Australia // 7-Eleven - my home (sometimes) at nights

----- mY StOrY -----

“Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love, but always meeting ourselves.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses

One of the things I abosolutely love is the feeling of being anonymous in a city I've never been before.

Walking around, looking whatever and not caring about speding time in observing.

It's been almost 5 years since I came back.. but who knows why.... you really never come back from a journey or...if you do... you are not the same person anymore.

Yeh... I know... a commonplace :) but damn true!!

I have actually to thank a person for that...I have never written about him and I don't even think that I'll start now to write about this person... but everyone has an epiphany in one's life and my breakup was exactly that... I usually like to define it a moment of impact... but this time I prefer to bother Joyce and to steal his words..."epiphany".

“I wanted real adventures to happen to myself. But real
adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.” 
― James Joyce, Dubliners

Well... in my "wanderings", I often ended up in one of those convenience stores... sometimes it was because I was waiting for friends, some other times to take a 1-dollar-capuccino (of course... in its beautiful taking aways cup) and some other times to rest a little bit after a shift or before starting a new one.

I remember there was a standing chair just close to the windows in one of those at the corner between Elizabeth St. and Liverpool St. (in Sydney -- btw, is it still there?) and while sipping my capuccino... I was spending my time in observing people running everywhere... I loved that. That was my first 7-Eleven "meeting".

---------------------------------------------

Out of curiosity I made some research and I have just learned that it is a Japanese-American international chain of convenience stores founded in 1927 as Tote' m Stores.

In 1946, it changed its name into "7-Eleven", for the opening times from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, seven days per week. The first convenience store was born after a Southland Ice Co employee in Dallas started selling milk, eggs and bread from an ice dock.

Today (June 2019), the chain has grown to about 68,000 stores in 17 countries (more than McDonald's just to have an idea). Customers can grab drinks, snacks and everyday products on the go. Its main core is to meet the market needs. It has actually become a real case study. 7-Eleven is a very good example of how a brand needs to and benefit from adapting to a local market.

What does it mean "to adapt to a local market"?

For example, customers in Taiwan can service their bicycles or photocopy at a local 7-Eleven, in Hong Kong they can pay their phone and utility bills, and in the US they can pick-up their online Amazon shopping there.

The first 7-Eleven in Australia opened on August 24, 1977, in the Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh, Victoria. One of the main traits of the Australian stores opened in suburban areas was that to operate as petrol stations.

Actually, in 2010, 7-Eleven bought Mobil's remaining Australian petrol stations, converting them to 7-Eleven outlets, resulting in a huge success.

Well...there are other things to tell about its history and its development, but it'll be for another time... now I'm getting a bit tired :)

Just a note:

Each year on November 7, 7-Eleven promotes "7-Eleven Day" by giving away a free Slurpee to customers. - so please... do not forget to get yours!!

A man who swears to do something which it is not in his power to do is not accounted a sane man. ― James Joyce, Stephen Hero 

Italy // Catania: #DEMETRIODIGRADO

"I like good strong words that mean something..." - Louisa May Alcott

Demetrio Di Grado - CONSUMANDO
la selezione dei ricordi

It was on a December day that Franca was strolling around Catania and she suddenly found herself in a small street full of paper and words.

I love words

I love that a word + a word make a compound

Some people use them in unproper ways, some others make poetry, some others again illusions...

This time it was ART -

Poster Art

Franca took out her notepad and noted down #DemetrioDiGrado.

Demetrio Di Grado - Errore Psicologico

It was a particular perception. She was standing hypnotized in front of those posters. It was a kind of journey between consciousness and instinct.

She was chosen by those characters.

At home, always with that perception in her head, she looked for some information about the artist.

#DemetrioDiGrado was born in Palermo (M.Y. 1976), after some time spent in the Hip Hop culture, in 2012 he founded ManSourcing [the promotion of art in all its possible variations] and from here the collage/poster art.

#vintagepop, he defines his works.

“A survey done at the Louvre found that the average person spends 15 seconds looking at the “MonaLisa”

That was the time that Franca had more or less in front of the “ERRORE PSICOLOGICO”.

I love words

I love that a word + a neswpaper cutting 
make a sense

Demetrio Di Grado - Senza Parole

The scenes that Demetrio represents in his works – she went on reading – recall the years of the War. Men, women, children…each of them carries a message and leads us to our present contradiction.

And finally a sentence on the eyes to close the meaning, to provoke, to urge us to think.

