Giorgio's Tales

2012-02-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

Can a person live without rules?

Without roots? And what sort of life is that?

'The unquestioned respect of the rules lead to sad life styles, without any rule we are nobody' is my typical quote

"Three meters down the hell" tries to give a 15 minute perspective about how this rootless life is, with no intention of teaching anything. The story takes place in Dublin but it could be based anywhere

Modern technology

2012-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

These days modern technology allows us possibilities which where unknown a few years before.

With an internet connection you can watch the final of the Australian Open on a laptop.

Even without an internet connection you can see a football match on a laptop, simply using a HTC mobile as a modem

And finally, if you are on a bus and you only have a mobile phone, you can watch your own football team on that micro screen.

Who knows what technology will allow us tomorrow...

London: the city of everybody and nobody

2012-01-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

Of the city where I used to live

London is definitely the one I least think about.

I never felt London like home or my place, but I'm sure many people can say the opposite.

London seems to me the city of everybody and nobody.

However none can deny it is a charmy city

The day before New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T06:17:00.000-08:00

The day before New Year's Eve
people tend to take it easy to be ready for the party of the following day.

Not many folks have realized it's better to party the day before, to avoid the disappointment caused by big expectations.

Take Dublin for instance: never mind December 30th is a Friday, very few people are around; not even on a regular Monday you see Temple Bar so empty...

Christmas in Roma

2011-12-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Roma

is not so different from the rest of the world.

It's Roma that is different from the rest of the world....

Is Sweden racist for real?

2011-12-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

"We Swedes have to come face to face to the fact that we are super racist!" my friend Kåre told me after a few weeks from my arrival in Sweden.

Kåre's words might have some point.

Racism exists even in Sweden (but the Swedes are not so aware of it).

Any foreigner who lives in Sweden for a while (Erasmus students don't count) notices a certain attitude.

What does that mean?

I need to be clear about the meaning of my statement, otherwise I could get the same reaction the average Swede has when I tell them this (without any insulting attitude): they look at me as if I had said that Albania is the strongest national football team in the world, they get astonished.

Then they add: "But we Swedes give political asylum to every Iranian or Iraqi who applies for that; we give them a job, an accommodation to live, everything they need to live in a decent way"

That's true.

It's also true that many men and women have relationships with people from other countries; I could quote many positive aspects of Swedish people which make them among the best citizens in the world.

But it's a matter of fact that if you live in Sweden you are never taken too seriously, simply because you come from a different culture, which is perceived not as good as the Swedish one; if you apply for a serious job you'll get it only if there's no Swede who can do that job at all (but that happens almost in every country).

Here is one of the examples I could provide: a friend of mine got a very good job for a Swedish IT consultancy company which worked with the Italian market; my friend was hired at the very last, after they tried employing some Swedes who spoke a bit of Italian; the problem was these Swedes could not really understand the Italians on the phone, so the company in the end they had to give in: "We need an Italian native speaker, otherwise we risk to lose this important client of ours for communication impossibility"

Obviously when they had to choose between hiring a native speaker of another Country or losing a big customer they had to do what they didn't plan at first.

Another non Swedish friend of mine was the best performer of his company in Stockholm, always reaching the highest targets; one day he had a chance to have a look at a work contract of a new colleague of his, who was a native Swedish girl, with no work experience: her starting salary was significantly higher than his and he could not find any explanation for that. So he started asking around what could be the reason, and his colleagues answered him "you are not Swedish..".

I know other stories of the kind.

What's my conclusion?

When the Swedes tells me that Sweden provides a foreigner many good things they are right: not many Countries can say the same thing.

But they miss to realize their unconscious attitude towards the foreigners. These things are perceived.

It's true that in Sweden people are not allowed to joke about ethnic groups, they are always politically correct speaking wise.

But facts count more than words.

Obviously what I have written here is only a generalization and not all Swedes are like that, but without generalizations 90% of speeches does not exist.

My Swedish friends don't get pissed off when I claim what they know (in the deepest part of their hart).

Because they are smart.

Dublin is Cozy

2011-12-04T05:34:00.000-08:00

After 14 months I can say that:

I did the right thing when I moved here

Ultimately Dublin is a cozy city, where you feel at home

Where you can go to a party on a Saturday night and at first you know only one person, but in a couple of hours you know everyone there, or at least the most significant ones

I may miss something from Sweden but I am happy to be here

När är det dags att lämna Dublin?

2011-11-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Fyra år ser ut som den maximala tiden att bo på Irland för många personer.

Många kompisar och bekanta som har bott på denna ö har levt utan problem de första tre år, men efteråt har de börjat leta efter
någonting annat, det vill säga de har börjat söka ett ny ställe att bo.

Varför?

Orsaken kunde vara att man blir så van till sitt liv att det känns som bara rutin, och man vill inte känna sig som en maskin.

Så lösningen är identifierad med en flyttning till ett annat land där man kan hitta vad man inte har, eller minst där kan man känna sig motiverad

När man börjar allting från början i ett nytt land känns man sig levande och det är bara bra.

Problemet är att efter en stund riskerar man att befinna sig på en ny rutin, och vad blir viktigast är om de sakerna som man har i nytt land är bättre än de sakerna som man hade i föregående landet.

Annars kan det hända att man bestämmer sig för att återvända till föregående landet, därför att under mellantiden har man fattat att detta land var bättre än man hade bedömd i första hand..

Dun Laoghaire

2011-11-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

"Is there only this"?

This is the typical thing people wonder when they live in a place and they never travel around.

And the answer is "Yes, there is only that if you always stick around. What else could you come across if you never move from the same spots?"

If you want to experience something else you need to move your ass, take a car, a bus, a train or a plane. Then you'll see different realities.

If you win your laziness you can discover many unknown things.

Sometime you don't even need to go so far away from where you live; half an hour and it feels like you are in a different world...

Roma International Film Festival

2011-10-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it feels good to be in Roma.

For the time being I prefer living in a smaller place like Dublin, however, in places like Rome there are
big things going on and it can be pleasant to be there when they happen.

Today I was at the Roma International Film Festival where you can breathe culture, smell it all around

Nasty drunken Irish girls

2011-10-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am asked why I don't like go clubbing.

