Category: Mousey’s Travel

Christ of the Abyss in San Fruttuoso

On By mouseytongIn Italy, Misc..., Mousey's Travel8 Comments
Christ of the Abyss – photo from Wikipedia

I am banned from going to the gym today. Ever heard of it? M says that I am overdoing it. Is there such a thing? I rested on Saturday and Sunday. Well sort of. My body was aching all over in a good ache kind of way so I rested Saturday. But Sunday we went out to sea. My first time out since summer started. I am a little tanned. Ko, if you are reading this, it so freaking hot now, you escaped it by 2 weeks. A week later, and both Sha and you would have fried in the heat. It was about 38ห™C with 86% humidity. If I wasn’t out at sea, you would need a crowbar to pry me out of the house. We went out on our jetski and since M was driving, I didn’t want to, being lazy ass and all, I had to hold on to him as we were going like 60 knots. Crazy fast! Which ended with me having sore muscle, tan and a great day! In the end, I actually didn’t rest much. ๐Ÿ˜›

So, since I am banned from going to the gym or exercise, I am blogging. Yay! My prolific moments shall continue. As expected, I had to break this post to have dinner with the family but now I am back.

I have been living here on the Italian Riviera for years and have heard of this statue of Christ of the Abyss off of San Fruttuoso but I have never seen it in person. You can read more about it here. What’s more, I pass it all the time whenever we are out at sea on our way to Portofino or Sestri Levante. You can only reach San Fruttuoso either by foot from either Camogli or Portofino and from what I have read and heard, it takes about 2-3 hours to get there and the same to get back. Quite a hike. The easiest way would be by boat. There are more information about getting there from here, here and here.

So last Sunday, I decided that it was time I see it for myself. Told M lets go there for a swim since we didn’t want to go all the way to Portofino. On our way into the bay, the place was littered with jellyfish which made me a little nervous swimming there. But as we got closer to the beach it was clearer and free of jellyfish. What a relief! The water was cold at first dip but refreshing.

I set out to look for the statue and heard that it is further out and about 15m down. Water is very clear so I was hoping to be able to photograph it since I had my camera with me. I swam around till I caught sight of the hands of Christ. I tried to dive down closer to it to take a photo. I had on ill fitting goggles that kept letting water in. I possibly managed a paltry 3 metres and kept getting my vision blurred by water entering my mask. In the end, as they say, I anyhow snapped a picture. This is what I managed. You could just about see the outline of the outstretched arms on the left of the picture.

What I managed to take

After a few failed attempts, I swam back to the jetski and urged M to dive down and take a better picture for me. ๐Ÿ˜› He being the sweet man that he is obliged me. This is what he managed. He took a much better picture but still blur.

what M took….

It should actually look like this when taken from a better position with all the right scuba gear.

Well at least I have seen it in person though not as clearly as I would have liked. Maybe I can rent some scuba gear the next time to see it better or buy better fitting goggles and train my lungs better to withstand the dive down to not only see it but to maybe photograph it better.

I have another post about my Sunday (when I get round to it :P)ย  but this was one of the highlights of that day! ๐Ÿ™‚

There are 2 more of these statues in the world. 1 a gift from Genoa to St. George’s, Grenadaand another was presented to the Underwater Society of America in New York and was later placed off Key Largo, Florida. Hopefully some day I can visit them both.

Virgin Active Genoa

On By mouseytongIn Exercise, Italy2 Comments
Photo taken from the web

So, I signed up for Virgin Active Genoa gym about 3 years ago. Well, maybe 4. I have not been consistent in going there as I was a lazy ass. Oh, wait…I still am. Which makes my trip back there today monumental. I am going to list what I like about the place and what I dislike about it.

Like

1. It has 2 pools, one indoor and another on the roof equipped with deck chairs for summer,

2. football pitch,

3. children’s nursery for mum who want to work-out

4. bar area for smoothies, coffee, lunch, dinner, fruit salads or just drinks

5. Spa onsite

6. Sauna and tanning area

all this besides the normal gym equipment. And all on 3 floors!

The best part is that it is very near my office and home. Which makes it inexcusable for me to NOT go to the gym.

Dislike

1. Even after going there for years, you are still required to get a medical certification every year or they will deny you access but you continue to pay. You have to go to their doctor too before. Now we go for our own. This adds costs on top of our monthly subs.

2. They don’t provide towels, so I have to bring 2 with me all the time which makes me go through all my towels so fast and the amount of laundry just for towels if I go there 3 times a week is 6 towels just for gym days.