And Franca felt that urgency.









#tobecontinued

Australia // Somehow I found myself collecting cups...

"Life happens, Coffee helps"

--- mY sTory ---

That's it... I can't even remember how happened, but it did happen (it was in Sydney btw). 


Here in Italy there is not much that culture - unfortunately. I mean...I love hanging out at cafes, smelling the perfume of fresh coffee beans and spending hours admiring people in their "traffic". But...

at the same time.. 

...I even like running from one part to the other of the city holding a cup ...one of the greatest satisfactions in life (at least for me).

I remember that in one of my several jobs there, I have also worked as a cashier at a coffee shop. And once...a guy said "Oh.. s*** the bus is here, it doesn't matter for the coffee .. I ll take another time" (it was already paid, almost done) and... I just ran straight away outside from the bar and I handed the taking away cup while he was taking the ticket on the bus and I will never forget his words "YOU MADE MY DAY"... I was so happy to hear that cos... it is exactly what happens to me when I have coffee in the morning...


"Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars..."


But let's go back to the cups...
For sure they were pretty cool, full of colors and nice indie fonts....yeah...I know... I follow the crowds...but honestly... I like being in the system ;) I always think that it is the way you live it that makes it all another stuff. I guess I got about 80 empty and dirty taking aways cups, hidden (for the joy of my flatmates) a bit everywhere...When it was time to travel back home I had two choices:

EITHER - to bring all of them with me 
OR....
- to take funny pictures and leave them there... (not at the beach of course ;)

Joanna was there with me (miss you!) and she supported me :)

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers"

Europeans do not normally know that an Australian coffee culture really exists. And as an Italian... I was just saying...no way...we know how to make real coffee... but... I was wrong!


I myself was a bit skeptical when I was told the various tecniques and coffees there. I thougt that they just had an Americano, while as you can see from this chart, you can get quite confused. I think... If I remember well, it's all a matter of coffee amount and froth consistency (??).. please Lance (the barista at the coffee shop where I used to work) correct me if I am not expressing myself in the proper way...

So I have learned that there are: double shot, latte, flat white (my fav), mocha, long black, mugaccino (a capuccino served in a mug - nice word) and that there are lot of types of milk you can choose for your beautiful take away cup (soy, skim, almond, rice, whole...). 

The hardest part of all this was to understand what the hell an aussie was saying to write it down on the cup and ending always with "cheers" (for this read my other post: "Let stalk strine, the Aussie slang - part I").

For today... I guess I am done... tired.. but next time I will have a couple of words on the most popular coffees brand there (Campos, Aromas, Allpress, Vittoria etc.)



And remember... that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" lol ;)

Serbia // Хотел Москва - A semi-fictional story

"We should look into the future. We should walk into the future. All happier nations look into and walk into the future." - M. Crnjanski

Miloš Crnjanski

Hotel Moskva (Beograd), 27th January 1919 - It was very cold that night on Terazije way with my blue bottoned coat. I walked up quickly the hotel stairs to find some heat.

I was about to step into the revolving door but a spot of dark coats from the inside made me hesitate. I was captured by that spot. I pushed the door and I speeded up the pace not to fall over.

I couldn't recognize any of those dark coats though.

However I decided to grab a whatever newspaper and to sit next to their table. I learned only a few years later that they were the Grupa umetnika and among them now I recognized at least one coat, that of Miloš Crnjanski.

“Волети никад није бесмислено.” - M. Crnjanski

Crnjanski was a famous Serbian novelist. He was in Belgrade during the early post-war years and with his brown coat he decided to establish this group there, at the Hotel Moskva.


The other coats, well...

Pandurović, Rastko Petrović, Stanislav Vinaver, Ivo Andrić, Momčilo Nastasijević, and Branko Lazarević, just to name a few.

Amidst the city's ruins.. this group of young artists was as a breath of fresh air, a new beginning in art and culture. They used to gather at the Hotel Moskva's kafana, because according to Crnjaski, that was "the only place with light".

And on that day...I...was there.

Jovan, the name written on the waiter's shirt, came to take my order. I took the first thing on the list, Shumadian tea. I didn't care about that actually... I was bewitched by those coats. There was a wind of change and I...was there.

It was several years before I entered again that place... this time with a red coat.

In the post World War II, the hotel Moskva was once again the centre of Belgrade's cultural life.

