As you know, Sam got damaged during the summer. We had it sent to be seen by the mechanic the other day and he’s charging us 220 euro to have the parts changed. I don’t think it’s worth fixing personally…
NAU IS DE TAIM OF LANCH!
It’s been months since this video went viral. There is another parody with a catchy jingle, but I find this original one more amusing.
The subject in topic is about Italy’s Prime Minister, Mattteo Renzi while he was giving a speech in English about Digital Revolution in Venice.
At 39 years old, he’s the youngest ever Prime Minister for Italy which is a huge accomplishment. Nevertheless, it gets a little uncomfortable to hear the speech in its entirety.
Suffice to say, the video became popular very quickly and I find myself saying, “NAU IS DE TAIM OF LUNCH” when it’s time for a meal.
Naturally I was inspired enough to change my instant messaging avatar to this one. A genius!
There are two types of people…
This is married life #16
Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile …
First Steampunk Festival in Rome
Ex mattatoio is a place in Testaccio which used to be a slaughterhouse but has been converted in the 70s into a cultural association building. There are always interesting events held here, like open air movies, music festivals and more.
Cart and I were there last weekend for the first ever Steamfest event in Rome. Steampunk, in a nutshell is a genre of science fiction meets British-Victorian era fashion. Think HG Wells or Jules Verne.
We reached there in the late afternoon and there was quite a turnout. I enjoyed looking at the fantastic costumes that many of the participants were wearing. I think takes a lot of love and dedication in creating these outfits, not to mention also time and money to find the perfect fit.
With the gazometro in the background, it gives a nice touch to the whole steampunk feel and I’ll bet that there were a lot of fantastic pictures being taken.
Apart from admiring the different costumes, there were also booths where steampunk outfits and accessories were sold. It wasn’t that expensive and it was tempting to get a costume for myself!
Apart from that, there were a lot of sideshows that I saw from our programme sheet, like,”Fighting lessons for Gentlemen”, “Cavern of horrors” as well as others. I really like how sheet was decorated.
The highlight of the show was probably the burlesque by Sweety J, the winner of the reality TV show, “Lady Burlesque“. Unfortunately the timing clashed with a dinner appointment with our friends and we’d have to give it a pass so I guess this would have to do for now.
(Not very safe for work)
Anyhow here are some of the costumes that Cart and I snapped :
She’s so cute!
Futuristic fortune teller from the past
Another cute one!
This explorer outfit was one of the more unique ones that we’ve seen.
Not sure if you could see it in the picture, but the photographer in there incorporated his iPhone on the sleeve of his costume.
I had fun going to my first Steamfest! So many interesting things to see and do. Thank you organizers! And I am definitely looking forward to the next one 🙂
Sidenote : If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy my post about Rome’s Comic Convention.
This is married life #15
This is quite shocking to read. Also the fact that Cart mentioned that a toilet bowl is cleaner than your average kitchen … *screams*
The most beautiful bicycle bag you’ve ever seen
After wanting a bicycle for the longest time, I got for myself one yesterday. It’s a B-Twin Elops 3, has a 5 speed gear and it has a dynamo light in front of it which I thought was really functional. At about 200 euro, I thought that it was quite expensive compared to the ones I see sold in Singapore, but I guess it’s the standard here.
It’s been a while since the last time that I’ve been cycling but it’s a skill that you never lose. In no time at all, I was up and around the neighbourhood. It’s really nice being able to reach a place in just a few minutes compared to probably 3 times longer when you’re on foot.
But the thing that I didn’t expect was how my neighbourhood is full of slopes which can be quite tiring when you’re going uphill. You don’t feel it so much when you’re walking leisurely. But I felt it today! My thighs are surely going to be sore tomorrow. At this point of time, I don’t feel too confident of straying too far away from my neighbourhood much less even think of joining a duathlon.
The bicycle that I have is a women’s version – the crossbar is lower so that the woman could cross her legs over daintily and wear a skirt if she fancied. But I noticed that on my bicycle, you need to pedal more compared to a regular bicycle. And considering that it’s a women’s bike, it’s quite heavy at 17 kg. I don’t trust leaving it outside and lifting it up the stairs is a bit of a pain since it doesn’t fit in the elevator. I’ll just think of it as a form of strength exercise.