Simply because I do not enjoy it.

An example as to why I don't enjoy it is when you are on your own, smoking a cigarette, and a drunken girl turns up and demands to wear your hat. You tell her you don't want to give her your hat, because you know she is going to pass it to all her friends and then collecting it becomes a very had task.

So what does she do?

She asks you where you are from so she can insult your nationality.

And what do you do?

You make up a nationality to see what sort of bullshit she will come up with

There she goes

Blues in Dublin

2011-09-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

In the weekend,

instead of running after drunken girls in mini skirts and high heels who go out to satisfy their narcissism (by being observed by every guy), a sensible guy can decide to go listen to good blues music and feel like being in a different environment.

It is definitely worth it!

Budapest

2011-08-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Budapest is an amazing city.

Not only is the capital of Hungary gorgeous, what is really surprising is the welfare it communicates: it could very well be the capital of one of the richest countries on earth.

Once again you need to go visit a place to understand it, otherwise you will stick to stereotypes which have nothing to do with reality...

Plzen

2011-08-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

When you visit a place for 2 days you have just a few elements to get an idea of the city.

It's very tricky if you cannot talk to anybody since everyone speaks only their own language.

Probably Pilsen (or Plzen) offers more during the weekend when everyone feels like partying, but during weekdays it's the opposite of Belgrade: nobody around and empty pubs.

However there might be some festival which could offer some pleasant moment...

Beograd

2011-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard to describe a city which you visit for less than 48 hours.
So you need to trust your instincts, your sixth sense.
Belgrade is a peculiar city: not so attractive during the day, very fascinating with the dark.
It communicates strong emotions, because those who live there do nothing to hide their feelings,
with the inevitable Balcan attitude...

Erasmus reunion in Stockholm: 10th anniversary

2011-07-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

I do not know if there are other examples in Europe. Maybe. Maybe not. These people started their Erasmus year 10 years ago, and they meet every year somewhere in Europe to celebrate a reunion, to prove that the Erasmus spirit is still alive.

This year they celebrated the 10th anniversary, so they had to reunite where everything started: Stockholm. The reunion ended with what was typical during their Erasmus: a corridor party.

Ten years later they were in the same spot for their last corridor party.

Was it really the last one?

Cork

2011-06-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

I used to live in Cork, and I was happy there.
I had almost nothing (not even an internet connection) and everything at the same time. Today it would be unthinkable to move back there, but it was good to spend a day in "the Real Capital" once again

BRAY

2011-06-05T03:59:00.000-07:00

Even Dublin can have hot days and cool landscapes.

Here is Bray, in the south of the capital.

In this area there are beaches, pubs and restaurants like if it was a sea town.

And paradoxically it is a sea town!

May 1st in Dublin

2011-05-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

No worries in Dublin if May 1st is a Sunday.

Bank holiday will be postponed to the following Monday, so you will have your 3 day Weekend, long enough for a short trip, but too long to stay in town.

It will be sunny and windy, you can tan but you can't help wearing a coat.

Suburbs in Dublin: the best drug

2011-04-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

Dublin is a peculiar city,
many businesses take place there.

Sometimes also those run by Shawn and Gary....

Zurich

2011-02-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some images of Zurich.

The city is nice, however, if you have good company like I had on this occasion any place seems to be a pleasant spot.
You can hear my impressions and, most importantly, the considerations of the great Heike who can be considered more reliable than me about Zurich since she lives in this place.

Being a Football fan

2011-02-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Being my grandpa one of the founders of a football club I can't help be emotionally linked to that football club.

However I can't help acknowledging that:

Football fans are a community of people who make the acts of someone else a reason for living: they identify themselves with a team because this is the only way they have to be somebody.

A person with balls identifies himself with his deeds, because he knows that being someone is his sole responsibility.

Therefore, the true man hates football, because he knows that the more value he attaches to something external to himself (a football team, God, a political leader, etc..), the more decreases his own individuality.

A man with balls knows that only a mediocre can be a football fan, acknowledging in the deeds of others a pride, an identity, a value that he could never achieve on his own; a sense of relief to his distress and an existential illusion that his life is worth something.

As long as the fan does not realize that, he can only watch 11 semi-literate people kicking a ball earning a fortune with his money.

But a football fan is programmed to live a mediocre life in line with his personality

Company Christmas Party

2010-12-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

And obviously,

just before Christmas, the Company party.
It's a sort of must in Northern Europe, something which cannot be missed.

Why?

Because colleagues want to see each other in a different state of mind: relaxed, tipsy and dressed up.

Everyone waits for something crazy to happen, but usually the expectations get disappointed since nothing so significant happens.

But the following year (almost) everyone is there, waiting for the "great Christmas company party"....

November snow in Dublin

2010-11-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

The world has changed, no doubt about that.
There hadn't been any snow in Ireland for about 40 years then last year it snowed for 3 days in January.
But this year it started much earlier.
It started on November 26th and it's going on probably until the beginning of December.
What is that mean?
It probably means we need to look at the world in a different way...

Dublin

2010-10-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Three weeks went by and so far so good.

Since my arrival in Dublin I've got a job at Microsoft and a place to live
in the heart of the city.

I'd say my decision to move here has already paid some dividends.

Let's see what happens next!

Stockholm film - Lappis movie : "The endless dream of a winter night"

2010-10-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Before leaving Stockholm, a few days ago, we had the premiere of the movie we made in the Swedish capital during the season 2009/2010.

You can watch the movie blog here and have a look at many backstage moments and interviews.

Now the question: is this a movie about Stockholm? Is this a movie about Sweden? Or is it just a Lappis film?

And furthermore: what is the meaning of the movie?

I can answer from the perspective of the screenwriter: it is a movie about how a foreigner can feel in Sweden; so it's Stockholm from a foreign perspective, I'd better say from different foreign perspectives.

Why Lappis? Because it is the place where many foreigners live and study.

I don't think it can be called a proper Lappis film, but all those who have lived in Lappis can recognize many things.

Enjoy!

Last month in Stockholm

2010-09-01T03:50:00.000-07:00

Today my last month in Stockholm begins!