Hotel Moskva (Beograd), 24th March 1947

If I remember well. [to be read with a pause]
It was Spring time. [to be read with a pause]
On a Monday. [to be read with a pause]
Strangely nice and warm for the season. [to be read with a pause]

I had a meeting with my sister there for the usual weekly coffee and talks. A quick look at the very bottom of the hall and I was pretty sure to see the gray coat of Ivo Andrić [ed. 1961 Yugoslav Nobel in literature].

You know... those kinds of stories you never know whether it is a fake one or true? Well.. it seems he was a kind of creature of habit.

Ivo Andrić

He used to have his own table at the hotel restaurant...with the usual cup of coffee and plate of pastries. I can't believe that there was the place where he put together all his short stories... and I...was there.

"If people would know how little brain is ruling the world, they would die of fear." - I. Andrić

Time goes by... it happened a third time to walk up those hotel stairs.

Hotel Moskva (Beograd), 2nd February 1974 - I was sitting by myself on a table next to the kitchen. I usually love to be seated there. I can admire the magic art of work.

The swinging doors - open and close.

open and close
open and close
open and close


With all this opening and closing.. you can't imagine... A woman, in her beautiful elegance, was creating what was going to become the most popular cake in Belgrade.

The Moskva Šnit, the hotel's signature cake.

That woman was Anica Dzepina.

Hotel Moskva (Beograd), Today - The Moskva pastry shop has been making Belgrade's traditional cakes and pastries for over 40 years.

- Hotel Moskva, a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide since 2016, dates back to 1906.

- Robert De Niro, Albert Einstein, Indira Gandhi, Luciano Pavarotti, Maxim Gorky and Alfred Hitchcock are famous guests who left their permanent mark - six suites are named after them.

That's all folks! Nite!

Australia // Working With Children Check

"Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time." - R. Tagore


It's such a long time since I last updated my blog. I'm a bit sorry for that.

Anyway... today I'll go back to my life in July 2014 (in Sydney) to talk about the Working With Children Check.

What is actually the WWCC?

It is a requirement for anyone who works or volunteers in child-related work. It involves:

- a National Police Check and
- a review of reportable workplace misconduct.

It is valid for 5 years, during which you are continuously monitored. BUT BUT BUT...wait a minute... mine is still valid ;)

It implies a fee if you are a paid employee or self-employed, otherwise (as in the case of students or volunteers) you don't need to pay the fee. For those who are considering to go there, you can have a more detailed look at the website: WWCC.

-- My StOrY -- 

Let's go back to my story. How did I get to the "working with children check"?

Well...I was working in Lane Cove (Lane Cove Gymnastics Club) and I was recreational coach for children from 4 to 8.

There I understood that I needed this check if I wanted to work with children. At that time I went directly to the service centre of Bondi, but now I see you can easily apply online.

I really loved my time there. I remember I was feeling like the happiest person in the world after my class. Teaching in general... not only in gymnastics ... makes you feel good.

Another thing I remember is the good amount of words I have learned, that are: straddle, pike and tuck. Then the expressions "nice and tall", "chest in", hurdle steps, handsprings, cartwheels and so on. It was lovely to coach those kids. They give you evidence that you can always overcome your limits.

"I would hope I would inspire kids everywhere to know that you can do anything you put your mind to." - S. Biles

Slovenia // My name is JANEZ JANŠA // Jaz sem JANEZ JANŠA

Berlin, January 28th 2008 – Signature, Event, Context

"No name. No memory today of yesterday's name; of today's name, tomorrow. If the name is the thing; if a name in us is the concept of everything placed outside of us; and without a name you don't have the concept, and the thing remains in us as if blind, indistinct and undefined well then, let each carve this name that I bore among men, a funeral epigraph, on the brow of that image in which I appeared to him, and then leave it in peace, and let there be no more talk about it. It is fitting for the dead. For those who have concluded. I am alive and I do not conclude. Life does not conclude. And life knows nothing of names. This tree, tremulous pulse of new leaves. I am this tree. Tree, cloud; tomorrow book or wind: the book I read, the wind I drink. All outside, wandering.” - L. Pirandello

                                                  Jaz sem JANEZ JANŠA

My name is JANEZ JANŠA is a project introduced during the exhibition CONSPIRE, which was part of the transmediale.08, the historical Berlin festival of digital arts. [ed. The next one will take place from 31. Jan to 4. Feb 2019].

