I Had a Dream

...In my dream I was actually cursing.
Why does it feel like there is something bugging me in my head?

It was a vision more than a sleeping phase of my life. I had my eyes closed but I knew I was wide awake.

There is not much to say but the deep feeling of a gigantic and not too fun misunderstanding. Although we know it's not.
I am not in the mood to repeat those thoughts out loud. They were not nice, after all.

Barcelona today is grey shaded. I cannot help recall other moments of my past. From Bologna to New York, and eventually to Barcelona, with its lame look of catalan superiority. Are we really superior anyway? Covering Japan, Kenya, United Kingdom, Brazil and few more places I happened to visit.

I am overwhelmed. I am not in the mood. I am sick. I am, and that's an achievement, some might say. Holding tight until the next dawn, I can only keep the hope candle alive.

There has been a wave of bad news and yet, my energy didn't abandon me in full. But the task of keeping it safe from death seems to go beyond my power. I don't like to think that I'm depending on nobody. I just fake a smile and keep going. But the curses come back to my head.

This whole situation is soon to be clarified and I won't help explaining each and every step of this apparently unclear stream of consciousness.

Give me Time. I need more time. I am seeking A+ Facts. Would love to have a long list to fill out this post. ...Still seeking with no apparent success. For now, the plot is tangled and I will do my best to smooth some tight knots. Will get back soon with brighter words.

Monday's New Moon Effects

Good morning... I should say.

This week has been completely ruled by Monday's New Moon, which opened some new channels of communication and abruptly stirred my thoughts. New Moons tend to sort some magical effects, no matter what, but I particularly felt this one, located in watery Pisces.



Of course, it did inspire me to write a few words and this is the result, posted in my latest Tickle. I hope you find it enjoyable as I wrote it with open heart and a wide smile on my face.

It's finally Friday, again, and this is the best piece of news and A+ Fact of the week. I will be back soon with some spare ideas I'd like to share.

For now, I look forward for some feedback on my Tickle.

A.

Mine, You Won't Forget

These are nights to breath deep
Nights to achieve
Nights to win
No prize, only myself

Without any space or time
I am just a rainbow
And you can look for my roots
Lost ones

Every word has been said
Every step has been walked
Running into life
Now, only the shadow of me

Hold me
Like there is no good-bye
Tickle my soul
Like I'll be in you forever

And when tomorrow comes
Only the shadow of me
You will see
And my eyes will shine

Nothing else but life
Now, these sheets, our shelter
You will be back to your water
Hermosa, I will sing

The game of us
Lasting 'till the next moon
Your eyes, I keep
Mine, you won't forget

Mine, you won't forget
Arianna Neri, December 2006. NYC

Women I Trust

Bright, Sunny, Warm, Refreshing and Recharging Sunday... Thank you Barcelona for the 20°C miracle! The beach today was absolutely stunning, just like a well-composed painting. Every single bit of it seemed to perfectly balance together in a melting pot of rays of sun, juicy food, breathtaking weather conditions, kids playing with sand and hip yet corky people, fun to watch.

I am completely relaxed.

Not too relaxed if I think that tomorrow is actually Monday again but all in all I don't feel like complaining. Why bother? I am not going to be able to change the course of the calendar anyway. Or maybe... Practicing a bit more... Should give it a try!

Well, to close with velvet red curtains this soon-to-be-finished weekend, I am sharing the first series of the Women I Trust collection. Their music is the cherry on the cake of the weekend.

This is just so witty and energizing, it makes me want to start jumping on my bed. Not a good idea though, considering its not-too-fashiony shape. And the video is so unrealistically hilarious... They all manage to look so serious and in-the-part while I am simply cracking up (Camera Obscura, Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken).



Ok, she is the pioneer of this genre. Absolutely fantastic in this surreal dance with an even more surreal male partner. Thank you Feist (One Evening)!



Unfortunately no official video for Regina Spektor's Hotel Song. But please do watch this because the whole song is played a cappella and I find it extremely tingly and ticklish.