Here I express my feelings

Antalya - Alanya

2010-08-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here is where I spent part of my holidays

Very very relaxing

Bath in Stockholm - Lappis beach

2010-07-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

It can be very hot in Stockholm,

today there were 32 degrees, so I really needed a bath and in fact I went for a bath as you can see in the video!

Never dark in Umeå

2010-07-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is Umeå, at the end of June.

As you can see in the video it's 00.50 and it's not dark.

It's never dark in Umeå in that period of the year, basically the light lasts 24 hours.

Absolutely crazy!

Bye Bye Lappis

2010-07-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's the end of the season 2009/2010, and this is what Lappis looks like these days at around 10pm.
The exchange students have gone, there's almost nobody left to enjoy the longest days of the year..

Italian-Swedish dinner

2010-06-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here I am,

cooking pappardelle al ragù with one of my classes.
I have to hand it to them, they cooked very well too!

Kungsträdgården in the summer

2010-06-06T03:56:00.000-07:00

Some months ago I showed the Kungsträdgården area, which is one of the most central squares in Stockholm, during Christmas time

Now we can see the same area in a completely different period, where the light lasts 19 hours a day instead of 5, and the people can dress in a very light way

The difference is pretty clear!

2010-06-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

In Italy when the students end secondary school (high school) there's no official celebration whatsoever, you say goodbye to your classmates, you say fuck off to you ex professors, turn your back and leave that school for ever.
In Sweden when these 19 year old students graduate, they rent a van, they sit on it, play music, drink booze, dance and have a driver that tour them all over the centre.
Here they are, and the second truck shows a very interesting slogan "hellre bonde och arbetande än ekonom och arbetslös" which means "rather farmer and worker than economist and unemployed"

Springbreak in Stockholm

2010-05-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

Spring has come

People are happy now, they can sit on the grass and suntan

Like here in this video

Miss you dad

2010-05-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

Four years went by. It seems yesterday, it seems a life ago.
All I can say after this time is thank you, I owe you a lot. Thanks for teaching me so many things. Thanks to “force” me to learn new languages, to see new Countries, to be critical towards what people take for granted, to suggest me live abroad. To show me what being a man means.
I know loads of people are just poor pieces of shit, mediocre or idiotic and I dislike them. But thank God there are still some good ones left, and sometimes I come across them because I can recognize them. And I recognize them because you helped me understand who they are. And for that I will always be grateful. I miss you dad

Valborg: connection in Uppsala

2010-05-10T03:15:00.000-07:00

Vallborg is special day in Sweden, it means the winter is over and the spring has come. In other words, it’s not time to suffer anymore, it’s time to enjoy. And people enjoy it celebrating, drinking all day long. Then there’s time to go clubbing and dance. Here is a friend of mine with a new acquaintance. At the very late in the night he still had enough energy to dance with a proper dancer while his friends could only film him…

My class choosing italian food

2010-04-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my classes, every student chooses
what Italian dish they will cook

Oscar in "The endless dream of a winter night"

2010-04-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the arrival of Oscar, the flatmate of the main character in "The endless dream of a winter night". He is a real character...

To Silvio: who is the problem of Italy

2010-03-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

As soon as I got home to spend Easter time with my family I found a letter waiting for me.
"Let's have a look! Who's writing? Fancy That! Silvio Berlusconi! He wants to tell me why I should vote for his party".
I answer throughout my blog Mr Berlusconi: I am not "Egregio Signor Giorgio Paoletti", I am Doctor Giorgio Paoletti, graduated in Political Science in 2003 with a final mark of 110/110 cum laude, the best possible mark, which I got busting my ass, studying hard and never asking for a favour or counting on anything else to help me but my skills as a student.
I don't live in Italy, I haven't done it over the last 9 years and I don't intend to return to the country where you are a sort of king.
Spare your paper, because even if I had the somewhat catastrophic idea to come back to the Country where you can do whatever you want I would never ever vote for you. I have enough toilet paper, I don't need your letters.
I know you don’t speak English, I heard you speak once with Bush and you were pathetic. I don’t demand you to speak 4 languages like me, I know everyone has their limits, and you have many; but if one day there will be some friends of yours able to speak something more than their own dialect maybe you’ll be able to understand what I am trying to communicate to you.
I realized who is the ruin of Italy.
It's not you, it's not your ally Lega Nord, it's not even your friends so-called journalists, good only at licking your arse (they are paid to do it so)..
It's those who vote for you, they are the ruin of our Country.
Those who claim not to watch "Big Brother" or that they dislike your TV shitty programs, or the values they propose.
Because they are the lowest of the low, the scum of the earth: they don't dislike your TV programs, they couldn't, otherwise they wouldn't vote for you. They are just envious, envious of those who are in those TV shows, envious that it's not them, dreaming about becoming a new Silvio, with all that implies: powerful acquaintances, favours, free whores.
I’m not interested in what you could possibly offer me. Escorts: no thanks, I am not pay boy; I like those girls who like me because I am unique to them. A political role, no way; I like to create, to write, to produce, to see if I can communicate something to the rest of the world, but my targets are people who are smarter than your electors. Your money, no thanks, I haven’t got the “poor attitude”, typical of those not poor people who envy the money (or the girls) of the others and think “If I had the money I could get a cool car, a cool house, so I could impress some people, especially the girls that are naturally not attracted to me”.
They secretly hope that one day they will get some crumbs of the kind from their biggest friend Silvio.
Those people are your target, not me.
I am not them, I am not for sale, I am better than you, your friends and your electors because I don't envy any of you.
You people just make me sick.
I have my good friends: journalists (not corrupted), writers, directors, and simple people who believe in healthy values.
They are priceless Mr president.
I know you don't know what that means but we don't like to cheat, to steal, to lie. We like to be what we are, REAL PEOPLE.
Not ass licking jokers, not pimps, not slobs, not clowns who always deny to have said what we said.
We stick to our creeds. We are real men.
What you and your million supporters will never be because you are just buffoons.
So keep the Country to you for what is worth it these days, and keep all your subjects of the kingdom, little men that would follow you even though you endorsed a law that would allow you to piss over all of them every single day.
I bet they would be ready to accept even that. But not me, I am not a buffoon who repeats what your party teaches them.
I am a man

