some relax in the tropics

In a long white sand beach, with the palms all around, with the warm weather of northern Queensland, with long hair (well, the longest i have ever had in the last ten years) and not shaved... in this relaxing way i'm spending my last days downunder...

cheers

Meeting with the Dalai Lama

My staying in Australia is getting to to the end. Less than 3 weeks by now for the coming back.
Among the many beautiful memories of my months here downunder, I’ll keep the experience of yesterday, when i went to attend a public talking of the Dalai Lama.

I’ve always been very interested in this figure, I consider him one of the most prominent spiritual and moral leader of our time. And, as a student in the international relations field, i admire him for his peaceful, not-violent way of promoting the cause of its people and its land, the Tibet. Probably some of you remember I told them initially i was going to do my final thesis about the Tibet and its peaceful fight for the autonomy.

Anyway, the Dalai Lama confirmed me all the good feeling i had about him. He’s a very charismatic person, that stirs up a special “attraction” like only Karol Woityla (John Paul II) was able to do.
In the first part of the conference he had a sort of lecture about the purpose of life, that is to say how we should try to live to make our life really meaningful.
In the second part there was space for questions from the audience. Unluckily only few people had the privilege to ask him questions.
I could appreciate his words of wisdom, quietness and irony sometimes.
I suggest to know more about this man, i think many of you could remain fascinated! Quite “funny” that the Chinese government consider him a “dangerous” political subversive only because he wants the world knows what happens in Tibet and to the Tibetan people under the Chinese oppression!

Exams period...and Euro2008 time!

Ahlan uahsalan!
(= just a greeting in arabic)
The exam period started for me the last week! Three days ago i had my first final exam! It was Arabic! You can see my main exercise in the photo!
Yeah, i’m able, more or less, to read and translate it now!
No, that doesn’t mean i can read and translate everything in Arabic, only some basic sentences... Actually, in this course i just learnt the basis of Arabic, it’s a so complex language... but to be able to read it’s a great satisfaction! I hope to go on studying it when i come back home.
The next week i’ll have my second final exam, international relations.

But, besides my exams period, even the football European Championship started yesterday!
All of you know my passion for football and my love for my national team, so you can guess how much i want to watch the matches of Italy. But here the problems come...
First, they don’t broadcast the matches on the normal channels on tv here in Australia, but only in pay per view. That means i have to found a pub, a place to watch them. And i found a place. But, the other big problem is that the matches, most of them, are at 4.45 a.m. in the morning!!! That means i have to go in the heart of the night to the city and i have to do that by public transports...and i have to come back home at dawn... so, will be “our hero” able to watch the matches of Italia? I’ll tell you!!!
In the meantime, forza Italia!! (ora si può dire, no? Il partito del pagliaccio ha cambiato nome, giusto?)… and anyway, just remember that SIAMO CAMPIONI DEL MONDO, popopopopopopopooooo

A weekend in the tropics... or in the Paradise??

In the last 2 weeks, i’ve been quite busy with the study. The final exams are coming and the time to study seriously has arrived. But the last weekend I decided to “present” myself some relax, far from the books and the uni life.

In Italy when I’m tired or stressed from work and want some relax, i take my car and i go to visit my parents, my brother, some friend or just to enjoy some nice places not far from Rome.

Here in Australia, I took a flight and i was in the tropics!
Actually, we’re having a nice weather in Sydney, mostly sunny days, but it isn’t warm enough any more to go to the beach. But I found a cheap flight to go to the north of Australia, 2000 km more in the north than Sydney, and you know, i’m a bit crazy sometimes when it comes to travel, so I didn’t think twice and i decided to go and breath the tropical atmosphere, even only for a couple of days.
There the weather was perfect, of course! My main aim to go there was to visit the Whitsundays islands. It’s a popular tourist spot here in OZ and when for the first time i saw a picture of these islands, i told myself: i must go there!

I took a boat trip to see these islands and...well, take a look at the pictures!
I can assure you that’s true, it is not a postcard or any fake image...You know i’ve travelled a bit in my life so far, and i visited many beautiful places... but the view i took in this tour maybe reaches the first place in my personal list! The first photo is probably the most beautiful I’ve ever done! And the second one, look at that wonderful large white beach, the beautiful colour of the sea-water: simply breathless! “Senza parole”, to say it in italian. That place is so gorgeous, so amazing to seem “fake”... you wonder if you’re dreaming or it’s all true...

I even had the chance to do some snorkeling near these islands... it’s a pity i hadn’t a water-resistant camera, but believe me, there’s an awesome show underwater! Corals, fishes of many colours, sea plants, what a marvel!!
Once again, after NZ, I felt almost “touched” to have had the chance to enjoy such amazing natural beauties.

To all of you that dream about an unforgettable trip, take a note of this place: Whitsundays Islands, Queensland, East coast of Australia.