Off to watch The Reader, let's see if someone really deserves an Academy Award here!

Oh, today I created one of my new and I believe soon-to-be-famous quotes...

"Life is like Bowling. Mind the Balls, Visualize the Balls." Arianna Neri, mad-hatter and wannabe writer. 1981 - Present

Barcelona in Technicolor

Kids playing at Barceloneta

Pink view from my apartment, Calle Princesa

Right after the wedding, San Pere Square

Early morning in Plaza Real

Barcelona Black & White

The tower of Santa Maria del Mar, Born area.

Narrow streets in the Gothic Quarter.



The City Hall Square.

Once More, a Few Words on Karma

What a Lovely, Energizing, Peaceful and Powerful Night! Good Karma is coming under the blanket with me tonight.

Put together five women, an old and charming Barcelona flat, food & drinks, the scary and yet amazing feeling of "we are in this together" and the result might be a vibrant night of words and thoughts.

Chatting about Life, Love and Longings... Getting to a few, bright conclusions.

We are in power, we are the sole responsible for our own failure/success. We have the sacred task of accomplishing our own path, our own journey, our own happiness. At all - respectable - cost.

I love to share. I adore these nights of warmth. I am enticed by the endless potency of souls. Togetherness is capable of joining forces and reducing the fear. We are in this together.

I feel good. An amazing A+ Fact.

Late night, I wish myself and everyone I love golden dreams served on creamy clouds.

A.

Freedom of Information

I thought I'd spend sometime talking about Berlusconi's new pearls of wisdom. Although I am also aware that it is somehow a waste of time to discuss about someone who is sooooo out of space.

I feel like doing it for the sake of freedom of information. Italy is getting closer to a Level 0 Democracy, dictator-based, banana republic. I resume and link to some of his latest moments of endless knowledge:

1. During a speech in Cagliari, he happens to mention the sad and unforgettable past of the Argentinian desaparecidos. So far, so good. If it was not because his comment - summarized - seems to have sounded like "how good were those times when they would just open the doors of the flying airplane and let them out, in the middle of the sea"... Very nice, that was the reaction of the international diplomacy, so far.

2. During his meeting with Mr. Brown (UK), he experienced an illuminating rush of free thinking. His creative thought-flow led to a genius idea, immediately aborted as too close to a non-capitalistic model... "Maybe we should nationalize banks...". Now, there wouldn't be anything wrong in brainstorming with your economic team, in private. But that's so not Berlusconi's style. He enjoys improvisation, as we all know, and we love him for that. Go Silvio Go freestyle.

3. And what about Mills (his bribed UK lawyer)?

Yes, what about it. AlJazeera reported the news on Feb. 17, along with BBC, The International Herald Tribune, The Australian and The Financial Times. International TVs and media joined together to report on our Prime Minister, both defendant and corruptor in this almost surreal story. Ok, so what about Italian TVs and other media? Italy's most popular "TV living room" Porta a Porta must have had a special night, devoted to this shameful and yet true piece of news. Right? Right??? Nooo, why bother? RAI, Italian public television, didn't even bother going to the trial... What, are you surprised? Berlusconi's involvement in bribery cases is no news for us.

Even The Economist talked about it but still, maybe RAI is right and this isn't anything Italians need to hear about.

But if we give a closer look at the whole Old Boot status, things are not going so bad for our friend The Prime Minister. In fact, the so-called opposition just faced the resignation of Mr. Veltroni, its impotent and 100% failed leader.

All in all, to make things even, no matter how bad Berlusconi behaves - and he is as bad as we can possibly imagine him to be - the rest of Italy floats in chaos with a 0% growth index and a 0 effective opposition.