Goodbye Diego, you will be missed

2010-03-23T04:31:00.000-07:00

Now also Diego is gone.
After all the others. After Francesco, Lorenzo, Nicola, Valentina, Chiara, Torben, Vera, Giampaolo, Ettore, Alessandro, Adam, Paolo. Now Diego, and soon Giulia, Sara and somebody else. Always the same film, the same scenes. I remember when it was my turn, some years ago, same protocol, same feelings. I was at the airport and I turned towards Francesco and then towards the gate, “Fuck man, here we go, for real!”; I was about to cry but I’m not used to crying in front of the people, I prefer to do it when I am alone. Why? I don’t know, maybe because when I was a kid everyone said “Men don’t cry, girls do”; these days I think that’s just bollocks, people should react the way they feel, I do it now, but not always. The protocol I was saying; the same: you meet the person one more time, while she or he is overwhelmed by the fucking baggage, around 40 kilos “But maybe they won’t extra charge me, maybe if I tell them I am a poor student with no money left...”. Me too, I said the same shit and it was the first time I caught a Ryanair flight, the end of June some years ago, Brazil had just won the 5th World Cup and it seemed impossible Italy could do anything good within the next 3 decades; “they are so cheap and you know when you are leaving, but you never know if you arrive” somebody told me when I was on my way to Skavsta; I corrupted the assistant with 5 free movie tickets, she let me board 36 kilos, it worked. I told her she was cute and she was happy to hear that, “You come from a very different culture, boys here don’t pay compliments”. She was happy with a compliment and with 5 tickets for the movie, in Italy I should have promised her probably an audition for a national tv program; different culture, different needs. When you are young you get thrilled for almost irrelevant things, but you feel alive. Experience makes you used to certain scenes and they start meaning less to you but it’s important not to reach that point where they mean nothing. People are not the same; when you live abroad you meet loads of boys and girls but you don’t remember them all. Why? Because someone touches you and someone don’t. But when a person that touches you leave it’s important to feel a little bit emptier. It means you are still alive

"The endless dream of a winter night": Johanna-Miranda

2010-03-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

Here is Johanna: Miranda who plays one of the central female characters of the movie tells us a little bit about herself and the movie...

Sudden snow in Stockholm...

2010-03-15T04:32:00.000-07:00

In Stockholm during March it can happen the weather is sunny and pleasant and suddenly it starts snowing for no reason, nothing anticipated that possibility but it snows anyway...

Interviewing Malin from "The endless dream of a winter night"

2010-03-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here is Frida who plays Malin in "The endless dream of a winter night". It's her first experience as actress and she really impressed all of us.

Here is what she told us in this short interview

Interviewing the screenplay author

2010-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a paradoxical interview where the director of the movie "The endless dream of a winter night" interviews the author of the screenplay. Just a minute to tell in total honesty what he thinks...

A Dutch girl in Stockholm

2010-02-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

Here is Manja Wüstefeld that tells us what she thinks about the capital of Sweden. It looks like she really enjoys living there...

Mistakes while acting

2010-02-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

Mistakes while acting are made not only by superstars but also by non professional actresses. Here is the very talented Gosia while forgetting what she had to say...

Who studies Italian in Sweden?

2010-01-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

One day I was talking to the human resources responsible for an institute that hired me to teach Italian and when she told me “We teach 28 languages in this school and after Swedish and English the Italian tongue is the most taught with 55 courses every semester” I couldn’t believe that and I wondered “Who the hell would study Italian in Sweden?”. Here they are, some of my students!

Movie making in Stockholm

2010-01-25T04:31:00.001-08:00

What do people do in Stockholm during a typical Sunday afternoon?

Someone doesn't do anything, just relax after being drunk two days in a row

Someone else goes to a coffee shop to meet some friends and have a chat with them

The most banal meet up and watch a football match

But there's also a minority who does something else: they make a movie!

Here they are, planning the next scene of the movie

Lunch break in Stockholm

2010-01-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

What happens during a lunch break in Stockholm?

You go for a walk, trying to avoid any falls due to the snow which makes the pavement very slippery.

Then you return to the office and maybe your lift card doesn't work properly...

Is snowy weather fascinating?

2010-01-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

For those who were born in places where the snow is non-existent being in a landscape like this is incredibly thrilling.

The problem arises when this sort of landscape lasts 4 months a year. After a long period being surrounded by this snow can be annoying but still fascinating.

Here is how it feels like being there!

TALLIN, A LITTLE JEWEL

2010-01-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

The first time I had a chance to go to Tallin was nearly 10 years ago.

At that time I did not know much about life, about countries, in fact I didn't know much about anything. I was just an Erasmus student convinced that Sweden was the best country in the world and Swedish girls were the most attractive women in the universe (how naive!).

Since then I returned to Tallin twice and the impression was similar and different.
What is similar is the beauty of the historical city centre and of the girls.
Tallin looks like those places who have a foot in the past and the other in the future: the monuments remind of the greatness of the empire Estonians belonged to; walking in the non historical city centre gives the clear impression to be in a Scandinavian city, colonised by the Banks and typical shops you may find in Northern Europe.

The people seem to be happy of what they have, they look like simple human beings that don't demand too much.

The girls are among the most gorgeous in the world (currently my favourite but I love women from all the countries!) and they look pretty confident too.
The only drawback in the capital is the cost of living which seems way too high for the possibilities of the inhabitants.

To turn Tallin into the ideal place to live takes 2 things: a significant economic growth due to investments from abroad (which is not easily predictable), and English improvement by the Estonians who have all the means to accomplish this task (films are shown in the original version)

In that case I would have no refrains to move there right away!

Christmas time in Biblioteksgatan

2009-12-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

The central streets in Stockholm are pretty busy during Christmas time.

Here is Biblioteksgatan a few days ago. People run from one side to another and usually don’t manage to do what they planned.

This is what Christmas is about: rushing, spending money and meeting up relatives you wouldn’t meet for the rest of the year. Waiting for another identical Christmas!

Is Odenplan a real alternative to Stureplan and Södermalm?

2009-12-11T05:04:00.000-08:00

Is Odenplan a real main square in Stockholm? Hard to answer.

