We got snow today, the first snow of this winter and I hope not the last snow (although in the last years with the climate change,we get less and less snow). I love snow, I love bad weather in general but I especially love snow and I love it cause it’s something that doesn’t happen often ,something that changes the scenery,it’s fun to watch snow fall.Hell,I even like shoveling snow even if it makes my back hurt.
Snow today actually got me out of the house(which rarely happens without it being necessary ,since I am emotionally NOT good at all) for a spontaneous,random walk in the park (where I was almost the only one walking around cause the wind was blowing,the snow was falling hard and it was a work day). Had the camera with me,took some crappy picture.
Also, I took the little dog out to play in the snow for a bit so I took pics of that too

We are in the middle of a political crisis in Romania. Basically,our President thinks (and apparently can cause that is the beauty of having a Constitution that leaves room for interpretation) he’s the God of everything that moves around here (dictator tendencies much?)especially when the elections are right around the corner and he’s uncertain of victory after 5 years of mandate during which he had everyone’s best interest in mind except for our best interest and especially his (and the party he originated from played with the executive power cause they were lucky enough to win the elections).

So,the President’s party messed with their political allies PSD (political allies who are in fact their biggest enemies but they shook hands over the country one year ago cause neither could form a majority in Parliament and they both wanted the power) which made all their ministers quit from the government and then the newly formed opposition managed to vote against the makeshift government ,one that now had 11 ministers in charge of 22 ministries (yeah,stupid, I know) .
Now,while the government that was “kicked out” is still in charge but with less authority , the President didn’t want to lose the grip on power so close to the elections so he refused to designate a new PM proposed by the new,clear and transparent majority in Parliament even though it was a great proposition and one that brought very different parties ,that usually hate eachother ,together (which never happened before) . Instead,the President designated whoever he saw fit and now this guy (and his newly formed team) has to go present their program in Parliament and ask for approval which he won’t get cause the majority is against him and everyone knows this and it’s why the Constitution says that the President must consult(mediate talks between the parties in fact) with the parties forming the Parliament and ,in case they haven’t already formed a majority, help them get to a majority and then designate as PM a person who the majority proposed ,especially if there’s nothing wrong with that person.

I personally enjoy watching the political circus in Romania, the political scene is full of stupid ,incompetent people who fight with eachother all day long but it is a sad situation and very harmful for our country and future.

The man the majority proposed for PM(in the above photo) is a man I personally like a lot and who proved to be very competent and popular , winning 3 mandates as mayor of Sibiu ,a city he pretty much restored and brought to its former beauty and glory without much help from the state. Johannis,cause that’s his name ,is also very intelligent, very well spoken,polite and has very few opponents . I don’t think he’s without a sin, I would be surprised if he didn’t use his position as mayor to make a small fortune by taking some money from here and there but everyone does that and it’s a proven fact that he invested everything he could in the infrastructure and the needs of his city. Every time he appears on tv ,which he doesn’t really like to do, he proves he knows what he’s talking about,he proves he has what one needs to be a PM and he presents himself in the most elegant,dignified way seen so far in our politics. Also,he’s not a member of any party and is very well seen outside Romania (which is something we really need).
I doubt he or anyone else can really get us out of the crisis in a very short time but I think that on long term,if he stays this way and has support in Parliament, he can do good things.

Oh and I decided who I will vote for in the Presidential elections cause of Johannis, so yeeey. I just hope Antonescu doesn’t go against his word and put Patriciu as PM if he wins cause that would be a major fail

