Wow, I found out yesterday that the fact that the government fell in January is probably gonna end up costing me about a 1000 euros!!! The 2008 budget included a proposal to increase our scholarship by some 140 euros a month (remember it's about 800 euros a month right now) and even though it has been approved by the parliament and the Senate, there is now no executive in charge to sign the bill. So we're gonna have to wait for the elections, which will probably be won by Berlusconi. And since he's not so big on Universities (he's generally not big on institutions or people that do not agree with him), he will chuck the bill out of the window for sure! So Prodi's fall is going to cost us the scholarship increase. Amounting to something in the order of 1000 euros.... :-(((((((
On to happier topics: we went to an Eritrean restaurant yesterday. And I can tell everyone, it's something you should really try! It was a great experience, which has been described before as "eating pancakes with goulash, with your hands". While this kinda covers it, it doesn't quite describe the entire experience. Definitely a good idea though!
And on to even happier topics: we're going to visit Marta in Porto this weekend. The flight leaves at an absolutely ungodly hour (6.30 AM: that means getting up at 3.30 AM), but I am sure we're gonna have a great time, nonetheless!
That's all I wanted to share today!
Ciao,
OJ
Friday, February 22, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Valentine's Day!
A short Summary of what's been happening: work, work, work, my Mother-in-Law came to visit (woohoo, I received Rome, season 2, as a belated bday present!), lots of sun and great weather and more work. And of course, Valentine's Day:
Well, to be honest, we did't really partake in the whole Valentine's tradition and we didn't particularly celebrate it. We did, however, go to Verona for the weekend! And Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, is also known as the city of love, so we sort of turned it into a Valentine's weekend-trip. I had used hotelclub (see link on the right-hand side) to book a 4-star hotel for only 53 euros and it was fantastic! An enormous room, nice little thingies and an amazing breakfast: it was gooood!
The weather wasn't great, unfortunately. Cloudy mornings, sunny afternoons, but with rather low temperatures. But that didn't stop us from going around the city and visiting all the interesting sights!
We returned to Milan Sunday night, very satisfied.
In other news, did I mention I presented my second paper? Well, I did and it was received reasonably well. Currently, my supervisors are looking at it and I am waiting for several conferences to respond. It's looking good! I have also started working on my third paper (within the PhD): a cooperative project this time... So now starts the final phase of my PhD, I guess. I am trying to arrange my oral examinations before Summer and I am really aiming to hand in the dissertation before February 1. We'll see.
The week ahead: Thursday we're going to an Eritrean restaurant! Some friends recently went, and were very enthusiastic. So we're going on Thursday, with some other friends of ours. I cannot wait! Then on Saturday, we're flying to Porto, to visit Marta! It will be lovely, and the weather is forecast to be really good too, so that should be very enjoyable. Either way, it'll be great to see Marta, even when it's not sunny!!!
Yes, I realise this post is completely messy and makes no sense. Oh well, shit happens, I cannot be bothered to go through it and let it make more sense...
Ciao,
OJ
Well, to be honest, we did't really partake in the whole Valentine's tradition and we didn't particularly celebrate it. We did, however, go to Verona for the weekend! And Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, is also known as the city of love, so we sort of turned it into a Valentine's weekend-trip. I had used hotelclub (see link on the right-hand side) to book a 4-star hotel for only 53 euros and it was fantastic! An enormous room, nice little thingies and an amazing breakfast: it was gooood!
The weather wasn't great, unfortunately. Cloudy mornings, sunny afternoons, but with rather low temperatures. But that didn't stop us from going around the city and visiting all the interesting sights!
We returned to Milan Sunday night, very satisfied.
In other news, did I mention I presented my second paper? Well, I did and it was received reasonably well. Currently, my supervisors are looking at it and I am waiting for several conferences to respond. It's looking good! I have also started working on my third paper (within the PhD): a cooperative project this time... So now starts the final phase of my PhD, I guess. I am trying to arrange my oral examinations before Summer and I am really aiming to hand in the dissertation before February 1. We'll see.
The week ahead: Thursday we're going to an Eritrean restaurant! Some friends recently went, and were very enthusiastic. So we're going on Thursday, with some other friends of ours. I cannot wait! Then on Saturday, we're flying to Porto, to visit Marta! It will be lovely, and the weather is forecast to be really good too, so that should be very enjoyable. Either way, it'll be great to see Marta, even when it's not sunny!!!
Yes, I realise this post is completely messy and makes no sense. Oh well, shit happens, I cannot be bothered to go through it and let it make more sense...
Ciao,
OJ
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