Odenplan is a famous square in the neighbourhood Vasastan, it is quite central, prestigious and pleasant. But it doesn’t give the inhabitants of this area the status which Stureplan and Södermalm do.

Why? Maybe because there isn’t enough night life down there, or it’s better to say that people don’t usually think about Odenplan when they decide where to go in the night.

But in Odenplan you can even find cool pubs. So what’s the drawback of this square? Maybe just stereotypes, as usual...

Marta, an exchange student in Stockholm

2009-12-04T04:46:00.000-08:00

Here is Marta, a Polish student.

Marta is about to finish her master program in Warsaw; she also studied at Stockholm University some time ago.

Marta has been studying philology, theatre and dancing.

Lets’ hear what she thinks of Stockholm

Stockholm Universitet, where the dreams come true

2009-12-03T01:56:00.000-08:00

A place I do recommend university students apply for is Stockholm Universitet.

I studied there one year and the feeling I had was just fantastic, I felt in the future with a look in the past.

In the future because I had all the technology and means I needed to study properly

In the past because I could interact with many people from many countries: life, despite any technological evolution, will always be about friendships, love, sex and human contacts otherwise it wouldn’t be life, it would be something else, something unworthy.

Many faculties are in the Frescati area together with several places to have a decent lunch, plus three coffee shops and a big computer room

Follow my advice, if you have a chance just study there!

Stureplan, the status symbol

2009-12-02T05:52:00.001-08:00

The main status symbol in Sweden is the neighbour you live in.

You are not a lawyer, an employee nor a doctor; you are a Stureplan or a Södermalm or a Vasastan person.

The most prestigious area in Stockholm is Stureplan: the most expensive for accommodation, the fanciest part of the city where people go to show off and try to prove that they are somebody while clubbing in the night.

I never go to Stureplan because I judge it a chicken trap. However it is a good looking neighbour and sometimes I like to walk there, but never in the night!

Lappis, where the world ends

2009-11-30T05:35:00.000-08:00

When people live abroad they need to share something with someone else to feel integrated.

This need to belong to something is fulfilled in Stockholm by Lappis. Lappis is a student campus where people have their own room with their own bathroom and a shared kitchen. Lappis is where students, especially foreign students feel at home, where they return from downtown or from long distance trips.

There’s a curious syndrome which is contagious, “The Lappis Syndrome”, being this campus a place you don’t want to leave because there’s everything in there: food (Ika), friends, parties, gym, laundry, even a beach to suntan during summer time.

It’s a trauma to leave Lappis and everyone who is still alive inside tries to stay there as long as possible. Those who don’t like it, those who escapes it are people who are already old, old in the inside.

Lappis, where the world ends

CRITICISM IS TO BE ACCEPTED

2009-11-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

Criticism is not condemning someone, it is just underlining what is not perfect about something and if it leads to reflections and new solutions is extremely useful.

People should understand the difference between destructive and constructive criticism.

There’s really no need to feel annoyed or irritated or offended by constructive criticism even about your own country, it could lead to new perspectives and ideas which could generate new solutions and improvements.

Provided that people are open minded enough

IL DIAVOLO

2009-11-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

My thought about films is that too often they show mechanisms that in real life do not exist.

Sometimes, however, they can be useful to understand how a Reality was perceived in a given historical period. It’s the case of "To bed... or not to bed" ("Il Diavolo") Italian film made in Stockholm in 1963.
The filmmakers have taken the character of Alberto Sordi and transported it in Sweden, working closely with reality, changing the canvas according to what the environment suggested. The theme is always the play boy attempt, almost de rigueur in speaking of Italians abroad. The director is Gian Luigi Polidoro, who already had directed “Swedish Girls”, an intelligent comedy about the relationship between the male Latin and the female Scandinavian.

This time the protagonist is not an Evil Woman, but an absolutely common person. On this occasion Sordi waived harsher tones of his palette, he composed a kind of Italian less sinister than usual: with moral and religious concerns, with small complex. In the movie nothing so special happens.

The merchant Amedeo arrives in Sweden, stations in a small town to get a tooth pulled out, is surprised by the open minded mentality of the girls in Stockholm, participates in the evening of the Nobel Prize, has an innocent flirtation with a beautiful married woman, faints after having a sauna together with a girl, attends a party car on a frozen lake and other small adventures.

Obviously it always ends with no sex, as a certain convention wants, but he is filled with a sweet amazement for what happens around him. In a country where women do not know the shame, he feels he is the Devil, a kind of good guy-husband, who could not sin without pulling out the picture of his wife, who faces a frank and spontaneous approach by a woman like something that erases everything which gives taste to love relationships in the Latin countries. So in the end, aside from a smiling and good-natured film, we see a successful, objective comparison of mentalities.

What emerges watching the film 46 years after its implementation is that Sweden is always the same, beyond the bullshit about globalization and changes in socio-cultural characteristics of peoples and countries.

The story could take place in 2009 and there would be nothing to say about it. The same types of events happen to the same types of people when they are in the same territory, at the expense of the time factor

SE QUESTO E’ UN UOMO

2009-11-13T05:55:00.001-08:00

Parlare di Berlusconi non significa parlare di politica in senso stretto, chi lo sostiene o e’ un gonzo o e’ in malafede. Parlare di Berlusconi significa dissertare della persona che decide i destini dell’Italia per via del suo ruolo che gli permette di manipolare il paese politicamente, mediaticamente ed economicamente. Berlusconi e’ appena stato definito dal Forbes la dodicesima persona piu influente nel mondo.

Berlusconi non ha nulla a che fare con il pensiero politico della destra, ne della sinistra, ne del centro. Non ha nulla a che fare con alcun pensiero politico. Sono patetici coloro i quali lo votano sostenendo di essere di destra. Proprio le piu grandi personalita’ della destra liberal-conservatrice italiana lo hanno disperezzato come nessun altro (basti pensare a Montanelli o Sartori) perche’ loro sì erano e sono in buona fede e sanno che Berlusconi ha sempre calpestato ogni valore e idea della destra.