Maybe we shouldn't even be calling it a dictatorship as he has no rivals to face... Actually, it's most likely to be the contrary as our dearest Mr. Veltroni proved during his 14 months of presidency of the opposition. He struggled hard, put all his best efforts, didn't sleep at night to find a way to GET CLOSER to Berlusconi. He wanted the Bananas Dictator to LIKE HIM, to work with him, to cooperate with him... Maybe even to hug him. And what did Chavez... Oh no, sorry, Berlusconi did? Nothing. He didn't even call Willy Veltroni to give him a proper Adios, goodbye farewell. Nope.

Ok. I am not angry. I am not. I am not even disappointed. Not anymore. Not even close to rebel. Not my style.

I am simply, deeply, purely scared by the regime Italy is becoming, by his power and possessions, by the non-reaction mood that Italians are carrying on with, handling every new drop of madness with a impassible look: "we are not surprised anymore, we've seen this whole story before..."

So what are we going to do? Just passively look at this man, this creepy tiny and overly powerful creature taking over everything we are left. The actual beauty and enormous potential of a country rich in history, culture, brains and ideas. It is - almost - all gone. And we will need more than just a few bananas to find energy to put this back together, when our close-to-75 years old Prime Minister is going to - miraculously - leave this Planet and set us free.

Amen.

P.S. I am not an activist, I am not left nor right wing, I don't reside in Italy, I don't have anything personal against any journalist/press resource. But I wonder, where did integrity go? Where has the willingness to provide The News gone? How can journalists and media go to bed at peace every night, knowing that they are deliberately not providing their service to the community through a fair level of information? And, most of all, why am I informed of every single bit of news (and past stories) of our sparkling political scene? Isn't sometimes worth it to click here and there and try to see beyond the veil?

Freedom of Information. That is all I am talking about but apparently it's not a real fashionable concept nowadays...

I might be back soon

It looks like my Mac is finally ready to come back home.

I had to have several fights with the Apple retailer to have my problem fixed at no expenses.

But apparently the final score of this hard-to-win match is:

Arianna 1 - System 0 (please consider this as a A+++ Fact with triple points).

Will keep you posted.

This week there's been so many news that I really feel like writing about them. Hopefully the weekend will give me the chance.

A.

I am not gone...

I haven't abandoned my blog. I swear...

The facts are these: my MacBook, my lovely white laptop, happened to break. Nothing major I must say but a crack on the white plastic around the keyboard. How do you call that, by the way?
















One morning, a few months ago, I woke up and opened it to check my emails and I saw this tiny but real crack. One of the sides was actually already detached from the base and I heard my heart bumping in my chest... How the heck did it happen? Well, my research led me to the conclusion that a lot of MacBooks broke in the same exact spot. Don't ask me why. I don't even want to know.

I longed a few months. Waiting to see if a miracle could actually happen and the crack could fix by itself. Of course, not only it didn't fix but I also started seeing the same exact issue on the opposite side of the plastic. Oh jeez, this is a conspiracy!

Monday my laptop was finally brought to the assistance center by my flatmate Corey, who experienced a Hard Drive apparent death during the weekend. It was such a relief to know that the white plastic would eventually be replaced... No, not that easy.

At the center, they gave him a very hard time and I had to call them myself, threatening to file an official complaint to the Apple assistance, to ensure to get it fixed without extra expenses (yes, my laptop has no warranty BUT Apple is taking care of this problem as its fault).

Anyway, it's all good BUT I have no laptop. Which makes me think how dependent from the machine I actually am. I am so freaked out when I come home from work and cannot surf throughout my usual sites of horoscopes, daily news, show videos, etc... Hopefully I will get it before the end of the week although I highly doubt it. I gave them such a hard time that they might as well make me - morally - pay for the damage.

In the meantime, here is the link to my last Tickle, called Your Body is Your Temple. To keep you hanging in there while I am out of the surfing world!

The only A+ Fact I can think about....
- I am detoxing from the WWW for a few days, ready to come back stronger than ever.
A.

February 14th. Story-Telling...

So That Day of the year finally came. Saint Valentine. And then I wonder, first of all, who the hell was S. Valentine and why is he remembered to be the protector of lovers?

