi, Piemonte (North Italy). I spent several summers in that small town and as you can see, I'm always bringing with me this fantastic wine. Delicious to match with fish dishes

2.Falanghina, Irpinia. This is from Campania, South of Italy. Also white, this grape has been grown for thousands of years. It made wine for the Romans and now is keep doing so for the "New Ones"..:-) Ideal with scallops and fish dishes in general.

3. Sangiovese. Let's move to red wines. From a region close to the Lake of Garda, (North Italy), this is excellent with pasta dishes and risotto. To be served at "temperatura ambiente"...so, don;t put it in the fridge!!

4. Chianti Classico, Riserva 2004. Nothing to add to this Tuscany wine. Simply enjoyable, you never go wrong!

5. Barbera D'Alba. This is also a wine from Piemonte (North Italy). Before to drink it, a couple of suggestions could be useful. First, it is a great match with steak or meat. Second, to fully enjoy this wine, open the bottle at least 30 minutes before to drink it. It is an essential trick :-)

Hopefully you enjoy above selection. I will surely do....time to cook something that will match the first bottle..:-) Anyone for dinner? :-)

Ilhabela...or Beautiful Island

One week ago I visited this fantastic Island, spending good time with friends and enjoying the atmosphere of this place. In case you will be visiting Brazil, I strongly reccomend to spend some time in this Paradise..:-)

Below some useful information:

Ilhabela, or Beautiful Island, on Ilha de São Sebastião in the state of São Paulo, (see the interactive map from Expedia) certainly lives up to its name. Discovered in 1502 by Américo Vespúcio, the island has a long history of defense against foreign naval powers, pirate's refuge, black market slavery, smuggling base and failed colonial efforts at sugar and coffee plantations.

About 85% of the island’s almost 350,000 square miles is within Ilhabela State Park, with further development not allowed. Most of the development is on the west coat facing the mainland, and the island’s economy is based on tourism.

There are great 35 km of beaches, a coastal Atlantic rain forest, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, to explore, mountain peaks to climb and over 400 cool waterfalls cascading into the ocean. Add to that legends of pirate treasure, underwater wrecks to explore, great sailing, enough to make Ilhabela's annual Sailing Week a must, and you've got the makings of an attractive vacation destination.

I believe...just like a child...:-)

April 22th will be the Earth Day 2010, time to celebrate 40 years of common activities around the world.

In case you don't know about this movement, below some details (http://www.earthday.org/):

"Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We pursue our mission through a combination of education, public policy, and activism campaigns. Earth Day Network has a global reach with more than 20,000 partners and organizations in 190 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world."

Time to enjoy our lovely Planet...simply watch this video..:-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGvfdtI2c0&feature=player_embedded#

That green square....called the Heart of New York

A white-brown dog observing his territory, a Japanese mother teaching the first steps his son, a student texting on his blackberry, an helicopter flying on top of our heads, a couple playing with a yellow frisbee, a runner crossing the side of the park, a lady reproducing a yoga position, a jumping squirrel curios of his guests...

Yes it is. A spring day after a long and cold winter. Main actor: The Sun. Sunshines are not limited to few....but simply they can reach anybody.

This reflects the principle of the "unlimited resources", the one that can be shared without diminishing the energy itself. The same concept can be applied to our feelings. A smile is contagious...more you share it, more it becomes bigger and bigger... without losing its intensity.

Now, combine sunshine and smiles and you will understand why today Central Park represents the heart of a smiling city :-)

Enjoy....

Sounds...and Feelings

A characteristic sound in the subway, a slice of wind at the 24th floor of a building, a thought crossing your mind, a feeling touching your heart... Simply... Emotions!!

This is what any human being is able to feel in just one day of his life. Sometimes we are too busy to listen, see, smell...sometimes we let things influence us...

But..

...regardless if you are tired or not, if you are happy or sad, if you are awake or asleep... there is always a sound there with you. Yes, humans call it Music.. In reality is a unique sound that characterize each moment of your life...

Hmm...If this is the case.. Why don't we simply tune to the right station???

"...there is nothing you can't do, I love New York..." ;-)

Discovering Manhattan...from book to foot...

It's always interesting to read a book about the place where you live...it gives you the chance to walk through the history and learn about the past... well...what I noticed is that, now the City looks a bit different...:-) Why don't you try?

Few lines from the book "Downtown" of Pete Hamill...

"If they are lucky, the new immigrants will get to know New York the way so many others did, long ago. They will discovere that the easiest way to know this place is to start at the beginning. That is, to go on foot to Downtown. They will walk its streets. They wil recognize its ruins and monuments. They will inhale the dust of the past. They will celebrate living in a place that is filled with people who are not, on the surface, like them. They will stroll with their children across Brooklyn Bridge and see the spires of Oz gilded by morning sun....."

Take the Lead...

Saturday March 13th, raining outside and finally a free morning day. These are the moments in which you need to make an important decision: remaining in bed enjoying the warmness of the pillow in your face, or run outside the city and discover some new activity, image, moment...