Ora la domanda, perche’ le persone di destra e quelle cattoliche votano in genere per lui? Berlusca non solo non ha a che fare con il pensiero tradizionale della destra che va da Adam Smith a Milton Friedman (lui a chiacchiere e’ liberista, a fatti e’ il piu grande monopolista e oligopolista della storia) ma non ha nulla a che fare con i valori cattolici. Che centra col cattolicesimo chi va a mignotte? Chi divorzia piu volte e che si vanta di essere un playboy? Che c’entra coi valori della Chiesa chi promuove la televisione di showgirl che si prostituiscono per arrivare in alto e che promuovono idee ridicole e false su cosa sia il successo? Chi sostiene che le ragazze si debbano preparare al futuro scegliendo partners benestanti come suo figlio con il messaggio “tu donna non conterai mai un cazzo, ma se scopi quelli coi soldi allora potrai avere una bella vita”?

Non c’entra nulla ma la Chiesa se lo deve tenere buono perche’ lui prende molti voti cattolici, come meccanismo clientelare fa si che i clericali non siano toccati da nesuno legislativamente ed economicamente.

Questo uomo piccolo piccolo e’ l’antitesi dell’uomo, rappresenta la parte di Italia malata che lo vota, lo imita e lo sogna. Molti italiani si lamentano di cosa sia l’Italia ma la verita’ e’ che sono dei piccoli borghesi invidiosi di non essere dall’altra parte della barricata, di poter essere loro a godere dei privilegi dei lacche’ ed amici del cialtrone supremo.

Posso capire che i suoi amici e collaboratori lo difendano, lui paga (fisicamente parlando s’intende) per tutti e loro ne traggono un utile. Ma gli altri no. Quelli che lo difendono senza avere interessi personali sono molto piu pericolosi perche’ sono degli invasati integralisti. Il loro cervello fa poche sinapsi e tutte sbagliate che funzionano piu o meno cosi’: lui e’ contro i comunisti allora e’ di destra, quelli che lo attaccano devono essere di sinistra altrimenti non si spiega, quindi io lo devo difendere sempre e comunque, qualsiasi cosa faccia prendero’ le sue parti.

Non si fermano a pensare, non si pongono il dubbio, partono con il loro software in automatico, fanno sempre le stesse sinapsi e dicono sempre le stesse cose.

Io dico a queste persone che voi siete conniventi dello sfascio dell’Italia e ve ne dovete assumere le responsabilita’

Lo sfascio della giustizia, le connivenze con Mafia e Camorra, la prostituzione istituzionalizzata, lo spingere le donne a fare le marchette per sopravvivere in un contesto impossibile.

SIETE CONNIVENTI DI TUTTO QUESTO!

Io sono cresciuto con un altra Italia in testa, l’Italia di Dante, di Michelangelo, di Galileo, di Leopardi, financo di Calvino e soprattutto di Saviano. L’Italia che non ruba, non paga le mignotte, che ha valori veri, che crea, che si ribella alle ingiustizie e alla malavita. L’Italia che stanno cercando di schiacciare definitivamente

Io aspettero’ il giorno che lui esca di scena augurandomi che Gianfranco Fini possa rimettere a posto i cocci della destra che Berlusconi ha distrutto. Sperando che non sia troppo tardi

Television and coffee

2009-11-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

When I was a half grown up (around 16 and 17 years old) I was rather sceptical when I heard some of my class mates point out "I never watch TV". The same thing happened when some friend of my sister, just a bit older than me claimed without any doubt "sugaless coffee is much better".

My typical reaction was "this guy is boasting around, he is just showing off. Television is very useful and bitter coffee is disgusting. They are liars and they prefer to suffer a little bit to prove that they are cool, macho and bla bla bla".

For a long time I was convinced of that.

Then suddenly something happened: I was alone and I was making a coffee, when it was ready I was about to add loads of sugar as usual but there was no sugar anywhere.
My instinctive reaction was to throw the coffe in the sink but just before doing that I thought "why not trying? I mean, let's see if those guys are just full of shit or they have a point".

At first it tasted very bad but then a little bit better.

So the days after I tried again and then again and what tasted bad started to taste good and it became possible to recognize the taste of different brands which was impossible when I used a lot of sugar

These days I get disgusted when somebody gives me coffee with sugar inside, it tastes fake.

I have never been dependent on TV but I used to watch it at least 2 hours a day.
Nowadays I don't even own a TV and when someone gives me one of them as a present I don't say anything, I thank that person but then I hide it in a storage!

How did that happen?

Three years ago I was sharing a flat with a retired man who was TV dependent. Unfortunately the internet connection worked only in the living room where he used to watch TV 12 hours a day which means I had to listen to TV programs every time I used the internet

I started to hate TV because watching or even hearing it felt like a violence perpetrated against me

I found out I didn't miss it at all! Besides I noticed that real life is very different from what they show on TV, extremely different.

If people start observing what happens in the real life they will notice as certain mechanisms are completely different from what TV wants us to believe

Everything shown on TV has the objective to convince us of something which does not exist and that is in the interest of those who show those things, not in ours.

If we paid more attention on what happens in the real life (streets, offices, courses) we could understand why what we would expect to happen (according to TV shows) don't happen and why other things happen

As simple as that!

Social Networks and Losers

2009-11-03T05:14:00.000-08:00

Over the last few years many social networks have been created , no need to mention them since everybody knows Facebok, Myspace and Twitter.