On the 17th of September I left on a 3 week vacation . The first part of the trip consisted of short visits through Jordan,Syria and Lebanon and the second part was all fun and recreation in Egypt’s,Sharm el Sheikh .
Jordan – a beautiful country,they all were, that surprised me because I didn’t expect it to be quite so modern (I’m talking about the capital,Amman). Amman is slowly becoming a quaint city,beautiful buildings and atmosphere,not too crowded except for a few areas,great infrastructure,wonderful people,lots to see and do. The main 2 attractions for me in Jordan were Petra and the Dead Sea and they didn’t disappoint me at all. Petra was fabulous, one of the most amazing places in the whole world and it consists of so much more than that one facade everyone’s seen on tv or in pictures,it’s made up of various remains of different built structures made by the people who built that famous facade and the canyon you walk through to get to all those remains is stunning,full of color and charm. The Dead Sea is a beautiful body of water and it really is *that” salty, you do float and there are rock formations made of salt or rocks covered in salt on the shore (in the water there’s sand on the bottom). Also been to the place where they say Jesus was baptized in the water of the Jordan river and to another religious place I forgot(LOL) . Another great place was the ancient city of Jerash,lots of roman ruins,very nicely kept.
Syria – it has so many places to see,it has lots of history ,like an open air museum. Damascus is the oldest city in the world that was always occupied ,the old part is stunning,the maze of narrow streets and balconies,all the vendors and shops,many people walking around,the minarets,towers,the beautiful arabic style touches on parts of the buildings like the windows and arches ……all incredibly fascinating. I think the funnies part was buying ice-cream from an ice cream place in the old bazar because there’s no organized line,just a huge crowd of people shoving and pushing (but not with true aggressiveness)their way inside the shop ,to the counter and then pushing their way out of the shop with the ice cream over their heads (managed not to drop it btw ! that was a real victory ). We also visited Bosra where there’s a very big roman amphitheater made of dark stone cause of the volcanic past of the region),Maaloula where there are some old churches and it’s the only place where they still learn and speak Aramaic and last but definitely not least on our syrian experience were Palmyra and Crac de Chevaliers which are both very impressive with Palmyra being a big roman city with lots of well preserved stuff . The not fun stuff was staying in the border for 2 hours when we wanted to cross to Lebanon but at least we heard gunshots (less exciting than it sounds,just some idiots trying to smuggle some things out of the country so their car got shot at). Oh and we had the stupidest guide in the history of guides ,he was so stupid it was hard to be mad at him ,we laughed a lot in fact.
Lebanon – I think I am in love with Beirut . We stayed 3 hours in the custom(3 + 2 in the syrian border = 5 so still not my ultimate 7 hour record)and at one point some nice dude from the custom thought I was an artist (cause there apparently is an artist with the same name in their country) so we amused ourselves . Arrived in Beirut late ,around 22:30 or 23:00 and as we approached it along the coastline,the moon was shining brightly over the sea,the city lights could be seen all around ,it was amazing. Beirut is a wonderful city,full of life and joy just like its people. Everyone knows that Lebanon went through lots of turmoil in the past 30 or so years ,the civil war left Beirut in ruins but it rose from the “ashes” and managed to get where it is today even after the 2006 israeli attacks. Today it looks like a future Monaco to be honest. I’m sure there are poor,ugly areas and all that,saw a couple myself but the heart of the city,the more central parts ,the ones where the upper and middle classes live are pretty darn nice as far as I’m concerned and everywhere you look they are still building new and beautiful stuff . Beirut is for the most part pretty similar to mediteranean cities in Europe so u’ll feel right at home there. The people are fascinating,many are pretty european looking,they’re modern and opened,very fun,they know how to enjoy life and live every free moment and they love their country and city.Only stayed for 2 and a half days but I would go there again anytime and probably will go again in the future.
Egypt – 7th time there,only went to Sharm el Sheikh. It was lovely,the hotel was amazing (Hyatt Regency I’m pimping you ) and the Red Sea as warm and inviting as ever. The downside was that I got a bit sick,either an indigestion or a sunstroke or a bit of both (probably a bit of both) so I couldn’t enjoy the sea and fun for 2 days and I wasn’t in top shape during the rest cause of it. In the Egypt album you can see pics of the pyramids ,Cairo(with the Nile) and the Sinai mountains all taken from the plane).

Other than that………still depressed and it is only going to get worse,House sucks big time,never watching again especially since it leaked that Jennifer Morrison is leaving. Will make a post about Heroes and Supernatural cause I’m all over those and they are loads of fun .

