Luca’s Thoughts

Hallo to everybody. My name is Luca as you can easily see from my Blog’s title. I am an Italian lad currently living in Sydney, NSW - Australia. I am taking a break in my life to enjoy the Australian laid-back lifestyle. The English version of my Blog is a good challenge for me. I am pushing myself in improving my writing. I will make a load of mistakes. I am sorry about that.

The Italian name of my Blog is “I Pensieri di Luca” and that’s the exactly traslation of “Luca’s Thoughts“. I will explain later what the meaning of “Don’ t cross the road at the zebra crossing” is. Maybe somebody already got it.

I guess that a Blog is an amazing communication tool. I really like it even if I started posting just a couple of weeks ago. But it’s so cool. I am becoming crazy for this stuff. Everyone can show his own diary to everybody else. We need to share our emotions and our ideas. Sometimes writing is easier than speaking with somebody else. We are all so busy everyday to listen to the others.

By the way, I have been also attracted from Podcasting in the last. That’s very cool as well. I am already recording a daily stupid program on this Blog. It’s actually in Italian but I will do something similar in English too. I am not worried about my English. You maybe will laugh at my Italian English accent. Anyway I don’t think that it’s so bad. Let me know in case!! Hee hee hee

I left Italy, my job and my life for a while. You know when you are fed up of everything around you. I supposed that Australia would been the best place to take refuge. I still sure of that.

I love Italy and I think that it’s one of most beautiful country in the world. But something is going wrong over there in the last years. Every day life is getting more stressful. I will write funny and annoying stories at the same time about Italy; I will describe people I will meet travelling; I will discuss concernig current affairs. Of course I gonna write many free thoughts I will have. I am usually very thoughful at very late night time.

That’s “Luca’s Thoughts” Blog. It’s the beginning and the site is not finished yet. I am still wondering to translate the last Italian posts into English. Maybe I won’t do that because I am so lazy and also because I wrote such as a load of articles in the last two weeks. I prefer to start writing English posts since now. Welcome! Luca

The new of Nicola’s death let me so sad. Nicola is one of the three Italians killed in Nassirya, Iraq today. He was a collegue of mine but over all he was a friend of mine. We lose another friend, Salvatore, one year ago as well.

Tonight I was ar the gym and I had thought at Salvatore. I knew him much better during the last time that I was in operation in Afghanistan. He was my second in charge and we shared everything: briefings, operations…joy and sadness, tension and fun. We got annoyed if we could not obtain something that we needed and we were happy if we got a record playing at “tetris” on the pc. Sometimes we were so disappointed when we could not ring our girlfriends because the telephone line was busy.

We were used to go together to the gym  (”Sir!! Come on!!! Shall we go…?…”). I remember when one night an Afghan rocket overflew our heads. There was an alarm but we pretended we did not hear that. It was very “romantic” (hee hee hee). We were the only two people wandering around the obscured compound. We had a big laugh at that cold night in Kabul.

He spoke to me about himself, his family and his projects when we were in the gym. He was proud of his young brother who was almost getting his final graduation. Salvatore helped me to lift more weight. I helped him to do the same.
I thought of him just tonight. I reminded a very strong memory of that period. It was a strange feeling. Salvatore died on the 15th of March 2005 in Iraq.

Nollaig had a strange expression. Ciccio had rang. He did not say anything to her..but she understood anyway. “An accident has just happened in Iraq…I will ring back later…”. It is not difficult to understand. There are alredy facts and names on the Net.
Nicola died. A highly powered IED took his life and the life of other three people. Everyday something like that happen and many people die. But it is different when one friend died like that. It awfully different.
Nicola did not come to the dinner that I organized before I left Livorno. He was sorry but he did not feel like to leave his wife at home on her own on sunday night. It was a man dinner. He knew that maybe it could be the tipical paratrooper’s dinner. She was pregnant and he was happy as every father in the world.
It was Octuber. The baby was born just few weeks ago. He was born just few days before Nicola came back to Iraq. The last time we were there together. I have no more words.

Sms keep coming: “Do you know what happened?” Unfortunately the tecnology does not know any break. Especially the bad news run so fast. I still can not believe….as the guy in the unit. Luca

I have got a new idea. The name is “SKYPEES“. I guess that pretty much everybody knew Skype (the pronunce is “skàip”). Maybe not everybody knows it.
Skype is a free program that uses the latest P2P (cutting edge p2p technology) technology to bring affordable and high-quality voice communications to people all over the world.

• You can connect to other Skype users so that you can talk and chat.

• Currently, Skype is available for Windows 2000, XP, Pocket PC, Mac OS X and Linux.

• For non-commercial use, Skype to Skype calls will always be free. Some features and services of Skype require a paid subscription or prepayment. Our ambition is to keep the basic functionality of Skype (PC to PC calls) free forever.

• Skype is better than Net2Phone, ICQ, AIM, MSN because:

1. High Call Completion Rate
2. Superior Sound Quality

I am focusing too much on Skype. Have a look at www.skype.com for further details.