3. No toiletries provided. So on top of the towels, I have to bring my own shampoo, soap, conditioner, cream,ย  make up remover, cotton pads, tissues…everything! Which weighs down the bag and makes things so difficult. There are already so many things to bring. They can even provide the minimum?? Fitness First provides both towels and basic amenities, ie. shampoo, soap, cream, cotton balls/pads even slippers for the shower stalls.

4. They don’t have that many classes to take. Limited timings too. It could be because they are the ONLY Virgin Active in Genoa which doesn’t have enough members maybe for more classes. That could be because on average their subscriptions are really expensive relatively to someone’s pay here.

5. The toilet in the changing rooms are really dirty looking most of the time. I think the Italians are really bad at keeping it clean. The gym looks beautiful inside and out except for their toilets. I blame the people using them. Can’t they throw their tissue papers properly? Today, the papers were all over the floor in all 3 stalls. The sink area was all wet everywhere. Not just around the sinks but on the floor. Not just drops but puddles. So so strange. Such bad etiquette.

Actually these are really big reasons that outweigh most of the good things. Because it really weighs one down having to carry all of these.

But, I could be so picky because I am comparing it to other gyms. I am a Fitness First member as well in Malaysia and was a California Fitness member in Thailand. Though these other gyms did not have swimming pools, spa, bar area and sauna they had everything else which made things easier for me. I don’t have to lug so many things around with me. I could pare down my bag to just the exercise attire and shoes. It was most helpful when I was in Bangkok because I had to take public transport to get to the gym. A small bag would do.

Now here it is like taking everything from home just to go for a run. In the end it is better to just run around the office, go to the mini gym in the office and then straight to the showers which already has all the necessary items. Which leads to me becoming too lazy to get to the gym.

What has changed? I tried to cancel my subscription more than a year ago but the contract was already renewed and I couldn’t cancel till mid March this year before the new contract starts again in April. So we decided to suspend it for 6 months. Now, after that 6 months have past they started to charge me again for the suspended 6 months and then the contracts end. Since I am active now, I decided to make the most of it by attending some classes.

Today, I tried a strange class. Something In never heard of before. Nike Fusion. I wanted to go for a V-mat Pilates class but we had someone who came to show us some bikes that we were thinking of buying. I made it just in time for this Nike Fusion class. Interesting and strange at the same time. It says it is a amalgamation of different workouts. It uses a step board and some weights. It started of almost like a step aerobics class, then there was a lot of jumping, skipping all over the room with all the participant’s step boards all lines up. It felt like my athletics training. Running from end to end touching the boards, burpees, hopscotch up and down boards moving along the row of boards. There was also some capoeira moves. I was sweating and my heart rate was up throughout the 45 min class. All very confusing but very interesting. I will just have to wait for tomorrow to see if I touched any muscle that I have not used for a long time. I think it will hurt tomorrow. ๐Ÿ˜›

I want to lose weight. Something I struggle with since I came to Italy. You will see me blog about this occasionally. On top of that, in tandem with my paradigm shift in my mindset, I have decided I want to have “un corpo strepitoso” for this summer. A swimsuit worthy (not a six pack but maybe just a slimmer toned body) body by the 2nd of August 2012. Then continue to exercise and reach my goal of 10kgs off by end of the year.

I am using self realisation and envisioning myself in that ideal body that I have in mind for myself. Every toned body I see on TV, commercials, posters or even around me, I remind myself that that is what I want. So get my lazy ass off the couch and work at it!

Time for bed! And for my body recover. To feel the prepare myself for the pain tomorrow. ๐Ÿ™‚

Goose night to all!

Toodeloos!

 

Sampdoria is back in Seria A!!!

On By mouseytongIn Celebrations, Italy, Misc..., MusingsLeave a comment

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If you followed my twitter or even my update on “Life in Photos”, you will see that I had a great Saturday. I am not an avid football fan but in a land of football (soccer for Americans) you get swept into the celebrations. What’s more if your in-laws are ALL Sampdoria fans. Except for my husband, they are all Sampdoria fans. The hardcore fans are my FIL, BIL and nephew. FIL NEVER misses a game at the stadium if it is played at home. Now, if you are a football fan, you might recognise this team. I am not a hardcore football fan so I didn’t till I came here but my brother did. He follows most of the leagues especially those teams that have been in the EUFA like the other more famous teams like Juvetus, Milan AC and Inter Milan. Some cities have 2 football teams much like Manchester City and Manchester United. Truthfully, I never knew there was a Manchester City till they got into the Premier League a few year back but Man U? It would be blasphemy if I didn’t! My brother is a great fan of Man U!! I had an ex who is an Arsenal fan so, Arsenal is also known to me. To really irritate him, I will cheer for Chelsea always, doing a little dance and singing “Chelsea, Chelsea!” LOL!! All in good fun! I also never miss the World Cup. I watch it whenever I can. Suffice to say, I know more about football than M and that is not a feat. M has no interest in football except to maybe watch Italy in the World Cup every 4 years.