Now for pics click on each of the links to the picasa albums

Jordan

Syria

Lebanon

Sharm el Sheikh

I’m depressed again ! That’s it,that’s the whole thing,I’m depressed! It doesn’t matter why,it can be anything ,nothing or everything,small things,big things ,nothing at all.I’m not bitching about it or looking for pity,I just thought I’d make a note of it.
Very few people(only my mom actually and not even she knows well)know that I am depressive and I’ve always been like that,I’ve never written about it anywhere,never complained to anyone just kept it to myself.Most of the time no one even knew because I never acted on it in public.I realize most people have their own shit to think about so why should and why would they give a shit or have to give a shit on how I feel.Maybe that’s the long term effect of dealing with family issues growing up(having a nice,caring but absentee father who died anyway when I was 14,my grandpa dying when I was 12 – he used to take care of me all day while my mom was at work – ,financial shit that almost came after dad died and left a slightly unclear situation regarding his share of the company he was manager of,my moms struggle with this,being quite bored of most people I’ve ever met,low self-esteem).I never clearly manifested myself and looked/felt more or less unaffected after each of these experiences but I knew it was going to have long term effects.Now,I’m pessimistic about many things (especially when it comes to making my dreams come true),I have a terrible fear of illness and doctors(not them as people but them as in what it means going to see one),I rarely trust anyone completely,I can’t concentrate on studying and goals ,can’t find determination or motivation,etc.
On top of all that I also feel guilty for being like this,perpetually unsatisfied ,because I have a comfortable life,a great mother and a couple of very good friends.I don’t mean to be ungrateful,I’m not ungrateful and I realize 80% of the people in this world live a life of poverty ,illness and unhappiness at a level I’ve never known and hope to never feel  but there are always certain things that I desperately want,some of them would be considered stupid and lame by many people but I don’t care,I always have things that bother me about myself ,I feel like a big loser who was given great intellect but manages to waste it by not managing to channel any ambition.I guess you can’t control,I can’t control what and how I feel it.

Now I have to finish 2 chapters of my diploma paper to present them in the exam session that will start in around 3 weeks(but I have to finish before that because the coordinator must look at it) and I did absolutely nothing,I don’t even know where to start,I can’t decide upon a title and I’m scared out of my wits because I know there’s a high probability I won’t graduate from this fucked up university.
I’m so mad on myself for not having this ambition ,this will to work and study and concentrate because it stopped me from applying to a foreign university in the UK or US and study what I really wanted to study in a place that gave me opportunities to continue and make a living out of my specialty(I would have studied history/archeology,something like that,it’s what I would have liked to do).I suck at math and economics,always did ,always will and that’s exactly what we do in this fucking university,had to study this if I want to have a chance in this country ruled fucking idiots.
Well,this isn’t making me feel better and yet it sorta’ does because I feel like I’ve shared what I feel with someone.

Fuck it,I’d better stop dreaming of stuff altogether and just admit my failure.And on top of all this,I disappoint my mother too,she who sacrificed her personal life to make sure I had everything I needed.

Yeah,don’t worry,I really am good spirited,sarcastic and funny(well,I at least amuse myself so I think i have a sense of humor )so the usual posting style will continue.
PS – RIP Lavinia ! She was my mom’s cousin(through marriage with my mom’s actual cousin “dduuuuuh” LOL).She was only 40 years old and her youngest of 2 sons was born the same day with my father and my parents are his godparents.Strange enough she died exactly the same day my dad died(26 of December)and of almost the same disease.Life’s a bitch like that.
PS 2 – the above story is not the reason of my depression,we weren’t very close! I mean,we were getting along really well but they lived in a different city so it’s not like we frequented eachother.Still,I mentioned it because she was a nice woman and because of the coincidence.

Now just to end on a more interesting ,positive ,funny note………..something Hugh Laurie related(like you didn’t see it coming!!!).Ok,so ,I was bored and found an older picture from an older event and decided to do what I had been meaning to do ever since I first found the picture : remove the red eye effect from it using my crappy red-eye removing skills in photoshop. Feel free to feel amused by this.It’s not bad but since it was probably rather dark …….well you’ll see.

