The weird word of sports

- Cheese-rolling

In Cheese-rolling the competitors run down a hill for following a very big local cheese that rolls down the hill.

The Master of Ceremonies starts the game, a special guest launches the cheese, the partecipants follow and the person who arrives at the bottom of the hill first wind the cheese!

- Zorbing

Zorbing isn't a competitive sport. The "zorb" is a gigantic ball made of clear plastic. A person stand inside the zorb and rolls down the hill. During the journey the zorbonaut feels strange sensations.

The sphere is very soft so it isn't dangerous!

- Sepak Takraw
Sepak means "kich" and Takraw means "ball". It combines football, volleyball and gym in one game! Two teams of three people stand on opposite sides of a net. 
They use their feet, knees and head to pass the ball over the net but they can't use hands or arms.

- Bossaball
Bossaball is a combination of volleyball and trampolining with live music. Teams of 3-5 players can use hands, feet or head to hit the ball over the net.
They jump on the trampoline and try to keep the ball in air.
The Bossaball referes play live music while the teams are playing!

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

-Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.
Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.
Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

- Black Friday

The day after the Thanksgiving, Friday, is known as Black Friday. This also is unofficially or officially start of holiday shopping season. Almost all stores come out with Doorbuster Sales with early bird special to attract consumers to their stores. People stand in line hours before the store is opened, to grab the bargain of the year. Almost every store has something that interests every one. For bargain hunters, if there is a biggest festival in a year, that would be, no doubt, the Black Friday.
That being said, please note revenue wise this is NOT the best day for stores. A couple of days before Christmas are the most prominent day from revenue perspective.
Additionally, Green Monday is another big shopping day.

My daily routine.

I usually get up at 7:00 a.m, I wash myself, I get dressed, I comb my hair, I have breakfast, I brush my teeth and then I go to school on foot with my friends Bianca and Caryma.

After the lessons, I go home, I have lunch with my family and I watch TV till 3:00 p.m. Then I start to do my homework and when I have finished I go out with my friends or I go to the dance school till 10:00 p.m.
When I come back home I have dinner with my family or, sometimes, alone.

After that, I make a shower, I watch the TV or stay on my computer and at the end I go to sleep.

The British Royal Family.

The monarch of the UK is Queen Elizabeth  II and she belongs to the Windsor dynasty.
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the State and of the Church of England. She also governs the military force and she can declare war and mark the peace.
Originally, Elizabeth's family name was different, it was Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Elizabeth's grandfather, King George V, changed the name because having a German surname was very unpopular, because of the war.
When King George V died, his son King Edward VIII took his place, but he abdicated because he wanted to marry an American divorced woman. So King George VI becomes the new king and when he died, his daughter Elizabeth II becames the queen. 

She married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and they had four children: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales and they have two children: Prince William and Prince Harry.
Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011 and after two years they have a child, George Alexander Louis.

Columbus Day!

On October 12th, 1542, Christopher Columbus discovered a whole new continent.
Nowadays everywhere in North, Central and South America, people celebrate this holiday known as "Columbus Day".
At first people celebrated this holiday unofficially, but in 1892 President Benjamin Harrison made it an official event. So, every year New Yorkers get together and march in "The Annual Columbus Day Parade".
You can see marchers, groups, bands, floats, contingents, fireworks, cheerleaders, banners and military corps.
Columbus Day is the world's largest celebration of Italian-American culture.

The origins of my name!

The name Martina is the feminine form of the name Martin, originally Martinus.
Martina and Martin mean "dedicated to Mars", referring to the Roman god of war;  in fact the meaning of the name Martina is also "Servant of Mars".
Martina may also appear as a surname. In these cases, it is Italian or Czech in origin and derives from the male name Martin, perhaps as a patronymic that means "daughter of Marzio".

The name-day is on January 30th.

Autumn.

One of the four seasons of the year is the Autumn. I love so much when the Autumn arrives.
In this season the weather is cooler and there are falling leaves that change their colour.
I love reading books when it rains! In Autumn I can wear sweaters, scarves, gloves and others.
I can also drink warm drinks, like hot chocolate and tea.
And then I love Halloween!
These are the reasons why I love so much the Autumn :)

HAPPY FALL, PEOPLE :)

Hey, why are you reading my blog?

Hi :)
My name is Martina and I'm 14 years old.

I'm from Mondragone, a town in the south of Italy, not far from Caserta.

I go to the Liceo Linguistico "Galileo Galilei". My favourite subject is English, but I hate Maths.

In my family there are four people: my father Carlo, my mother Ida, my brother Antonio and there's me!

I have two dogs and a cat. The dogs' names are Rocky and Ettore, the cat's name is Andrea.

I like listening to music, doing the shopping, watching films and reading books, like The Twilight Saga or The Hunger Games.

In my free time I go out with my friends, I stay on my computer and sometimes I go to the cinema.

I love dancing! My dance school is "Mayimbe" and my dance teacher's name is Andrea.

I practice social dance, hip hop and caraibic dance. 

My favourite singer is Justin Bieber, a Canadian boy, and my favourite band is One Direction. In this band there are five boys: Harry, Zayn, Liam, Niall and Louis.

My favourite colour is blue.
I love Christmas holiday. I feel good in that period and I love presents!

THAT'S ALL ABOUT ME :)