What people ignore is who uses the most these tools: Losers

People who are on these networks most of the time (and have loads of "friends" there) are usually people that don't exist in real life, when they walk on the streets they are called NOBODY

But then they have their Social Networks where they have their "virtual friends", their pictures, their "life"

Many people will never understand that what masses usually do is pointless and very sad. That's why I never used Myspace, Twitter and I stopped using Fake Book (Face Book) a long time ago even though I admit FB to be very useful to get quickly in touch with those you need to contact

But real life is based on phisical presence on a territory, who you really are in that environment

There will never be a virtual life that can take over this matter of fact

Vey few people exist for real

Sweden from an internal/external perspective

2009-08-25T06:19:00.001-07:00

In order to explain the Swedish social mechanisms it's important to analyze the characteristics of this country which are related to its particular history.
Sweden is a country which is different not only from the rest of the countries that shape up the European Union but also and above all from any other country in the world.
Why?
Along with Switzerland, Sweden is the only country that has not fought wars over the past 300 years. Unlike Switzerland, however, Sweden is not located in the heart of the European continent, influenced by the important states which surround the Helvetic Republic, but instead lies fairly isolated and reluctant to contamination of the main European countries.
In Sweden, the memory of any war does not exist among the elderly and even in the “collective memory of the species”, which determines that it is not present in the “Swedish collective consciousness" the “perception of danger”.
All this implies that there is no such social mechanism (typical of any other country in the world, independent from any religion): the need for the people to stay close to their own family and to their dearest friends to guarantee their survival.
In the Swedish "cultural gene pool" war is not present, they do not know the perception of danger, if danger is there it is not perceived and therefore Swedes usually don't feel like maintaining necessarily close relationships with their parents and even with people outside their family. Not in a way comparable to that characterizing the other cultures worldwide anyway.

The non participation to wars has allowed Sweden to grow economically and to address conflicts between industrials and workers in a peaceful way that satisfied both sides. So the Swedish social system was developed with its advantages and drawbacks which continue nowadays.
Sweden is in good and bad ways antithetical to Anglo-Saxon countries.
The bright side is the free education, lack of crime, respected rules, the assistance of those who cannot make it on their own, high standards in many fields and the emancipation of women.
The drawbacks are the lack of evolution in Darwinian terms: talent is not awarded, everyone has to make it, ambition becomes a negative factor, there are no incentives to develop excellence.
The Swedes are generally happy with their system: they read data about crime and sustainable life and pride themselves of being among the leaders in the world; while traveling they realize that the standards to which they are used in many fields do not have many equals in the world.
Most are surprised why other nations don’t reach the same standards of living and usually their explanation is the difference in the density of population.
Only some of those who live abroad are able to understand what is the main reason that leads to these differences, what is the price that the Swedes pay, while others are unwilling to do so, to have these standards: human relationships.

In Sweden the rules are respected with neither “ifs” nor “buts”, they are right by definition. The ability of the Swedes to be proactive or leave the scheme tend to zero.
The Swedes are very lonely and often call themselves “boring”, but they don't not understand why: how these aspects are just the reverse of the coin of their ability to stay in their schedules assigned by the Leviathan system that guides them throughout their whole lives.
The "rebels" are usually those who had the opportunity to live abroad and felt freer: not to do what they wanted but to express their thoughts and emotions. These Swedish "rebels" are used to moving to the U.S., England or even to Australia because English is a language they speak, does not require time to be studied and the Anglo-Saxon culture is known throughout television which is colonized by TV shows made in USA or UK
The most brave “alternative” Swedes choose Latin countries as a destination but it is still a small minority.
Those who live their whole lives in Sweden usually tend to start working when they turn 30 years old, have a decent salary, do not ever work a minute after office hours, are not big savers, succeed however in affording their 10/15 day vacation in Thailand, where sometimes they meet the partner who will become their “Sambo” in the future.

But how's life in Sweden in the social aspects? Who commands there? How do people get to know people? How do couples shape up? And friendships? What interests do people have?
Having interviewed many Swedes and having obtained very similar answers from everyone (fancy that!) I can rely on them for the explanations.
Everyone agrees that women command, there are more disputes on the elucidation. Mary, 27 year old worker, claims that there's a tacit agreement between men and women: women are happy to command while men are happy not to have to prove their masculinity. Kåre 28 years old teacher confirms this view and argues that the problem arises when men are called to pull out the balls when the situation needs that and they are unused to it so they are unable to do that. Isabel 25 year old just moved to Stockholm and points out that girls are more structured and organized, and men are less, in every corner of the world, therefore Swedish girls would lead the relationship even with non Swedish men.
No one knows when historically the "seizure of power" was perpetrated by women, we can therefore rely on the historiography which tells us that the feminist movement took place in the '60s which mark the turning point; the movie Flickorna made by Mai Zetterling in 1968 is quite enlightening.
In the current European Parliament, the Swedes have 47% of women as national representatives,
Germans 32%, the British 24% to give a dimension to the difference of the women weight in various nations.

It seems there is no such big difference as to how new friendships and new love relationships start. All agree on the point that in Sweden and especially in Stockholm people are rigid and skeptical about new acquaintances: it is almost unthinkable to make friends on the streets or in a non-conventional way. The protocol which has to be followed takes that the new friend or partner comes from school or work, depending on whether they are students or employees. Even more typical is common friendships: this appears to be the main source of new friendships and loves. In particular with regards of the emergence of new sentimental relationships it seems that this is favored by organized parties where friends of friends can get to know each other and with the help of alcohol can also take immediate action: the possibility that two unknowns with a common friend can end up together the same night is not very rare and it’s often the way a relationship starts. Being Swedish girls emancipated and not having socio-cultural blocks they don’t need to wait to see this guy 2 or 3 times (as it happens often in the Latin world) before they get what they want.

Regarding “flings” originated in pubs or clubs the girls don’t believe so much in them: it’s not that they never happen; it can happen once a year that a girl after several drinks ends up with a total unknown she is attracted to. Swedish girls usually agree that stable and reliable relationships don’t originate that way.

"Historical" friendships are considered typical and rarely repeatable: the Swedes usually have a couple of friends they have known before turning 14 years old and the friendships continue throughout their entire lives. The Swedes can associate with new people but before creating intimacy it takes long time and a series of rather daunting tests.
Friendships between boys and girls are not very common: girls accuse boys of being only sexually interested in them; the boys argue the opposite: they say if a girl is not attracted to that boy she is not interested in a potential friendship, not even as a vehicle for new acquaintances. Neither the 19 year old Ida nor Isabel agree on that: they have many male friends due to their
hobby: the former plays the guitar, the latter is passionate about football since she is a former player.

The most widespread activities in Sweden are: sports during the weekdays, attending coffee shops after work or after school, getting drunk in clubs or private parties in the weekend; during their alcoholic euphoria the Swedes seem to be more human and accessible but they act in an "altered state of consciousness" and then everything ends when the night terminates and the next day they are back on their rules. People should thereby stick to the methods described above to make stable acquaintances.
Provided that it’s worth it!