I just want to add that Skype changed the way of communicating for a lot of people (I am sure about me!!)
Milion of users are constantly on line. Communicating is so easy…..and easily so cheap!
Thus, we analize Skype.
I am becoming crazy for Blogging and Podcasting in the last period. I got “SKYPEES” as a mixing of all of this: Skype, Blog and Podcast.
It will be a Podcast as part of “Luca’s Thoughts” Blog using Skype like free resource.
I will interview a Skype User every day, or every two, maybe three and it could be also twice per day. The user could be from wherever around the World.

I will randomly choose somebody from Skype search and I will contact him/her. I will be happy of accepting volunteers which will ask to me to join “SKYPEES“. Just contact me at my Skype Name: survival642 . Or send a mail to me
Every single Podcast will be no longer than few minutes. It will be a normal Skype call that I will recorder and I will publish into “SKYPEES” Podcast.

What will the interview’s argument be? It will be whatever!!
You will can talk about yourself, your own Blog, your favoured restaurant, your business, your secret lover, your “hot” secretary, your neighbour that you hate, one of your professors, soccer, politics, travel, your dog, Skype, my Blog, Australia, feet smel,  whales,  long nake women  from Myanmar, transexuals,  pens, last  Coehlo’s book, sharks,  country, good wine, burps, rain and snow, current affairs, gossip, petrol cost….everything…
“SKYPEES” is the only Podcast exclusively dedicated to the Skype’s Users.
It is a way to connect the amazing communication skill of Blogging, Podcast and Skype, all those are together. That is just for fun….fun, fun, fun….of course!!
I will start Podcasting in the next days. A proper description page concernig all the stuff will come out.

Contact me for questions and to partecipate to the first “interview”!!

I wrote an article in the Italian Version’s Blog few weeks ago that was about a “real reality show“. I meant the Aussie “The Biggest Loser“.  This is the link  (of course, it is in Italian only…sorry).
I think that it is a “real reality show” because it is not like the “Big Brother” and other stuff which is getting so popular. I consider so many of those programs such as fake things.
Anyway “The Biggest Loser” contestants left the “White House“, the training/beauty farm where they spent the last 10 weeks in. The finalist guys are 3.

• Harry, 35 yo, 179 Kg at the beginning;
• Fiona, 22 yo, 101 Kg at starting day;
• Kristie, 32 yo, 105 Kg 10 weeks ago.

They are back to their ones. But they need to lost more weight or to keep their actual weight at least. They will be on their own till the big finale. The instructor went back to US so the contestants have to keep doing well anyway!!

A special TV will be on tonight…we will see what is going on..
The results are simply amazing!! Well done guys! Luca

Have a look at the page where I explain what “SKYPEE” is.

Luca

Today is my sister’s birthday!!! Happy Birthday Alessandra!! We are growing…hee hee hee!! Luca

It seems I talk just about Podcasting. That is not true. It is not my fault because an Australian television channel pushed me to write this article (Channel 7).

I am used to watch Beyond Tomorrow . It is a program concernig technology but, overall,  they disprove common myths. Tonight they showed that one penny falling over your head from the topo of the Empire State Building is not dangeorus as we are used to believe.

In this episod they reported as  Podcasting (and iPod in particular) is important in teaching at Duke University. That is intersting. You can surf straight to this Duke University page. Luca

I went to the Warringah Mall this afternoon. It is to be one of the biggest mall in Australia. It is just a couple of kilometers far away from my place.

“Ciccio“, my Suzuki Vitara, did not work today. It suddenly took a “day off” so I got the bus. I hate the bus. But it was ok….it was not a long journey.

I spent most time wandering inside the two bookshops. I like to walk in the bookshop even if I am not looking for anything in particular. Actually there are still a lot of books that I have not red yet. I am interested pretty much in everything except for fiction books.

I began to look for some book concerning Podcasting. I could not find anything in the first bookshop. In the other hand, I got very confused in the second one.
They had a very good choice: 4 manuals, very similar, same price. They seemed pretty much equivalent. I set on the floor and I spent one hour there wondering which one was the best solution for such as a green podcaster like me.
I finally decided to choose one of those when I realized that my friend Margherita was getting bored.
That is what I choose:

1. “Podcasting - The Do It Yourself Guide”.

and those are the ones I left in the bookshop:

1. “Secrets of Podcasting - Audio Blogging for the Masses”;
2. “Absolute Beginners Guide to Podcasting”;
3. “Podcasting - The Ultimate Starter Kit“.

Anyway I am waiting for an Italian book about Podcasting, called  “Come si fa un Podcast”. I could not wait for that. Anybody knows any of those boks? Any suggestion? Luca

“Contact Zone” is named the area where two different cultures meet afterwards a migration that could be national or international. Consequences of those migrations will be different. Of course the consequence of a national migration will have results weakest than the ones which could follow a massive international movement. “Contact Zone” existed in Turin, Northern Italy when people from the Southern moved over there and they met the indigenous people. Nowadays “Contact Zones” keep growing in Australia as well.
Nollaig is working today as yesterday, two days ago and tomorrow too. She also worked the last weekend. So we had no special plan for Easter Sunday except for a dinner tonight. Cormak, a Nollaig cousin, is our guest. Nothing special but that is fine.
I am telling you that it is fine because today is a normal day here. Shops are opened, as bars and warehouses as well. It would not be difficult to get some electrical wire or any tool on Easter Sunday. Everything is opened.

