International Study. Day 7 of 12. "earthquake diplomacy".

The awkward moment in which you think you're doing something funny, and (almost) anyone else in the room thinks you're just being stupid. The same thing happens, all the time, when you try to approach a woman. I think it should be quite difficult, for a woman, to laugh to most of the pathetic attempts by men, like me for example, to get their attention. But that's the world. Men fight for the women, and the women fight among themselves. Can you imagine what the world would be if everything was the opposite? Could you really imagine that? A world in which a man is sought after by women, who try to get his attention which, magically, goes beyond the observation of physical aspects and focus more on inner virtues.

Why am I saying that? Well, I think the world is already going the opposite way, since the fact that a small earthquake may be actually believed to be a cause of the closure of the university for today and the next days to come. Incredible. As incredible is the fact the most seen video on youtube is by Justin Bibier, or the fact that F.C. Inter Milan actually managed to win the Champions League. Where the world is going to? Will tomorrow be better than today? I don't know, but I believe in this sentence: is better to have an egg today, than a hen tomorrow.

Day 6 of 12.

 (50% considering the # of days, 5% considering the effort done). Doomed study. That's it. You find yourself with 20 more pages to study as the teacher decides to explain a new topic two days before the exam. Nothing wrong about that, of course. It's our fault to be there at that time: nobody asked us to do that course and, for extension, to be born in 1989 so to be exactly there today, in that class. For sure, nobody is going to complain about that. So, let's talk about flying monkeys. Did you ever see one? Did you ever hear anyone talking about them? Nope? Neither I did. But do they exist? Can anything exist if noone ever see them? The point is, have things an existance by themselves without some kind of perception by some other subjects (for example, people)? If,in a forest, a tree falls and no one sees it, did it really fall? If nobody posted on Facebook any picture about the friday party, did the party really exist? Think about that. Nevertheless, remember that if no-one attends the exam of Operation Management only by the assumption that it never existed, Mr. Pozzetti is going to kick your ass!

PS: sorry guys, it's just craziness given by these stressful days. Take care!

The coffee-maker resemblance

As promised, here's the second part for today. I'm tired, so forgive me. I really do appreciate your interest, though, and I hope to give you a small piece of pleasure with these erratic thoughts I'm writing every day.

Today, we also have a title: "The coffee-maker resemblance". It's gonna be quite "old good times" so, if you don't feel like it, simply avoid it :) just saying...

Mystical study. Day 5 out of 12. Don't know if you're used to prepare coffee with the coffee-maker (not with the coffee-machine, beware!). If you do, you've probably got accustomed to hear the noise of the steam coming out of it: and, with it, you probably smell the fragrance of the coffee invading the atmosphere of your room. Can you smell it right now? I do. And when I smell it, I can see, like in an aged picture, me playing in the old house I used to live when I was three years old, and I enjoy it very much. This simple scent can make my day bright. As so can do a smile, or seeing a person you really like. I think you are now seeing my final thought for today: it's in the smallest things that we appreciate (or, at least, should appreciate) our daily lives. So, when some kind of bad thought is crossing your mind, just think about a very (very!) small thing that made you think the day was worth living. And, for God's sake, smile to people. This is going to make their day really better.

Stinky Study, Day 4 out of 12

Ok, today was a very long one, full with empathy and with lots of occasions to enrich my knowledge with the dispatching rules or the number of Ibrahimovic's goals in the A-League. So did I, and I don't have anything to complain about. But, on the other hand, I couldn't help wondering: where would I be now if I'd chosen differently at the right time? Who would I have met without going there? When would I have done this and that if ...? Would have I got laid if...? (Ops, maybe I didn't have to share that). So, kinda like the 'Sliding Doors' movie in which Cameron Diaz (or Gwyneth Paltrow?) entertain us with 2 hours of "what if" question, I spent ten minutes thinking about it (not more, Politecnico would never approve longer pauses). The answer I got was simple: is it really important? I should really care about myself now, not in any imaginary case I cannot ever come back to.

I want to conclude this useless monologue with three overrated sentences, which are my teaching for today: 1. Don't cry over the spilt milk. 2. She sells sea shells on the sea shore (or, if you prefer, "the fat cat sat on the vet's wet hat", said with a typical south-west British accent) and, in the end, the correct motto for Politecnico: 3. Pussy pussy go away, but only for today. Au revoir!

Fuzzy study, Day 3 of 12 (25%).

One group project, two exams. - I know. I know there is something behind them. I know there is something behind that unlimited number of paragraphs I keep reading. What, though? A rule, a moral principle, maybe? Honestly, I don't know yet. I'd really like my soul to nourish when I read about Kanbans, Economic Order Quantity or Web Information Systems. I'd really like it but, instead, behind those lines I find nothing and my soul keeps shrinking back into its shell.

What to say then? Shall we stop doing this? Absolutely not. Even though we may not be able to find a reason for what we do, we can't just stop it and pretend we don't care anymore: we're rolling, guys. It's up to us to keep rolling (and maybe rocking, too) and not to suck. This principle is applied to everything, from the actual period, to boiling eggs (I don't even know why I came up with the boiling eggs... well let's accept them!), to life. Because even though life, sometimes, may not have sense to us, giving up is a way to say: I don't deserve it. But we do.

PS: I'm sorry for this. I planned to write about football and human-behaving monkeys, but I suddenly came out with this useless speech. The power of a tired and slightly bored mind. Forgive me.

Pragmatic Study, Day 2 of 12

Presentation ? Group Project ? Exam 1 ? Exam 2. Instead of the usual and creepy description, let me tell you a little story for today. Imagine, for instance, that you, in this period, meet a beautiful girl you'd really (really!) like to talk with (like, for example, X: well I'm not gonna say any name now, but I think that anyone you may think of would be ok). Ok, you see that girl and you'd really like to approach her. But your guilty conscience continues to repeat to your brain the motto for the average Politecnico student: (Well, it's in Italian: I'll try to translate it almost literally, trying to keep the rhyme) "Pussy, pussy, go away / I've to study Engineering all day". Ok? So you are guessing where I'm aiming to. The story finishes with you looking at girl going away without you even trying to move a single meter forward in her direction. Of course, you've just lost any chance to meet her again for the 35 years to come. You conscience will still tell you: "Com'on man, you are cool! Engineers are awesome!" (as someone, not me, literally said).
PS: For the sake of knowledge, this story didn't happen yet to me, but I'm anticipating it for the days to come, just not to feel totally disappointed.
PS 2: Why did I tell you this? Well, the reason is easy. You may be the most awesome person ever, but if you don't act, you'll be still a loser.