What is the "Fregnacciaro"

2009-07-28T13:03:00.001-07:00

It would be too easy and misleading identifying the “fregnacciaro” with the nerd, because the “fregnacciaro” is something much worse, as he is much more harmful.

The fregnacciaro is a subcategory of creep and not necessarily a girl beggar.

The fregnacciaro can be often seen accompanied by a beautiful girl who is his fiancee: attractive, unique and unrepeatable (meaning that if he gets dumped he’ll never find any other girl comparable to his current fiancee).
The girl ended up with him because they’ve been put together by the case and continues to be with him because she can sleep tight during the nights, knowing that her fregnacciaro does not interest any other girl and therefore she is not afraid of being betrayed.

The fregnacciaro is not dangerous at any level: he dresses in an iperapproved and harmless way, his political and social ideas are always super politically correct and will never bother anyone.

The fregnacciaro is not attractive, does not cause emotions, not a beating heart, but he does not know it and he is happy because he has his life under control and he also sees it as perfectly logical.

The weight of his role in relationships is equal to 0, precisely as it is in making decisions at any level or in creating evolutionary trends.

The fregnacciaro thinks to be a good person since he does no harm to anyone.

But he does harm, it’s just he does not know that and will never know: he strengthens the belief of the non evolved people that the supercommon places expressed in any form by him are correct and pushes the other nerds but not fregnacciari to emulate him, increasing the number of those clones/ non-creative beings and the mediocres.

The nerd but not fregnacciaro looks with envy at fregnacciaro, being jelous of his girlfriend in the first place and also of his satisfaction to be what he is: nothing.
The hope which fregnacciaro must (unconsciously) have is that nothing will change in his life, nobody ever has to insinuate the seed of doubt in his head, and above all he never has to start using his brain in a non-standard way because in that case he could have a breakdown.

He must continue to be what he is while the others, those who can, should try to make the species evolve because many among non-fregnacciari cannot do it either.

God bless the fregnacciaro, but above all, God protect the creative!

How I pick my friends

2009-06-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

When you are bound to live abroad most of your meaningful life, moving from one place to another you cannot have stable friends.

You meet new people every year and then either you or they live that country and you have to start all over again

Is it worth it?

To me it is indeed

Explained on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiE_EGmRfI8

Who is special?

2009-06-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

Many people think they are special but they are not.

Everyone thinks to be special though, because they would like to be so, and sometimes this dichotomy between their lives and the ones they would like to have make them suffer or feel unsatisfied.

First become special and the you can demand a different sort of life!

Explained on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_Uz9lP13Y

I don't like Converse at all

2009-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

I really dislike converse shoes both for what they look like and for what they represent

I explain everything on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37oCdR0pejM

Considerations

2009-05-14T03:46:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnJ0xywLgMY&feature=channel_page

Berlin, ich vermisse dich schon jetzt

2009-05-12T09:58:00.001-07:00

Coming from Stockholm I could not be impressed by the average attractivness of the girls or by the way they dress (and in fact I was not), but my view on the city in general and on the girls in particular is more than positive.

Berlin is enormous and moving from one part of the city to another takes a long time despite the efficiency of the metro network, the city while not beautiful is very pretty, but what is really nice is the Positive Energy you find anywhere.

The girls seem to be very social, even the most beautiful.

In conclusion, 3 days are nothing for a city like Berlin, it takes at least 10.

I have even had the perception that if I knew German (unfortunately I interrupted the studies about it last year, preferring to go for Spanish, and knowing Swedish does not help in almost anything in learning this very difficult language) I would move there, because it seems to me that the City and I would connect very well.

Being someting special

2009-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Globalization can be defined as the abstraction of space.

Although its effects are smaller than what many people consider, they are certainly higher than what those who are convinced of immutability of the Countries’ features believe.

What is important today is who you are more than where you are.

In other words if someone is special this thing is translated into every corner of the world.
Once upon a time it was enough to exist and to be in a certain place to enjoy a life of some kind.

Today it takes more.

Today you must be something more, something special.

Because nowadays it’s more important who you are than where you are

I prefer coffee shops to nightclubs

2009-03-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

It seems strange but I prefer coffee shops to nightclubs.

I like dancing, especially rock & roll. But even more I like to know new people, people who normally I wouldn’t meet, so i am not talking about friends of friends or work colleagues; those people cannot be met in the discos, or we can say that it’s possible to meet them there but in that context you cannot develop a new knowledge.
In a different context, where people don’t need to play roles or be drunk it’s easier to notice interesting personality

So I am very fond of coffee shops!

Scandinavian Girls

2009-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

I never said that German girls are more attractive than Swedish girls. I just said the communication between Italian guys and German girls is easier because Germans are 100% European.

The Swedes are a different type: introverted and shy and have difficulty in communication. Their messages of joy or disgust are not easily readable by a non-expert of the Swedish world. They may look bored but they live inside your company and maybe they are in love. But you (not expert) do not understand until you are asked to accompany them to bed!

The Swedes live in an inner world that is not shown on the outside through the conventional signals known by us.

But in terms of beauty plus frankness they have no equal in the world.
(The Russians and Baltic can be more attractive but they are not so frank).
The Scandinavians seem cold to us because of the differences of non-verbal communication signals. It seems that they play hard to get but they are often introverted and cold with new acquaintances.

The Scandinavians become extroverted and uninhibited after drinking.

For the Scandinavian girl is almost irrelevant the status and economic position of the other people. It means that liars, parrots, payers and drivers have no chance with the Scandinavians, but great success with Italian and Russian girls.

The Scandinavian girl decides "who, where, when, how"

The Scandinavians are easy when they decide to be so and they are impossible when you try to pick them up.

The tragedy of not being artistic

2009-02-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

It 's not that every person who is not artistic is necessarily boring

The problem is that those who do not have or artistic veins expressed either by immersion in art or by artistic production in all its expressions tend to be simple-minded people unable to channel strong emotions: first of all because they don’t have them, second of all because they cannot express them.

But don’t be afraid: only a few people have these characteristics.

That’s why those whom we like are attracted to them