According to an interesting article published on History.com: "One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival [...]."

My view of S. Valentine day is quite neutral, I must say. I am pleased to have finally recognized a evolutive path that my attitude towards Love undertook... I recently wrote a Tickle on it, which I hope you all enjoy. I must say - for the record - that I wanted the title to be "The Field where the Apples Grow Wild" but it was changed last minute by the editors and there's not much I can do about it... Go ahead reading it and please do share your view!

And remember, even when things are going completely wrong (...just like now...), you are meant to Love yourself and your Temple.

A+ Facts of Today:
- Vegan dinner with friends, always warm to have loved ones around.
- Friday, what else can I say?
- Nice plans among friends for tomorrow - will disclose soon.
- Avoided the shopping rush that almost took control over me today.

A.

I am therefore I play

I am lucky enough to have friends who play with me.

People that understand my game. A way of living that can seem childish or irresponsible.

Taking decisions without over-pondering.

Allowing over-reactions to situations and emotions.

Traveling, body and mind, like there is no tomorrow.

So here I am in two playful versions I love.

Diva Ari N. 1: Marilyn... Well, not much to say. An icon who has been remembered way too much for her downfall and depression, which led to her premature death. But who hasn't been fairly recognized for her supreme intelligence, her superb sense of humor and her delicate sensitivity.

You can actually see quite well that it's a montage and I must say that the ensemble makes me laugh!

Diva Ari N. 2: Audrey in Roman Holidays (modern version)... Uhuh! Once more, we talk about the ultimate heiress of elegance and style. No one dared to achieve her unique level of perfection. The combination of naive looks and intriguing lines in her movies will always be remembered.

However, in Roman Holidays she was definitely not alone riding the scooter... Which leads me to a question: where are all the Gregory Peck gone?

...I played enough for today. I already feel better.

Time to go back to adult games such as preparing dinner and reading some captivating news... A.

Where are the A+ Facts gone?

I am still here. Even tougher, maybe. The facts as of today are the following:

- Obama's stimulus plan got approved by the Senate, which I deem good news more for the morale than other factors. Some changes occurred to the Senate version.... I still don't have an opinion about it. Here in Spain I don't think we'll perceive an immediate result but at least there is someone daring to say "Let's try to change and be the change"... He is not the first one saying it but maybe one of the few trying to put it into practice on this side of Earth.

- I am still employed. Considering the worldwide shivers that the job market is undergoing, I take it as a privilege... (p.s. bad news... over 163,000 jobs were cut in January 2009).

- Barcelona is slowly moving towards Spring. It is a nice feeling. Like waking up again after months of lethargy. Today we had an amazing 17° Celsius and, in spite of the variable sky, it was a pleasure to walk in the street.

- I am getting closer to my trip to Egypt and that is my closest dream for now.

- My new life regime is still work in progress but let's say that I am moving forward towards 100% healthy lifestyle.

- I am not in my most communicative phase but I am doing my best to write, say, otherwise express my feelings...

Once more, I need to remind myself that Life is Now and try to figure out how does it sound...

A+ Fact for today:

- I received Karma Cola and spent £4 from Amazon.co.uk. (cool!!!!)

A.

Friday Balance-Sheet

If I had the power, I'd restructure the weekly schedule as follows:

- 3 Mondays in a Row: Work Work Work.

- 1 Wednesday in the middle: I Loooove the End of the week.

- 3 Fridays (aka Saturdays): Weekend Weekend Weekend!

To make a long story short, I'd work 4 days a week and rest 3 but I'd like the weekend to maintain the name "Friday" for 3 days in a row. Because I truly love the sound of the word Friday. For me, it's like Free-Day. Being Italian, if I read the word without pronunciation, it would really sound free-day. I adore it.

So, where do I stand? What's new?

And what about the Sky?

