NaBloPoMo – The Final Post

This is it! The final post in November and the final post for NaBloPoMo. I have to admit it sure wasn’t easy but it wasn’t as difficult as I had anticipated. Regardless, it was definitely an experience. I learned that I can accomplish something if I really put my mind and energy into it. It may not be all roses and rainbows but with a little perseverance it can be done.

Movie Night!!

So, tonight my cousin and I are planning a movie night. Not just any movie night. We are having an Italian movie night!

Movies will most likely include this:

and maybe this:

We haven’t really decided completely. What we do know for sure is we will be swooning over one of our favorite Italian actors, Riccardo Scarmacio in pure girlie girl fashion.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

In Memory: My Hero, My Angel, My Dad

My father passed away at home on November 28, 2007 and the world as I knew it was changed forever. He was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer in October 2006. He was told he could have surgery to remove the tumor but suffered a minor heart attack shortly after diagnosis. In December 2006 he was scheduled to have surgery and unfortunately while in surgery was told that it had spread to the liver. My father was home that Christmas but it was bitter sweet, we didn’t know that it would be our last Christmas with him. My father started chemotherapy in 2007. He tried the only two treatments approved for Esophageal Cancer. Neither of them worked and he was told there was nothing else that could be done. That day was one of the hardest for me, and only one of many to follow. My father, superman, the one who had so much strength and had overcome so much in his life, was terminally ill and there was nothing in the world that I could do. I felt so unbelievably helpless. I never left my dad’s side…I was with him every step of the way…it was one of the hardest journey’s I have ever had to face…but I did it…I was with him to the end.

A year has passed and I still struggle through each day. I feel such a big part of me is missing. My father was everything to me. He always there to give me advice but he still let me make my own choices. He was there no matter what; to bail me out, or to tell me he was proud of me. I know that I am so blessed to have had a father like him in my life for some never have that at all.

My father will continue to live brightly in my heart, in my thoughts, and in the stories I share with others. May you rest in peace, Daddy!

Footprints In The Sand

It’s been a tough week….so I leave today’s blog to this inspiring poem to remind everyone we are never alone!

Footprints In The Sand

One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints.
I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”

Tips & Tricks: To Help You Sleep Better

It is a rare occasion for me to go to bed at night and not be asleep within 10 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. Being tired, and not being able to sleep can be a really frustrating experience because we all know how important (and precious) a good nights sleep is. So, if you have trouble sleeping on a regular basis, here are some simple pain-free things you can do to encourage a peaceful refreshing and invigorating sleep.

Go to bed when you are sleepy.
Don’t force yourself to go to sleep at a certain time because you have to get up early the next day. You will just find yourself tossing and turning and becoming frustrated because you cannot seem to fall asleep. If you concern yourself over how much sleep you are going to get it and how well you are going to function in the morning you are just putting your brain into overdrive and adding additional worries and stress causing you to lose sleep. This is often referred to as “learned insomnia”.

Exercise but not too close to bedtime.
Regular exercise is recommended and will help to increase your energy levels throughout the day and in turn will help you sleep better because it helps combat stress. However, be careful not to do any vigorous exercise to close to bedtime. If you are an evening workout type of person try and fit your exercise in more than three hours before bedtime this way your body has time to come down from it’s exercise induced state (heightened blood pressure, stimulated muscles and mind, etc).

Don’t pig out before bed.
It is a good idea not to have a large meal (or large snack) 2-3 hours before bed because the digestive process can interfere with your sleep. Going to bed so soon after eating can lead to acid reflux (which can lead to GERD which is a known cause of oesophageal cancer). There are certain foods that help your body produce seratonin, which is a chemical in your body that can help you to relax. Some of these foods are milk, turkey, and peanuts. If you are hungry before bed opt for a light snack. Your sleep, and overall health will thank you for it.

Forget the snooze button
Our bodies are constantly adjusting to our schedules, eating habits, etc. We are after all creatures of habit. So if you oversleep even a couple days out of the week you are re-seting your internal sleep clock. Try and wake up the same time every morning (regardless of when you went to bed the night before). Yes, sleeping in on a weekend sounds heavenly but try not to. By waking up at the same time every morning you will be keeping your body on a schedule (and our bodies respond well to routine!!)

