What is Ancora Imparo?

So, you have come in search of the answer to the question, "What is Ancora Imparo"? Well, this is where you will find your answer. What does it mean? The motto Ancora Imparo is attributed to Michelangelo and means 'I am still learning'. or "Still, I am learning". It is also the motto of my University, Monash.

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564) was a Florentine Sculptor, Artist, Architect and poet. The reason I chose Ancora Imparo for my domain is because it suits me rather perfectly. Initially I began to search for a domain name that was somehow descriptive of who I am. I did not want to use my name as that was too simple and not descriptive enough. I wanted to say something about the person that I am, but how do you describe someone within the confines of a domain name? I thought of many, possibly hundreds over several months, but all were taken. Many were not being used, but had been reserved and were unavailable. Finally it came to me, as many good ideas do, while laying in bed one night trying to sleep, however my brain often won't stop ticking over with ideas...all the while there it was, staring down on me from above my desk. As the motto of my University it was on my wall above my computer printed on my degree the whole time, "Ancora Imparo". Suddenly I realized, that was it - perfect! I jumped out of bed and did the search, .com was taken, but I didn't care to have .com anyway, and so I registered ancoraimparo.net to move all my personal pages to and take all personal stuff off my business site. This is where I care not for what anyone else wants or needs, this is where I can do as I please. This site is all me. What I want to do, what I like. No restrictions. My business site had to be professional, because it was a business site I had to consider that when working on my personal pages. Not so with Ancora - she is my personal opinion, my 'do as I please' site, my work of art and to hell with rules. I can play here, dream here, create here, express here and learn here. After all, I am still learning....

Why did I choose it? Ancora Imparo suits me for many reasons. Firstly and probably most obviously I am a proud graduate of Monash University and as it is the motto of Monash it suits me for that reason. Also, this motto is attributed to Michelangelo, and I love pretty much all of his work.. It means "I am still learning" and it is a belief of mine that learning is important, that we continue to learn all through our lives, and I personally love learning, so it suits me for that reason also. Lastly, although I am no linguist by any means, I have an interest in language, I am most fascinated and interested in Latin, however Ancora Imparo is actually Italian, but still it is close, and it is fitting that this domain it is in a language other than English.

So, what's with the stars? On my original site design I has a certain stars theme, it is not the theme for my new site design, but you will still find them somewhere around here...

The stars symbolize The Southern Cross or Crux. The "Southern Cross" is a constellation also known as the Crux Constellation. It is the most familiar constellation in the southern hemisphere. This constellation was once part of Centaurus, and was first identified as a separate constellation by European navigators and astronomers because the sight of such a brilliant cross in the sky was so compelling that it became a constellation of its own right in the sixteenth century. The Italian navigator Andreas Corsali described the constellation as being "so fair and beautiful that no other heavenly sign may be compared to it." If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you must be south of latitude 30 degrees to begin observing Crux. Because it is not visible from most latitudes in the Northern hemisphere, Crux is considered a modern constellation and has no Greek or Roman myths associated with it. Crux was used by explorers of the southern hemisphere to point south since, unlike the north celestial pole, the south celestial pole is not marked by any bright star. The four brightest stars within the constellation form a cross pattern. The brightest star is known as Alpha Crucis (acrux) and is located at the foot of the cross. The star at the top of the cross is known as Gamma Crucis (Gacrux). If you follow the line south through Gamma and Alpha Crucis you will arrive near the South Celestrial (true south) Pole. Two other stars that form the cross are Beta Crucis (Becrux) and Delta Crucis which is the western arm. So you see, as an Australian the Southern Cross has significant meaning to me. I was born under the Southern Cross. As an Australian that is now living in the Northern hemisphere it has even more significance. There was never a night, when the skies were clear, that I would not look up into the night sky to see the Southern Cross. I can't count how many nights I have laid on the grass or on the beach and just stared up at the Cross. Now I am living under unfamiliar skies, nothing seems quite right because I can't go outside at night and look up to see the beautiful Crux that I had gazed upon in awe all my life. But, the Southern Cross is still out there, pointing to my home, guiding the way south and she will guide me home one day just as she has guided many explorers for centuries. Andreas Corsali was right, it certainly is so fair and beautiful that no other heavenly sign may be compared to it.