I haven't really been taking care of myself. I have fully devoted my body to work in the past week or so and this is another valid reason for me to love the upcoming few days. My diet got a bit abandoned but it's not precisely easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle in hotels... Especially because I am a big fan of buffets.

The Hesperia Tower Hotel is quite an adventure itself (link to picture) with its wicked architecture from Richard Rogers... A definitive interesting experience for hi-tech lovers!

I have been quite disconnected from the worldwide ups and downs so I don't have much to comment. One interesting - and extremely scary - piece of news was the summary of the 2007 Executive Pay. To be honest, I read it with crescent shock and astonishment and I am very curious to get my hands on the 2008 one.

Top compensation (& benefits) package for 2007: John Thain, (former) Merrill Lynch CEO, with over $83 million in total. Luckily, his request for a $10 million bonus for 2008 ("I saved Merrill Lynch with the Bank of America operation") hasn't been approved and his (and others CEOs) attitude during 2007-2008 has been judged by Vice-President Joe Biden as "offensive for sensibilities".

At the bottom of the black list, two names stroke my attention: Steve Jobs (Apple) and Jerry Yang (Yahoo!).

Both of them received $1. Yes, 1 dollar. But with one significant difference. While Steve Jobs holds 99% in shareholders return (well, at least he takes accountability for the company's performance... Up = salary - profits. Down = salary - losses... Or at least this is the theory of it), Mr. Yang resigned from his CEO role in November 2008 and no wonder why his shareholders return marks a grey -9%. Many bad choices during his management career (e.g. the multiple-failed deal with Microsoft) led to one sole conclusion and Mr. Yang went back to Director of Technology and Strategy (will he be able to prove that his Guide to the WWW is still a hit?).

All in all, my conclusion is that the world is overwhelmed enough not to bother too much about these people's paycheck and I highly admire those taking responsibility for their companies' performance. We are all surprised because now there is One Man who tries to redesign the asset of the economic world and, while the medias list the possible (tragic?) consequences of the government intervention into the executive (macro)salary micro-world, I can only think about one word: Integrity.

...Which leads me to one question... Where has Integrity gone?

Now, one quick look at the Sky.

Monday, February 9th is a day to remember and please do mark it in your calendar.

We'll have a Full Moon in Leo during the Lunar Eclipse... An overwhelming and possibly confusing sky will rule and all I can say is that we need to respond with gentleness and grounded feet. It's not all lost and there will be great chances for ideas and plans to be at least developed in their drafts. It won't be a time to realize things but our brains will be stirring concepts faster than usual. I recommend a very interesting article by Astrodispatch that defines the Moon in Leo as ruled by the world Accentuation, which I particularly like.

I believe I said it all for now... So I will enjoy this accentuated days and do my best to remain grounded.

A.

Joker once said...

...So many things to do and so little time.

Yesterday I spent the day editing some pieces I wrote. Someone once said that the real writer is the one who masters the art of editing (should I add this to my wish-list?) because everyone is able to write a decent first draft... But who is actually capable of cutting in pieces his-her own creation for the sake of the reader's pleasure?

Well, I don't think I master it but I did my best to fix the sound of words and ensure their smooth flow. Actually, there wasn't a specific reason for me to do so as my next tickle has already been published and will appear on S. Valentine on Tickled by Life.

Just one small thought - as I will have to concentrate on blogging later on throughout the week - I am good. I don't know why, if it's Venus entering Mars, Jupiter's effects or me growing stronger. But I have never felt this secure before. And it's such a powerful inner sensation...

A+ Facts as of Monday Feb. 2 (and it's not even Midnight!):

- Feeling mighty and centered.

- Know where I stand and why. Uhuh!

- Writing and - if not writing - recording thoughts on newly discovered Garage Band.

- Wish-list is growing but will fix it soon.

- Still raining and no depression yet.

- Feel like meditating. Should start again.

- Ongoing diet. My body is reacting very well, no more pain!!!

- I solemnly promise here and now to be back soon with the hilarious story of my cat and his close friends, The Pigeons.