The first one (clicky for full view,as always) is the “after” picture and the second one is the “before” picture

On Sunday the population of our country,Romania,for those who don’t know,were called to do what most,if not all,democratic nations do every once in a while : VOTE. Of course,we,romanians(from that country,Romania which is not in Russia,we’re not slavic,we’re latin,we’re also not gypsies and we’re not a type of food,drink,tribe or any other stuff people might associate our country’s name with ),still think not voiting is a form of showing the great,stupid leaders that we protest and will not be fooled so only about 30% of the population went to cast their vote.I find this stupid because it’s your democratic right,u have the power to choose and even if both sides are made up of idiots who like to steal,choosing the less evil one is still important and a step forward.

Well,I voted for the party called PSD (well,in fact we have uninominal voting so we vote in colleges ,for a certain person but they do represent a party so I just vote for the person from the party I find to be the lesser of two,or more,evils).After my success in the last elections ,the local ones,for the mayor,where the one I voted for won and he’s actually planning on doing some good stuff ,the Party I voted for won the elections but by a margin of just under 1% and that means around 33% as opossed to the 32% of the PD-L Party .Now some negociations have to take place between the parties in order to form an alliance that can take one of these 2 parties over the 50% margin and give them the right to make the Government and choose the Prime Minister.See,these 2 parties are big adversaries and the PD-L one is,in my opinion,the worst of them all(our “brilliant” President was in this party).Our politic “life” is so fun and funny and stupid.

Wow,it’s been two weeks since I last posted something House MD related. I’m still obsessing over it but I’ve lost the will to rant over it and post new episode promos for now because every episode is a let down.Ok,I did watch the 9th one(Last Resort) only because of Hugh and Zelijko Ivanek ,it was ok,would have been great without the Huddy soap-opera ,subtle wanna’ be moments and 13 being front row again.Having said that,this was the one and only episode where 13 had her purpose and I didn’t mind her much.Also,as a great example of how I am not biased when I hate the Huddy and say they have no chemistry, I thought Hugh and Olivia Wilde have some pretty good chemistry in this episode,far more than Hugh has with Lisa Edelstein or with Sela Ward(and I did find the Stacy arc interesting so I’m not biased by hate or something).Still,would have rather seen Cameron in her place but no one likes Cameron anymore.Now 2 Huddy (and 13 related) episodes follow so I’m not going to watch them and watch House go from a great character to a lame one just like the show.

A major Heroes post will follow tomorrow or the day after tomorrow because I’m about to watch Villains part 2 in a couple of minutes and will obsess over the 2 parter afterwards.

Sure,Heroes is not as good as it was in the first season,some stuff aren’t ok but I think it at least manages to keep big fans like me .The show is in the fantasy category so it’s hard not to fuck it up and Heroes is slowly getting back to what it was in the beginning.Also,I like that they manage to do their thing while also respecting the fans and incorporating at least some of their wishes into it,keeping some characters like they used to,killing others that no one likes,etc.

Two weeks have passed since I came back from my latest trip *pouts*

Since I make oh so many House(and Heroes) related posts on my  blog (which should be a personal,random blog about……random stuff but ended up being a House/Hugh Laurie posts Heaven) I thought I’d post something totally random for once and I figured the most interesting subject would be my latest (and last until next summer) trip . I ,of course,chose this topic because I can just put pretty pics and call it a day(or post) .