Nevertheless, I’ve been looking around for panniers which I think would be extremely useful for carrying things, like grocery shopping. Quite by chance, I found these :
Isn’t it absolutely gorgeous? In a sea of industrial looking pannier bags, these look so feminine and charming. It also comes in blue and black, as well as other designs but I find the red one particularly striking.
This bag is from a company in the Netherlands called Basil and they specialise in bicycle assortment from bicycle baskets, bags to accessories.
From the site, I also found side-bags which doubles up as regular shoulder bags. There is a hidden flap in each one which reveals a hook which you attach to your carrier.
I think it’s a genius idea and I wouldn’t mind getting one of that. It looks roomy enough for me to stuff a lot of things inside.
And there is also the milk-basket which gives you the convenience to put which ever bags and items you want in. And it still looks cute.
Which one would you get? At first I wanted the pannier, then I thought the bag would be great, then the basket … I can’t make up my mind!
Nevertheless, anything that is imported from outside Italy, almost always costs a bomb with the additional tax and whatnots so it’ll have to wait for a while …
Inside vs Outside
I prefer to stay at home because it means that I don’t have to put clothes and make-up on 😛
A pretty hot Chilli festival in Rieti
Rieti is a city in Lazio and is about 100 km away from central Rome. After an idyllic road trip accompanied by greeneries and the rolling hills, you’ll find yourself there.
It’s such a pretty place and everywhere you go, is such a postcard perfect shot. Being near this river made me feel so tranquil.
The mountains in the background should be Terminillo, where Cart and I visited some time back.
There is a spot in Rieti where you could stand, to be right in the middle of Italy.
But apart from the picturesque view, Cart and I were here for their annual Chilli festival. This year is their 4th edition and we were excited to attend our first fiera del peperoncino.
I loved seeing the fresh and vibrant colours of the chilli. Growing up in Singapore, I was used to and cultivated a love for eating hot food. Walking around, the thing that came to mind, was how my family would have loved being here.
Did you know that chillies actually originated in the Americas? It then spread around the world and now India is the largest producer and consumer of chillies.
Despite what I initially thought before living here, a lot of Italians, especially those from the South, appreciate and love chillies especially seeing the sheer amount of visitors there, carrying along with them their bundles of newly purchased pots of chilli plants.
The types of chillies that I saw came in a variety of strength or the level of capsaicin, from the mild, to the very hot. This level even has it’s own measurement called the Scoville heat units or SHU. For example :
- Bell Pepper – 0 SHU (Not hot at all)
- Jalapeño – 2,500-8,000 SHU
- Habanero – 100,000–350,000 SHU (Hot!)
Cart and I managed to try some Trinidad Scorpion, Bhut Jolokia and Naga Viper at a friend’s house the other day. Each one of these are more than 1.4M SHU. At first bite, you don’t feel it so much but the heat intensifies and grow bigger as time passes by and your eyes will tear up and your nose will dribble and you’d question yourself about the meaning of life.
Non chilli eaters would probably ask why torture yourself and inflicting self pain to yourself, but after you get over it, you get the blissful feeling of euphoria. Kind of like a jogger’s high.
When we reached there, there were a number of award winning chillies for sale and you could get for yourself, your own pots of chilli plants from 5 euro and above.
There were so many varieties that it boggles the mind that after a while, I just could not keep track of the kinds that I saw but there were a number which was unique to me, such as the purple chilli as seen in the picture above, as well as these white, round ones. Something that I’ve never seen before.
These are called “Capezzoli di Scimmia”. Ask your Italian friends to translate what it means in English 🙂
As we walked past a restaurant, and while we didn’t eat here, I was amused to see the menu. Chilli in at least one of the meals, even the dessert!
In the end, Cart and I got two pots while our friend Stefano went all out and got I think 4 big pots altogether.
There was hardly any space in the car as the chillies instead took more space than me! Haha
All in all, I had a most lovely time exploring beautiful Rieti as well as enjoying the chilli festival with our lovely friends.
What other festivals will we go to next?
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A healthy lifestyle
As a side-note, I’m trying out Jilian Michael’s body revolution for fun. It’s been a week in the program, and while it seems easier to do compared to the 30 day shred, I still feel sore the day after 😛