Of course it is a Pubblic Holiday for the Aussies. They are pretty much all on the beach, having a pic-nic, having a walk in nice places or maybe they are setting for a BBQ.

All the rest is going on normally. It is like a load of hans keep working. I mean, they keep their business opened but it is not a good deal. I feel a bit sad today. I miss the traditions.
I went to the gym this morning (I knew that it was opened) and I honestly thought I would have been the only one loser to get there. You know what I mean: training, sweting, watching cricket that is always on at the Beach Bodies Gym televion.

And guess what? …I hate cricket!! I consider it such as a complicate and borying game.
Anyway I was wrong about the gym. It was full. There were more people than normal. It was a normal day. Everything was on normally: traffic, shops, markets, videoshop…

Every community has its own traditions which the people are keeping strongly (Asian, Italian, Southern America etc). That is very good within the respective communities but it create an ibrid result. I would say that as something plane. It is a paradox. The society should be multi-colours, multi-languages etc, but it is not. It comes something without a well defined shape. Is it a paradox?

Many reasons make this day to be like yesterday and tomorrow like today. Happy Easter

P.S: I bought an Easter Egg yesterday and I did not get any present. That is very bad. Maybe that is because I feel sad today. Luca

Beppe Grillo is a very popular Italian comedian and his own Blog is the most linked and visited in Italy. He wrote a letter to the US President on his Blog. It was yesterday, on 13th of April. It was also my cousin’s birthday. Her name is Stefania. I forgot to call her.

A new big deal is in Italy on. It seems that George Bush didn’t send any congratulation to Romano Prodi, the new Italian PM. Many of the other countries’ leaders have done it. So that is the cause of very low level argumentation. The kind of stuff which the people talk about while they are drinking an expresso in the bar.

Maybe it is just “tecnical” problem. I guess that George Bush is hunting in his big ranch or maybe he took a break for Easter weekend. Maybe he is attending a lecture at an elementary school (eg:Scare Movie 4!). The Twin Towers waited so “The Professor” (Romano Prodi) can wait as well.

I am sure that Bush will send a message to Prodi. Everyone knows the relationship between the US President and Berlusconi. Bush sponsored Silvio Berlusconi’s political campaign. The former Italian PM had also the chance of speaking to all the US parlamentars gathered in front of him. It happened a couple of months ago in Washington.
Relationship like that are normal. People do agreement and they keep “enemy” away.

People so important and powerful should not do like the children, of course. I mean that they should not show their preferences. They should not show deslike so cleary either. False and dirty businesses are still part of politics, aren’t t they? Something changed and nobody told me about that…(????). I have never believed to the moral politics. Sorry.

So I do not understand why Bush should not send a stupid letter to Prodi. It will take a second. Is he worried because Berlusconi’s reaction? Please, don’t make me laugh. Hee hee hee…

Grillo keeps writing: “our former President of the Council does not recognise the election result thanks to your support…”
This funny story is making all the world teasing us. All the people were having dinner togheter asked me about this joke. They were Australians, Irish, English, Scottish..
That’s enough! All the foreigners televions and newspaper are telling:”The Italians have to wait!”. That’s it. I completely agree.

Grillo again:”You are not showing yourself to be a friend of our country and you are probably not even acting in the interests of your country.
If you don’t recognise Prodi, why should Italians recognise you? I believe and hope that your behaviour is simply a temporary institutional distraction. If this is not the case, Italians should ask themselves a few questions.
Why should we allow American Military Bases to be in our country?
Why should we tolerate the presence of American atomic weapons at Ghedi Torre, Brescia and at Aviano, Pordenone?
Why should we allow CIA agents to move around our country as though they were visiting your great ranch in Texas?
Why should we provide finance to a country that at this moment is hostile to us by buying American products, eating in American chains, supporting American companies in Italy?
I’m sure the Italians will know how to find the answers

We Italians know that not all of us recognised Prodi as the winner. Half of the Italians voted for Berlusconi.

About the US Military Bases inItaly. They have been there for years and years. Some Italians politicians wanted those too. The reasons could be a lot (military and economic…and not only). We can not compare their presence with a missin congratulation message.

About the CIA’s agents. Somebody knew that they were in Italy. I mean that some Italians knew that. It was not me for sure. Who should US special intelligence agents ask the clearence of working in Italy to? They were not very professional. That is true. What do you guess about how many secret officers are working in Italy right now?

About the financial issues. Nowadays who would be able to live without US stuff (food, drink, clothes, videos etc)?

About the Italians’ responses. Which will they be? Which would they be? I am curious to find it out.

Happy Good Friday and happy Easter. Luca