Summer, summer, summertime…

Time to sit back and unwind…

The winter was long and cold with a nearly record breaking snowfall (a lot!!). Spring was colder than usual and June just didn’t want to bring the sun and warmer weather but it looks like things might be turning around…FINALLY!

Today, is the first day of summer and that means BBQs, picnics, beaches, and late nights out on the patio with friends and wine! Oh, and most importantly this year summer means my trip to Italy – 52 days and counting!!

What does summer mean to you?

All roads lead to Rome…

It’s one of the Top 10 fashion must-haves of 2008. Take a stroll into any shoe store and you are sure to see the strappy rendition of the gladiator sandal. Love them or hate them…they are slated to be this summer’s biggest trend.

The gladiator sandal first made popular by the Romans 2000 years ago made their comeback last year and have since been popping up on celebrities, store shelves, and feet everywhere. I’m sure Sex & The City fans noticed the Christian Dior number Sarah Jessica Parker was sporting throughout the movie.

Since last summer, it seems everyone has come up with their version of the gladiator sandal and they have been making their appearance on Paris, Rome and NY fashion runways.

Some styles out now are cute but some look like they wouldn’t be the most comfortable shoes to wear in the hot summer weather. Can you imagine the blisters? Ouch!

Thoughts? Do you think anyone can pull off these gladiator inspired sandals?

Angels & Demons

Filming is currently underway in Rome for the film adaptation of “Angels & Demons” – the prequel to the book-turned-blockbuster movie “The Da Vinci Code“.

The novel (and subsequent movie) is centered on the Vatican however, producers of the movie are experiencing a bit of resistance after their requests for permission to film scenes inside the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria were denied due to the controversial material in both the film and novel.

Santa Maria della Vittoria

But, in true Hollywood fashion, the show must go on – and it will. The producers of the film will be using the Bourbon Palace in Caserta, Italia as the backdrop for scenes that were originally set to shoot in the Vatican. The palace was built in the mid 18th century and has been used as a “stand-in” in the past for the Vatican in the making of Mission: Impossible III. The producers will be allowed to take exterior shots of the historic landmarks of Rome for inclusion in the film but do you think they can pull off the movie without the interior shots? The movie is scheduled to hit the big screen in May 2009…so we will just have to wait and see.

Bourbon Palace (Interior)

Have you read/seen The Da Vinci Code? What are your thoughts and expectations for Angels & Demons?

Forza Azzurri!!

AND WE DID IT!!!

It was a bit shaky in the beginning of the Group Stage matches but Italia pulled together and delivered the do-or-die win necessary to advance to the Quarter Finals of Euro Cup 2008.

I was beginning to miss the Italian National team that I have grown to love…but they definitely showed that the passion, the heart and the voglia to win is still very much there!

The game against Spain should be interesting…with Pirlo and Gattuso out next match I’m curious to see what Donadoni does.

Until then, I’m going to enjoy the win…about as much as these guys…

Forza Azzurri Per Sempre!!!

The Euro Cup is here!

It’s safe to say that I’m a pretty big fan of il calcio. I had the luxury of working freelance during the 2006 World Cup so I watched every single Italia game. Now Euro Cup is underway and I no longer have the luxury of my freelance work to catch all the games I would like to watch. *sigh* It is heartbreaking to be sitting in an office, with no TV, when in a few hours time the first Italia game of the Euro Cup will be going on. I have to be content with watching the scores online…so not the same!!

I’m anxiously awaiting for the team line-up to be announced. It will be sad not to see Cannavaro playing. He is such an inspirational team captain and he will definitely be missed on the field both physically and mentally. I do hope that Buffon gets the captain band in Cannavaro’s absence. I think he has the cool head and the experience on field to be the captain that the Italia team can depend on.

FORZA ITALIA!!! AZZURRI PER SEMPRE!!!

Let’s have a good game boys!!!