Well, I guess this morning I was able to found the right combination. Turning on the tv I did catch the movie "Take the Lead", with Antonio Banderas. Well, not only I was enjoying my resting moments in bed, but I have got a great inspiration from this movie as well.

Lucky???Maybe....

Once done, breakfast and...next step: researching what the movie is inspired about...and I discovered that behind this story there is a real project that is helping childrens to find their way to live life with a positive attitude. If you want to read more about Dancing ClassRooms Project, simply click to below link....

http://www.dancingclassrooms.com/NationalNetwork.aspx

It's now time to "take the lead" of the week end....with a big thanks to Mr Pierre Dulaine and his morning inspiration..:-)

A bag and the NYC Subway...

You never know, what a bag in the subway can carry on..

Maybe a book of an inspiring artist, maybe performances reports of a busy young corporate manager, maybe a toy and the milk for a small baby, maybe the few things that an homeless has, maybe... Maybe the history of a person that is going up and down asking himself: what will be the next...

And this is a simple bag... Not even touching what is around!! I love the NY subway!!!

Surfing the wave...

Yes, this is the sensation when you feel that you are going towards the direction that you like it...
It is not easy to find the right track, but experience is teaching me that if you want something, if you are truly willing to work hard, if you really dream about it... There is no way is not going to happen!!!

It's all matter to believe in something, being ready to the necessary sacrifices.. A world cup cannot be win without years of trainings, a marathon cannot be finished without passion and trust in yourself, a love cannot be found if you are not opened for it...

Simply surf your wave... It will bring to your happiness :-)

Daily Dilemma :-)

And here we go... to talk about one of the dilemma that everyone is facing on a daily basis...:-)

It often happens that at the end of the day we feel very tired.... this is the time in which we feel that life is not going in the direction we would like to.

Well, if this can help, I'm going to share 3 simple questions that works for me...just think about it, get organized and simply love your life...:-)

1. Did you achieve your daily goals? If not, simply change the way you are organized...don't waste time in things that are not priority for you.

2. Are you physically or mentally tired? If physically, simply have a nice sleep or vacation....your body needs it. If mentally, simply stress out...go to the gym, hang out, dance...

3. Are you laughing? If not....simply do it :-) Lord Byron said:"Laugh anytime you can. It is a cheap medicine."

Believe, Conceive, Achieve... in a funny way :-)

No matter what....

...there are no excuses to wake up in the morning without energy.

Last night I was reading the news regarding the earthquake in Chile.... some scientists said that this event caused the shift of the entire globe, making days shorter....

So, one thought came to my mind."what if one day the News will tell us that the end of the world is close?.... that few days are missing?....

Well...you know what?

Lets not waste our time, lets live 200% of our possibilities....work hard, be responsible, enjoy your life, love and.... dance.... because dancing is like coloring our life with magical steps....

I can't stop my feet....:-))))

The value of a life...

There are moments in which, regardless the achievement or the dimension of an event... a life of a single individual becomes one of the most valuable things in the world.

Watching the closing of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, millions of people felt a deep emotion thinking to the lost of the Georgian athlet Nodar Kumaritashvili.


These Games will remain in our mind not only for the leadership of all the participants but also for this unfortunate episode that is reminding us a golden rule: "Life is precious...never forget it"

A new step is always necessary...

Few hours sleep, images, thoughts, emotions. Another adventure just ended, leaving thousands of new openings to all the participants.

Tougher are the events that cross our life, bigger are the feedback we can bring back home.

I truly believe on what Mr. Nelson says:"after climbing a mountain, take the time to rest, enjoy the wonderful view down the hill... but be ready...an higher mountain is expecting you..".

It is the destiny of a dreamer...need always a new step to feel better :-)

What will be the next?

Gianpy

Carmina Burana...the vaganbond songs...

If you have some time available or you are in a relaxing mood you may want to enjoy this theather performance.

The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEllLECo4OM

Carmina Burana, Latin for “Songs from Benediktbeuern” is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts from the 11th or 12th century, although some more are from the 13th century.

The pieces were written almost entirely in Medieval Latin: a few in Middle High German, and some with traces of Old French or Provencal. Many are macaronic, a mixture of Latin and German or French vernacular.

They were written by students and clergy when the Latin Idiom was the lingua franca across Italy and western Europe for travelling scholars, universities and theologians. Most of the poems and songs appear to be the work of Goliards, clergy who set up and satirezed the Church. The collection preserves the works of a number of poets, including Peter of Blois, Walter of Chatillon and the anonymous one, referred to as the Archpoet.

The collection was found in 1803 in the Bavarian monastery of Benediktbeuern and is now housed in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich.

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyy

Each of us sees in others what we carry in our own hearts...

Ciao a tutti,

this sentence pop up while I was reading an interesting book. I started to think about it and I found interesting to post it on my blog.

Every single day we experience thousands of feelings and emotions. Often, these feelings are related to the thought we have on people who are close to us....but often we forget that, "we sees in others what we carry in our own hearts".

We should probably stop few seconds and give the right color to everything....not necessarily what we feel is what other people does. How much complex is the nature of our life!!!...let's go back to study, maybe something else will come up....