Archive for 2004

• 29.12.04 News from the last 4 months…

  Almost 4 months without writing at all… lot’s of news…
  First of all, we went on vacation to Miami, to visit Lorenzo’s father and to go shopping… total length: 10 days
  We moved to a slightly bigger house, always in Milano. Total length: 3 months (and still on… the never ending story)
  Now on the Christmas holidays my parents and brothers came to visit me and we went to the mountains, to Madesimo, to ski. Total length 4 days and 1m of snow during Christmas Eve.
  Now back to Milano I still have to work a couple of days to close 2004.
  Happy 2005!!!

• 05.09.04 Snout

  
  This weekend , at the Maison & Objet fair in Paris, lorbus and I are presenting our new product:
  Snout, a ceramic piggy bank (pun intended) from Banal Extra.

• 01.09.04 City Bike

  After 2 years of “mountain biking” to work every day (in flat Milano…); after neck and wrist pain because of this kind of bike’s riding position; after racing between cars in the streets and people on the sidewalks to get to the office as if I were working out; I finally decided do buy a City Bike!
  As you can see below, the only elements that remain from my sporty-agressive mood are the sun glasses and the helmet. Now, I can almost see flowers in the front basket!

  

• 22.08.04 Certosa di Pavia

  
  This beautiful monastery from 14th century, near Pavia (50km south of Milano), is perfectly well conserved. There is a inside tour with one of the priests as guide, where you can admire its original architecture and rich decoration, and feel how was the certosini (hermits priests) life inside the monastery.
  Certosa di Pavia official web site (only italian)
  Comune di Pavia - Certosa (with english texts)

• 17.08.04 Portofino

  We spent a nice Saturday at Portofino (30min by car from Genova), a trendy spot for Hollywood VIPs during the 50’s. It is a very small but charming port, with colored houses, contrast between small and traditional wood boats and big, modern and luxurious Yachts. We ate the traditional gnocchi “al pesto”, local pasta sauce made by olive oil, basil and pine nuts. There is a small and lovely castle up in the hill, from the British Lord Brown, that has an wonderful site-seeing.

  
  image from lorbus.

• 09.08.04 Weekend on Moscow

  

  Last weekend I went on a business trip to Moscow. The city is amazing with this socialist architectural background covered by a capitalist layer. Colorful outdoors; flashy signs; neons; squared, heavy, and gray residential buildings; all known fast-food franchises; huge and impressive monuments; wide streets; non friendly (and corrupt) police; tourists all over; Cyrillic alphabet (which is graphically very beautiful); big malls; matrioska; very rich or very poor people; Audi & Mercedes versus Lada.

  
  I had the opportunity to visit the Red Square, which was closed for the public, and after a 1 hour line I could visit Lenin’s mausoleum. It’s really worthwhile! The architecture is impressive, modern with black and red marble with strong personality and well defined lines; the ambient is dark, very lowlight compared with the outside, you can barely see when you enter; some non-smiling military officers guide you along a course and tell you to stay quiet; obviously no photos are allowed (in fact if you are carrying a camera or a mobile with camera you are not even allowed to enter!); and then here it is: Lenin’s body inside a glass box, perfectly preserved, with a very scenografic light only over his face and hands. To get the feeling you can take a virtual tour in Lenin’s Mausoleum website, which is really loyal to the real one.

  

  I stayed at the Ukraina Hotel, which is one of the 7 big towers Stalin constructed in the 50’s with a unique architecture know as Stalin Classicism.
  The hotel’s architecture and interior decoration is still perfectly preserved from its early years. It really gives you the feeling of the socialism period.

  

• 02.08.04 Olodum in Milano

  

  Yesterday we saw Olodum at the Portello parking area, nearby Milano’s Fair Complex.
  Except by the big sign “Fiera di Milano” visibly behind the stage it was a concert with real carnival flavor! Caipirinha included!

• 22.07.04 My new gadget!

  

• 20.06.04 Summer Alla Milanese

  

  Celebrating the summer (and inspired by 2003 Paris-Plage) 600 tons of sand were placed by the Arco della Pace to create an artificial beach (aka Beach Rumble) in the heart of Milano.