In 2007 – that makes already 11 years ago – three artists (Davide Grassi, Emil Hrvatin, and Žiga Kariž) legally changed their names into that of Janez Janša and joined the SDS (the conservative Slovenian Democratic Party). So far, all good. Except for a "small" thing. Janez Janša was also the name of the leader of the Party and the Prime Minister of Slovenia (that was from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2013).

You can easily guess... It turned to be quite an interesting issue to talk about at the time. 

Out of a sudden, Slovenia has Janez Janša no. 1, the Prime Minister, Janez Janša no. 2 (Davide Grassi), no. 3 (Emil Hrvatin) and no. 4 (Žiga Kariž), dominating the same physical and media scenario.

The three artists started this project mainly to investigate the meaning of the self in connection with the process of art. 

The choice to take the name of the Prime Minister was for sure unconventional and a debate in the art society and in the media system was inevitable: What was its purpose? A political criticism? A mere provocation or an active support of the three artists to the SDS-Party? Who knows?

Since the Prime Minister had a slogan “The more of us there are, the faster we will reach the goal”.

The first assumption about this choice was that it was a kind of provocation. The three artists basically interpreted his motto literally, as if the prime minister by saying “the more of us ” was meaning his person X millions. Like joining the party to study the enemy from the inside. Though, they have never declared it as a political act.

It was, then, in 2008 that the three artists started a daily correspondence in the newspaper Dnevnik under their new names - that of Janez Janša - talking about different kinds of topics. The funny thing was that they were "indirectly expressing left-wing opinions in the name of a right-wing prime minister".

This project also helps to shed some light on the concept of identity in relation to art.

   "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

A name is how we define things and ... it could be any name - as Shakespeare and "its famous rose" teach. In the world of art the name does play a role, in particular for an artist.

As an artist, your name is working as a brand on the market. By changing their names, they are deliberatly choosing to take the distance from the system. And the performance finally becomes the real protagonist.

However - in this case - it doesn't work like that. The importance of the name chosen - that of the Prime Minister - put them in a category and we consider them according to this category. Again, the definition becomes the name and the attention of the people is one more time focused on the name and not on the performence itself.

Practising art without defining it commercially could lead the artist to break the rules and to create something which goes beyond a limit: names.

Well, there is much more to discuss about.. but it will be for another time ;)

Australia // "Let Stalk Strine", the Aussie slang - Part I

Many many times we hear the "Down Under People" talking a  misterious language... in a misterious way... with misterious noises...

No idea what the hell they were talking about even after 10 years of languages' classes, travels abroad and living for a while in Sydney. Even though, I must admit that... the worst accent ever is the Scottish one... Once I met a guy (Jonathan), I thought he had serious problems with the English language... NO WAY. I mean for me... not for him ;). No clue he was native of Scotland.

Anyway, I love discovering new expressions and in particular new "languages".

That's why I want to share with you what I have learnt so far.

First of all... I have noticed while I was working there that the customers used to greet you by saying: "G'day, mate.. How are you going?" and I understood after a while that they were not really asking to receive a real answer...but they just need to place the order... and when I was replying "Fine, thanks and you?"... that "and you?" was a problem. They were not expecting that.

I didn't stop to reply in that way, though... I'm Italian and I love to be a good host and it was funny to see their reactions, like...

customer: "How are you going?"
me: "Fine, thanks and you?"
customer: [a couple of secs of hesitation + embarrasment] "Well... I'm fine.. ehmm ehmm.. a double shot flatwhite please"

then .. it comes the moment, where you will hand the flatwhite and they will answer back by simply saying "TA".

and this is now YOUR turn of hesitation .."TA" ... "TA what?" ... to discover that it was "thank you".

Another answer to the same flatwhite could be "Cheers".. and don't pretend not to think my same thing... "why are you saying that for a coffee? where is your beer?". Aussies use it for different circumstances.

Among my researches about the Australian slang and interesting ways to map the world through words, I have found a lively guide, Let Stalk Strine, by Afferbeck Lauder.

Afferbeck Lauder was the pseudonym used by Alastair Ardoch Morrison, an Australian graphic artist and autor who, with this book, illustrated phonetically the Australian way of talking to show it as a complete different language.

A couple of examples:
"Emma chisit" - How much is it?
"Egg wetter gree" - I quite agree

and the pseudonym of the author itself is an example of that "Afferbeck Lauder =Alphabetical order".

I am personally fascinated by all this. It might be because languages are in a continuous change and - by changing - they bring with them a portray of an age, a culture and somehow of the people. I LOVE IT!

"I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks." - Harper Lee