Adventures of Learning a Language – Part 3

idiom
Noun
1. a group of words which, when used together, have a different meaning from the one suggested by the individual words, eg it was raining cats and dogs
2. linguistic usage that is grammatical and natural to native speakers

Every language comes with its own set of idioms, slangs, and sayings. Learning and understanding them can prove to be a difficult part of the language learning process. An idiom here is not going to translate word for word to an idiom from another country. So how does one effectively learn idioms? I guess that would be the tricky part.

Probably the most popular idiom in the Italian language is “in bocca al lupo” which if literally translated into English means “in the wolf’s mouth”. The English equivalent of this saying would probably be “break a leg”. However, if you were to translate “break a leg” and use it in the same context in Italy you would probably get some really strange looks.

Let’s take a look at some other Italian idioms I have managed to track down:

“A chi dai il dito si prende anche un braccio” – translated means, “To whom you give a finger will also take an arm”. This is similar to the English saying “Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile.”

“Tocca ferro” – translated means “touch iron”. This follows the same idea as the English expression “knock on wood”.

“Se fossi nei tuoi panni” – translated means “If I was in your clothes”. In English, we would say “If I were in your shoes” which in Italian would be “se fossi nelle tue scarpe”. Very similar but would it be understood by Italians?

For those of you reading my blog from la bel paese, what sort of idiom, slang, or sayings have you encountered that were similar to or had an English equivalent? Leave a comment and maybe down the road I can add another blog entry of popular idioms for those learning Italian.

Sometimes, old habits are the hardest to break

We all have a bad habit that we just can’t seem to break. Mine is nail biting. I’ve been biting my nails for as long as I can remember. It’s such an unattractive habit too and one I’ve tried to break SO many times. I’ve pretty much tried everything too – applied that nasty tasting nail polish, wore gloves, permitted the reminder slap if caught biting away. Nothing seems to work, my will power is always shattered by my stubborn and persistent nature.

A couple weeks ago, a friend and I went for pedicures. The lady at the salon convinced me to get a manicure, which seemed absurd…I mean I have no nails. Somehow she managed to make what little nails I had look pretty and I have to proudly say that I have not bitten my nails since. Go me! Who knew that a simple manicure would be the thing that makes me not want to bite my nails? Sadly, I tragically lost one of my nails to a filing cabinet incident. I was so mad but I will not be defeated…I have clipped and filed the nail and will give it a chance to grow again!

The question is why are some habits harder to break than others?

The Way Of..

During my publicity stint in the music industry I was fortunate to meet some really interesting, talented and just overall cool people. One of those people is without a doubt, Kashif Tejani. He is a young, extremely talented and determined fashion designer who, a few years ago, showed up at a music video shoot I was doing publicity for with 10 boxes of shoes hustling the stylist to take a look at them and (hopefully) give them to the artist. I asked him if he knew the stylist, he said “no”. I asked him if he knew someone from the label, he said “no’. Turns out someone he knew was renting out an exotic car that was being used in the video. He saw the opportunity and took it. His risk ended up paying off; the artist wore a pair of the shoes in one of the scenes of the video.

I have so much respect for people who aren’t afraid to hustle and do the grunt work in order to achieve their goals. When you start out, especially in a creative realm, you have to swallow your pride and take chances. Some pay off, others don’t but the point is to keep pushing forward.

Needless to say, we have stayed in touch. I look at him and I see an incredible potential to do amazing things. It’s rare to see people with the talent, work ethic and passion that this guy has. On Friday night, his fashion label, called “The Way Of…” was one of many showcasing their designers as part of the Toronto Week of Style fashion shows. It had been awhile since I’d seen him or come out to support his line, so I picked up a couple guy friends and we went to the show.

Photo Credits: The Way Of..

His fashion line, at the moment, is men’s shoes, apparel and accessories. His vision is to expand his label to include women’s fashion as well. I have no doubt that he will continue to grow and find the success he so rightly deserves!

Check out my friend Kashif and “The Way Of..” @ http://www.thewayof.com (because pimping is what I do!)

When it comes to fashion, who is/are your favourite designer(s)?