My latest trip was to Egypt and it was my 6th time there in the past 7 years (can u see the pattern,the obsession pattern that rules my life? ).Ok,some might say I am crazy and I won’t deny that I probably am a little bit disturbed but I(and my mom) have a perfectly good reason to go there every autumn or summer : it’s really,really pretty . U see,I love history and I was always especially fascinated by the ancient Egypt so in 2002 when I first went there it was a dream come true (particularly after 2001 was a tragic year for us)and I still remember how,during the flight,I kept thinking something must go wrong because this is too good to be true.And I can also remember when I saw Cairo from the air and I could see the Nile because the plane passes right over the Corniche ,I was fascinated and excited as never before.I remember when I went out of the plane,onto the stairs and you definitely smell that you were not in Europe anymore,there’s a musky quality about the air,it’s filled with what I think are all the spices and aroma’s of an arabic,african country(and ,I’ll say it,also pollution ).I have this feeling every year,it’s always a great thing to see Cairo from the airplane and think that I’ve manged to see that place that I dreamed of seeing not once but twice,3 times,etc .Some think it’s dangerous(why, I cannot imagine),some ask us how come I like Cairo and the poverty,some ask other stupid stuff but they have no idea or are totally stupid because a country like Egypt needs to be “felt” before making an opinion.I even went there 2 weeks after the bombing in Sharm El Sheikh in 2005 and was never afraid so I strongly recommend this destination . Oh and the Red Sea is magnificent as is the Nile at Aswan and Luxor. There are 3 places in this world where I’d like to go over and over again : England(especially Scotland and London OMG),Egypt and Austria.

This time I actually did a couple of new stuff : entered the big pyramid(which was either closed or the que was far too long in past years),took a hot air balloon ride at Luxor at sunrise(waking up at 3:00 am ……not fun but it was worth it this time),took a one day snorkelling boat trip to Tiran Island and actually saw a couple of newly discovered ruins that were totally unguarded and unmarked for some reason (at Saqqara).Other activities included smoking shisha,admiring the Nile,visiting a nubian village near Aswan where u can pet and hold baby crocs,felucca trips on the Nile at Aswan ,Luxor andCairo,eating, drinking loads of beer,swimming in the Red Sea and taking pictures
Here u have some pictures

PS – I wrote this in a hurry so excuse any grammar,spelling and coherency mistakes

The pics are in the order  :Red Sea,Luxor(+temples),Aswan(+temples),Cairo

Well,I’m off again  !!!! This time we’re going to Egypt………….for the 6th time ! I can’t wait,I miss Egypt(although I just went there last october ) !!!

So,I’ll be missing one episode of House,2 of Heroes and other shows I watch but it’s not bad,I’m going to have fun and then come back to many,many wonderful episodes.

Heroes didn’t do so well at the ratings ,just over 9 million and House is falling quite dramatically from last year scoring only a little over 12 million (last year they had 18 million).DID U SEE THAT David Shore and Katie Jacobs? DO U SEE WHAT THE NEW DUCKLINGS ARE DOING TO THIS SHOW AND THE TOTALLY ILLOGICAL,NO FUN SHIP THAT IS HUDDY? Oh well,as long as LE gets to fondle Hugh I guess everyone there is happy,right?!

Ok,so I’m off !! Will post pics when I get back !

I just returned from my wonderful ,long trip and that makes me sad because I like being away from my home.I am probably one of the few people who do not feel home sick and who don’t get all giddy about going back home after some absence (holiday or something else)but this is because travelling is my greatest pleasure,I would use all my money to travel the world and if I ever become insanely rich all my money will go on trips and maybe a private jet and a yacht all meant to take me around the world.

My trip lasted 21 days,from the 19th of July to the 8th of August.I spent 6 days in Edinburgh,7 in London,6 in Amsterdam and 2 in Munich.

I left Bucharest very early on a Saturday morning by plane and arrived in London around noon then carried myself ,my mom and our heavy luggage to King’s Cross where we took a train to Edinburgh.The train ride was great and we got to see some of the english countryside which is really pretty .We arrived in Edinburgh’s Waverly Central Station in the evening and went to our lovely hotel situated close by (thank God).Since I was hungry ,we went around town to get something to eat and ended up eating some great fish and chips.The next day we went to the castle and spent most of the day there then went around the Royal Mile to walk a little and eat.The weather in the first 2 days was pretty cold according to my mother and really great according to me : 14-18 degrees Celsius but the sun was present most of the time and we had no rain.In fact,we had no rain during our 2 week stay in Britain.Moving on,the rest of our days in Edinburgh were spent walking around ,visiting a museum,a Royal Yacht,Mary King’s Close(one of the most haunted places apparently but I saw nothing ),parks.One day before our departure we went to Loch Ness and around the Highlands.It was a superb trip because the scenery is breathtaking and Loch Ness is an amazing lake set in a wonderful ,green area and we took a small cruise on the lake which was even better (no,I didn’t see the monster *pouts*).In our last full day in Scotland we went to Portobello (which is a suburb in Edinburgh by the North Sea)to walk on the beach and then did some shopping for presents.Edinburgh is a beautiful,elegant city with lots of parks and interesting buildings,the people are great,the food is great and I would love to go back.

