Sunset at the hospital

Some beauty….

Happy Easter!!

Also to this lamb that will not end up in an oven!!

a lamb in the car

Italian home

As I have been told:

你永远都是[我的]大宝贝

I’m always a big baby!

Unbelievable late summer weather!

Incredibly good summer weather in the Netherlands: if not for the temperatures early/late in the day, that are a good reminder that winter is coming,

Amsterdam

These past days, before and after the super moon, the morning sky has been gorgeous, followed by a super good “summer” day..

For some reasons yesterday, when I was sitting outside a cafe and I took this picture, I had the feeling to be back in Shanghai.. and that is quite weird, since I have never lived there and almost always there are skyscraper in view.. or maybe I still miss something from there..

This weekend though I will be back in my hometown, Biella, and the weather forecast are.. normal for the season, ie. quite bad, rainy weather!! Leaving behind these extremely sunny days (and warm during the working hours!) is painful! Especially knowing which kind of weather we can expect, in the Netherlands, for the “real” autumn/winter time!

sitting on the clouds…

summer storm in Biella

Another Italian Mid-Autumn festival!

I wrote the pass below in advance, but my plans changed abruptly because a huge delay on departure on Friday that let me to re-schedule my ticket for free (hoping in a ride when arriving in Milan Friday night) for next week.. So for this mid-autumn festival I am in the Netherlands.. still having memories..

Like in 2013, by chance, I am in Italy for my favorite Chinese festivity, the one I will always miss the most since it is so difficult to find the delicious moon cakes, 月饼, abroad!! Today it is the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, zhōngqiū jié), or so called Moon Cake festival 🙂

Last year I got this nice video from a Chinese Aikido friend:

…and I add the memories from my second year in China, when I could really enjoy the moon (in 2010 it had been quite cloudy and rainy!):

From the top: moon cake 月饼, the moon on Hefei, 中 (中秋=mid-autumn)

中秋节快乐！！
Zhōngqiū jié kuàilè! !

Un PAGLIACCIO per il primo Maggio!

Post in Italiano per una volta (short English summary below): la band di un caro amico e compaesano Biellese ha la possibilita’, se votata a sufficienza, di partecipare al concerto del primo Maggio a Roma, quindi, godetevi la loro musica e votate cliccando il “mi piace” in alto a destra.

Bella musica, che non solo puo’ rallegrarvi, ma anche far pensare un po’..

For my not Italian readers, a band from my hometown can have the chance to play at a major Italian concert on the first of May if the get enough votes, so follow this link and then click on the op right side the “Mi piace” icon (Facebook style “Like”).. Let’s help them to get to a great event!!

2013 of words

Never too late for some wrap ups, and after using a lot Amazon China I then moved back to Europe and enjoyed Utrecht library (given the super expensive membership fee of 50 €/year I have to read a lot!!):

• Stephen King – The Dark Tower, Book6: The Song of Susannah
• Stephen King – The Dark Tower, Book7: The Dark Tower
• Frank Schätzing – The Swarm (2nd time, the 1st was in 2007, bought at Værnes, Trondheim Airport, on the way back to Oslo after some Aikido seminar up there.. home.. ah, good memories!)
• Stephen King – Salem’s Lot (2nd time, 1st time in English!)
• Dan Brown – Deception Point
• Stephen King – The Stand (2nd time, 1st time in English as well!)
• Bernard Minier – Il Demone Bianco (Glace) – during my about 2 months in Italy

..and then I moved to the Nethrlands and enrolled in Utrecht library (since 11/2013):

• Michael Crichton – Timeline
• Patrick Seth – Reviver
• Ray Hammond – Extinction
• Jeffery Deaver – The Burning Wire
• Warren Fahy – Fragment
• John Wyndham – The Chrysalids