Release your thoughts
Are you a mutli-tasker? Always have everything planned out in your head? Well before going to bed create a to-do list for the next day. Getting all these tasks out of your head will allow your body and mind to rest more peacefully as opposed to planning/strategizing and stressing about what’s going to happen or will need to happen the next day. Unresolved stress and anxiety can lead to a sleepless night and most likely an unproductive next day.

Did you forget to flip your mattress?
Although some mattresses are perfectly fine with never being flipped, most should be flipped every 4-6 months. It’s something we tend to forget to do (or can’t recall when it was done last). If you’ve had a couple nights of tossing and turning and can’t figure out why maybe it’s time to flip your mattress. You may be surprised that that was all you needed to do.

There you have it. A few tips and tricks to get you sleeping better. There is no absolute sure-fire way to ensure a good nights sleep but using these tips and tricks will keep you one step ahead of the game!

What are some of your bedtime rituals for getting a restful sleep?

My Family Tree

Not too long ago, I started nurturing my family tree. That is, I began putting it all together, and building my family tree so that I could learn more about my heritage and in turn myself. I’ve enjoyed asking questions and finding out about those who I never had a chance to know. For example, many people say that I look like my great grandmother and that I am a lot like her in spirit. I never had the opportunity to know first hand but in discussions with my family I have learned something about her and that makes me feel more connected to her.

How do you go about starting a family tree?

Well, that’s pretty easy. Start with what you know, your immediate family, aunts and uncles, etc. As the tree and branches grow, things may start to get a bit tricky. Your next stop could be to ask your relatives. I can only go back so far on my father’s side based on what I know, so I turned to my relatives to help me fill in some gaps and add some more names to my tree. If you want to go even further back then you have to search birth, death, immigration records. However, this might not always be easy as records dating back generations could have been destroyed, lost, or just plain hard to track. Don’t let that stop you, give it a try, you never know what you might find!

My personal family tree will never be complete. I want my tree to be full; the more “leaves” the better. I make a solid effort to make note of anything and everything – interesting stories, favourite sports teams, etc. For instance, while watching a Juventus game with my dad once, I out of the blue asked him what my nonno’s favourite soccer team was. I knew my dad was a Juventus fan from a very young age and wondered if he got that from his father but turns out my nonno was a Fiorentina fan. Probably irrelevant information for some, but for me personally I think these types of things help me to know my nonno that much more.

If you are interested in starting your family tree, I suggest a free downloadable program called “Family Tree Builder” from the My Heritage site. It is set up so you can include all kinds of information about each individual family member. Everything you could possibly need to know or want to know about your family can be included in your tree. It’s solely up to you and what you want to get out of it!

Have you created a family tree? How many generations were you able to go back?

Angel

I’ve avoided watching music awards shows in the past few years. They just aren’t as good as they used to be. I remember when the AMA’s were a big spectacle with over the top performances that would just blow your mind. Recent years though I haven’t seen that “wow” factor; maybe the caliber of artists has diminished or maybe it’s just not my demographic any longer. I can no longer relate to a generation I feel is slowly flushing itself down the toilet. However, in reading through some highlights of the recent AMA’s (which I didn’t even hear about until after it aired) I saw there was a duet of “Angel” performed by Sarah McLachlan and Pink. These are two artists that I feel are exceptionally talented in their own rights. So, I guess all is not completely lost when it comes to “mainstream” media and music.