After Edinburgh we came back to London where we stayed in a hotel next to Hyde Park,wonderful area.I love London,it’s a great combination between old and new,quiet and mad but I wouldn’t go back there in July-August because there are far too many tourists that cover everything. In London ,during our 6 day stay,we didn’t manage to see everything(actually I don’t even think we got to see half)because everything is so big and the attractions “force” you to spend loads of time at/in them but we saw some of the most important stuff that everyone knows like The Tower of London,Westminster Abbey,Greenwhich,etc.I walked around Leicester Square and in the last evening we actually got to witness a bit of the X-Files premiere madness.Ah,in the second day in London we went to Westminster and passed by the Parliament just as Obama was coming out and holding a speech so we got to see him too(man,u get to see a lot of random people in London ’cause I randomly saw Fatboy Slim too I think).London is great,I’d love to live there and everything is really organized ,people are very helpful and nice and everyone speaks in some kind of nice accent(just like in Scotland).

One day we went from London to Cambridge (50 min by train from King’s Cross).Cambridge is absolutely amazing and impressive with its old colleges,the river and the vegetation(everything is so green and pretty).We hopped on a sightseeing double-decker that left from the train station because we were too lazy to walk to the center and as it got to the center it passed by the college the internet told me Hugh Laurie attended so we hopped off there because I had to take some pics.Then we visited Trinity college,King’s College ,took a walk around the town and went punting on the river Cam which was so great,I loved it.Around 19:00 we decided to head back to the station so we hopped on one of those double-deckers again since we had a day ticket and it passed by the theatre where the Footlights meet and the audio guide actually mentioned Hugh ,Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry which made me giddy.At around 20:00 we were on a train back to London.

From London we went to Amsterdam.In Amsterdam things were……different. The architecture is great,the buildings are very beautiful and the canals are wonderful,relaxing and inviting but I think the thing that impresses most people is the liberty,all the “coffeeshops” that sell cannabis and whatever to smoke and that can be found in very large numbers especially in the center of the city and the Red Light District,the sex shops,sex cinemas,sex everything that you see everywhere with no reservations and which I found really funny and all the strange young people that come as “tourists” to taste what Amsterdam has to offer apart from the Van Gogh and Rembrandt stuff . All in all,a beautiful ,different city with a special atmosphere.

We ended our trip in Munich where I felt strangely at home probably because I went to Vienna several times and to other typically german places.

Here u have some pictures . The first are from London,then Amsterdam,Munich and the plane back then the last ones after the plane pics are of Scotland and Cambridge but I separated the Cambridge ones and reposted them bellow anyway so you can skip those

Cambridge pics (the first 4 are of the college Hugh Laurie attended just ’cause I found it accidentally and had to take pics(I am that obsessed)and it’s pretty

Finally ,it’s the 19th of July and in about 8 hours I’ll be heading to the airport for a BA flight to London and then a train to Edinburgh where I’ll stay for 6 days after which I’ll come back to London for a week and then go to Amsterdam for another 6 days and end my trip in Munich on the 8th of August.This means that I will ,hopefully,have 21 days of fun and relaxation in nice ,cool (and cooler) places. I can’t wait !! I’m so excited !! Can u tell I’m excited?

So,off I go to the land of pretty accents,green grass,high prices,nice places,rain and Hugh Laurie.

My love for football knows no bounds and just when I was all sad about the EURO 2008 being over (aka no more fun games to watch for a while) I hear my favorite coach is back.