  …impossible not to think of the traditional breaded meat Milanese style…

• 07.06.04 Database problems

  Sorry for all the inactivity, but I was experiencing database problems that didn’t let me login.
  My ISP FatCow finally solve it!
  I’m back!

• 07.06.04 Estou de volta!

  Tive uns probleminhas com o database do meu site que nao me deixava efetuar o login. Finalmente o meu ISP FatCow conseguiu resolver!
  so… I’m back!

• 25.04.04 Esta

  Um dos prazeres que descobri recentemente

• 18.04.04 Pirellone

  It’s been exactly 2 years since an small airplane went after the Pirelli Building.
  Since then the building has been under re-construction, specially of the facade, and today there will be it’s reopening.

  It is a great pleasure to see a Gio Ponti’s architecture in a perfect and beautiful shape.

  

• 14.04.04 Milano Design Week

  The biggest design marathon is starting!
  Previoulsy known as Salone Internazionale del Mobile the Milano furniture fair is now presented as: Milano Design Week

  

  See you around…

• 03.04.04 1st Brazilian Hurricane

  

• 02.04.04 Lost In Translation experience

  If you, as me, really liked the movie you can “Enjoy Being Lost in Translation at Park Hyatt Tokyo”.
  The hotel offers a package “which mirrors the adventures of the film’s main characters”.
  Lovely!

• 11.03.04 Snow…

  Today morning was snowing in Milano…….

• 04.03.04 back from Sao Paulo

  We’re back from our 2 weeks vacation…
  (rainy) beach, family, friends, lime caipirinha, family performance of Jobim music, feijoada, shopping at malls, futebol and churrasco on sunday, summer, green leaves, always traffic, my dog Bianca, going to the dentist, carnival, samba & pagode at Ibirapuera park, japanese restaurant twice, lebanese restaurant, burger restaurant… family, family and family…
  Already miss all of it! Saudades……

• 14.02.04 my world

  This is the world I know so far…
  Go see yours.

  

• 09.02.04 snowboarding weekend…

  Saturday at Foppolo, with Lorenzo, Juanco and Eduardo (Juanco’s brother).
  Sunday, Lorenzo and I just had to go again… we went this time to San Simone. Both make part of Brembana Ski, a ski resort near Bergamo.

• 01.02.04 bolo de cenoura

  Fim de semana com comidinha brasileira…
  s

• 27.01.04 And the Oscar goes to…

  I got really excited when saw Cidade de Deus (City of God) was nominated for 4 Oscars: directing, cinematography, film editing and writing (adapted screenplay).
  Even if it doesn’t win any statue, it already means a victory for Brazilian cinema.

• 27.01.04 Oscar 2004

  Fiquei muito contente com a indica

• 24.01.04 SP no carnaval!

  Aproveito para oficializar que estarei chegando em SP dia 19/02 e ficarei ate’ 03/03. Durante o carnaval irei para Ubatuba.
  Mas Babel ja’ esta’ organizando churrasco (ou pizza?) e futebol no dia 29/02, na casa dela, portanto podem ja’ se programar para o grande evento! RSVP.

• 20.01.04 aniversario

  hoje e’ aniversario da Mitla e do Lorenzo…
  (so’ para ajudar a refrescar a memoria dos amigos…)
  ;)

• 20.01.04 birthday…

  well yes, I’m getting older… but not that much. Now I’m 28 and my dear husband Lorenzo, now is 29 - destiny made the two of us to born on the same day… *how lovely*… ;)

• 17.01.04 To soccer fans

  

  Take a time to have a look on FIFA’s Laws of the Game. It is a nice illustrated PDF, with only 16 laws, simple and clear to everyone.

  Except, of course, for the most controversial law in soccer, the offside: there are at least 10 illustrations explaining when there is and when there is not offside.

  And for those who still have doubts… you only score when “the whole of the ball passes over the goal line”.

• 15.01.04 happy 2004!