Rogliano, Cosenza, Calabria

Rogliano is situated aprrox. 700 metres above sea level in the province of Cosenza. It has a population of over 5000 people, which is very large in comparison to some of the other towns nearby including its neighbour Carpanzano. There were many occasions during my recent trip to Italy when we would zip over to Rogliano (only 10 minutes away) to do a little shopping at the weekly mercato, fare una passeggiata (take a walk) or participate in the many events that take place there over the summer. The town has schools, museums, restaurants, shops, and pretty much anything else you would expect in a small city. You can see the town’s rich history all around you as you walk through its centro storico and visit the many churches, monasteries and noble homes some of which date back to the 1500s. The town is also growing at a rapid pace, with new apartments and condo’s being built around the towns edge. If you happen to be in Rogliano, stop in to “L’Arte Orafa” on Via A. Guarasci. This little family-owned jewellery shop is home to some very beautifully handcrafted pieces of jewellery made with silver, gold, and gemstones. A perfect place to get something unique for you or someone special back home. Rogliano is another one of those great small towns tucked away in the Calabrian mountains with it’s unique history, great nightlife, friendly people, and Southern Italian pride!

Grazie!

It’s been 4 weeks since I made my way to the Italian Consulate here in Toronto to submit my application for recognition of my Italian citizenship. It feels like it was forever ago!! I haven’t heard anything from them as of yet so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s a good sign. I can feel myself getting anxious with each passing day. I feel like a kid at Christmas time counting down the hours until it’s time to open presents. It’s so close, I can almost touch it. It’s an incredible feeling and I know that it will open up new paths for me to potentially explore. My mind wanders with what I could accomplish once I get that piece of identification. Maybe it will finally bring me to the place in the world that I need to be, should be, and want to be more than anything else. It’s been really difficult being away from Italy. I know that I’m not the first person to feel this way about Italy and most definitely won’t be the last. I find so much courage, hope, and drive from many fellow bloggers who have answered Italy’s call and found their place there. It gives me the confidence I need to know that this is possible, it can be done and it isn’t some crazy harebrained idea. Thank You for allowing me a sneak peak into your lives, stories, and experiences. You may not be aware of it, but you have all inspired me and taught me in your own unique ways. I am grateful!

My Top 5: Italian Television Programs

1. Affari Tuoi (RAI International)

Affari Tuoi or “Your Business” is an Italian game show similar to “Deal or No Deal”. In the Italian version of the game, there are 20 pacchi (boxes) representing one of the 20 regions of Italy and holding those boxes are representatives (and possible future contestants) from each region. There have been some very interesting contestants on this show, always full of energy and emotion.

2. C’e Posta Per Te (TLN/Telelatino)

C’e Posta Per Te is sort of like a talk show and attempts to reunite individuals with their long lost loved ones (family, friends, etc). An individual is invited to come to the show with no knowledge of who wants to see/talk to them or why. If the individual accepts the invitation they will find themselves seated in front of a large envelope, which will open to show the person who wishes to see them. It is then the invited guests choice to allow that person to speak, and then ultimately to remove the envelope altogether and be reunited. I am constantly finding myself drawn to the emotional stories of these people always hoping for the best possible outcome.

3. Scherzi a Parte (TLN/Teleatino & Youtube)

Scherzi A Parte is the Italian version of “Punk’d”. The show films unsuspecting Italian celebrities in akward situations until finally it is revealed that they are being filmed and it’s all just a joke. This show is aired from time to time on the Italian cable stations here but most of the ones that I have seen were on Youtube. If you want to check it out I suggest you seek out the ones involving Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Oddo, Francesco Totti, and Laura Pausini.

4. Che Tempo Che Fa (RAI International)

Che Tempo Che Fa is a late-night talk show (similar to Letterman or Jay Leno in the US) hosted by Fabio Fazio and feature interviews with different guests (Italian and International). I’ve personally really enjoyed watching the interviews with Riccardo Scamarcio, Gigi Buffon, and Laura Pausini.

5. CentroVetrine (TLN/Telelatino)

CentroVetrine is an Italian soap opera. Now, I don’t normally watch soap opera’s but since Italian programming is limited here, I have to make an exception. The soap opera is set in a “centro commerciale” (shopping mall) in Torino and follows the lives of individuals who work in the mall and others they encounter along the way. The show has been around since 2001 and I’ve only really started watching it earlier this year so I’m not too familiar with the back story but I find this program to be short, simple and easy enough to follow.