As I was saying, Genoa like major cities here in Italy, has 2 football teams. It seems Genoa is the older and first football team, and supposedly in Italy too. I don’t know how true this is. Then there is Sampdoria. Easily identifiable bu their colours (duh!) and the emblems (double duh!). I know, I know…. Anyway, Genoa has the Gryphon and its colours are dark blue and red affectionally known as “Rosso Blu” (Red Blue) whereas Sampdoria has the eagle and red, white,ย  blue and black also known as “Blue Cerchiati” (Blue circle?). All Sampdorianis do not like gryphons and I say this because when we started the vespa restoration company and designed a logo with a gryphon on it, my FIL was visibly upset. It was funny! ๐Ÿ˜€ We incorporated a gryphon because the original Piaggio (the company that makes vespas) has a gryphon on it. We changed it to a dragon.

Why the big celebration? Well, last year, Sampdoria played really badly and got relegated to Seria B. Something that was unfathomnable to most. In the last 6 years here and maybe more (since my brother has heard of Sampdoria means they were quite a team) they have always been near the top of the table. And for them to do so badly and get relegated was devastating. The constant playful taunting from the Genoanas was heartbreaking for my FIL. ๐Ÿ™‚ Poor fella! It was worse because just 2 years ago, Genoa was in Seria B and when they got up to Seria A they blazed their way to the top of the table while Sampdoria slipped down the rankings and eventually fell off the table.

But within 1 season, they are back!!! This was what all the celebrations was about. Last Saturday was the determining game and we made it!!!!!!! Wohoo!!! I am not a true fan but a fan none the less. I went with M to the historic centre to celebrate with the family. Paid a little homage to Sampdoria and saw the crazy crowd in action. Celebrations went on till wee hours of the morning. At 5 am, the horns were still honking on the streets. Whoever who watched the game at home all come out in full force to celebrate. Streets were packed, there was traffic especially near the expo centre at Foce where they have set up a open air cinema-like area for the fans to watch the game. To give you an idea how big that area is, they usually have the travelling circus or theme parks set up there complete with the area for all their caravans and 18 wheeler trucks. That is how big that area is. There was fireworks, drinking, singing, horns and loads of flag wavings! It was fun!! Even the children were out with their parents. From babies to toddlers. Some were even fast asleep among all the ruckus! I don’t know how they could sleep through ALL that noise.

It was a fun Saturday night. A different twist to the usual Saturdays. ๐Ÿ™‚

I will leave you with videos of that night’s madness.You can even see me in one of them giving my tribute. hahahaha! ๐Ÿ˜›

Toodeloos!

Who in the world is Sandokan?

On By mouseytongIn Malaysia, Misc..., Musings, wonderings...4 Comments
Sandokan – Pic taken from the net

As the title says, who in the world is Sandokan? I know Sandakan the city/town but Sandokan? It seemsย  that he is a famous pirate known as the “Tiger of Malaysia”. Excerpt from Wikipedia says “Sandokan is a fictional pirate of the late 19th century, who first appeared in publication in 1883, created by Italian author Emilio Salgari. He is the protagonist of eleven adventure novels and is known throughout the South China Sea as “The Tiger of Malaysia“.

What is interesting is that this author has never stepped foot in Malaysia nor ventured further than the Adriatic sea! Yet he managed to make Malaysia popular way back in the early 20th century. How cool is that?! Click on his name to know about him.

My point is, whenever someone asks me where I am from and I reply Malaysia, the immediate and standard response is “Sandokan! You know Sandokan? The Tiger of Malaysia?”. Always. Without fail.

The blank and puzzled look I gave them said it all. I didn’t know who he was when I first came here. If you check out the Wikipedia pages, you will notice that the TV series and films were made in the 60s! Wayyyyy…before my time. And the series was remade in the 90s and broadcasted in Europe. I don’t think they showed it in Malaysia. I could be wrong here, but I don’t remember watching ANY cartoons on Sandokan. Did you?

I have yet to read any of Salgari’s works on Sandokan or watch any of the series or films or even the cartoons. So I can’t really tell you much about this man but this much I can say. This fictional character is so popular, it does an even better job than our Malaysian government in introducingย  and promoting Malaysia to the world. Nothing jumps to mind of any Italian when you say Malaysia more than Sandokan. And all this is thanks to an Italian who has never stepped foot in Malaysia, who wrote about a country he has never seen in an era that Malaysia has yet to exist.

I shall leave you with a tribute to Sandokan which M stumbled upon. To all Malaysians, something to ponder on?