I’m not Italian(although very ,very latin in origins because ,yes,Romania is a latin,very latin country not russian or slavic of any kind and certainly not gypsy)and I don’t have such a big love for italians anymore because of recent events that showed how mean and close-minded some of them can be BUT I do love Italian football and their national team’s football(Euro 2008 not included)so having Lippi back as their coach made me a very happy camper because Lippi is THE man and I never really liked that other guy ,Donadoni.Now Italy can start playing some real football again and Lippi can smoke his victory cigar in South Africa in 2010.

Here’s an article about Lippi coming back to the national team.My favorite coach is back,my favorite coach is back ……..yeeey and he can start making fun,being all ironic,sarcastic and somewhat mean to the press….yeeey!!!

by Andrew Dampf, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROME – A refreshed Marcello Lippi was presented as Italy’s coach again Tuesday, less than two years after guiding the Azzurri to the World Cup title.

Lippi’s most immediate task is to restore Italy’s pride after the squad was eliminated by eventual champion Spain in the European Championship quarter-finals.

“Naturally, I’m very happy to pick up where I left off. But picking up where I left off also means that the Euros didn’t go so great, or I would still be on the beach in Viareggio,” the well-tanned Lippi said, referring to his hometown on the Tuscan seaside.

“We’re still the World Cup champions, we’ve got the team that won the Club World Cup (AC Milan), we have a top under-23 squad and we are one of the favourites for the Olympics,” Lippi added. “The world of Italian football should hold its head high.”

Roberto Donadoni’s contract was terminated last week, and Lippi was rehired a few hours later and given a two-year contract that will last through the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“These last two years were not completely lost,” Lippi said. “A large number of players from the World Cup stayed in the group, and Donadoni inserted some key new players.”

However, Donadoni was criticized for designing an attack that was overly dependent on an out-of-form Luca Toni at Euro 2008. No forward scored during Italy’s four-game run, and Donadoni was also attacked for playing too defensively against Spain, which won a penalty shootout following a dull 0-0 draw.

“We’ve got to show a bit of daring in certain situations, like in the semifinal with Germany, when I put four forwards on,” Lippi said, recalling the 2-0 extra-time win in the World Cup semifinals. “We’re going to try and show some aggressive football right away.”

Lippi resigned immediately after leading Italy to its fourth World Cup title in Berlin, largely because he was uncomfortable that he and his son had been linked to the Italian match-fixing scandal.

“I would never have left if it wasn’t in the middle of that situation,” Lippi said. “It was very tough to see my name and family members linked to those things. At that time, it wasn’t possible to continue. Now the situation is different, the discussion is open and we’ve gotten through that period.”

Rejecting numerous job offers, Lippi spent the past two years travelling Italy and abroad to pick up awards. He also worked as an analyst for Italy’s Sky TV.

“I received many offers, from many different countries, including for several national teams. But you can’t coach your own country to a World Cup title and then go coach another country a year later,” he said. “There were some very interesting proposals, but at a certain point, when the Euros approached, I felt a strong desire to return. … I felt in debt to the federation in some manner and this is my way to repay that debt.”

In 29 games as Italy’s coach between 2004 and 2006, Lippi guided the Azzurri to 17 wins, 10 draws and two losses.

Lippi rejected the idea of trying to convince Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta to come out of international retirement.

“You’ve got to respect people’s opinions, especially people as serious as those two,” Lippi said.

He added that he would suggest to players considering international retirement in the future to take a sabbatical instead, and leave open the option of returning if the team desperately needs them.

Besides the World Cup title, Lippi’s resume includes five Serie A titles with Juventus, one Champions League victory, one Intercontinental Cup title, one Italian Cup and four Italian Super Cups.

Lippi’s first game back in charge will be a friendly against Austria in Nice, France, on Aug. 20.

The Azzurri begin World Cup qualifying against Cyprus on Sept. 6, then face Georgia four days later. Bulgaria, Ireland and Montenegro are also in Italy’s qualifying group.

SOURCE