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Monday 31 May 2010

the significant little

31 may 2010

i look around me and see nothing. i keep looking, i stare as i don't believe nothing is all there is out there. and because i keep looking i find it. not much, not what i want, but what is real. sometimes i have the impression that my plans, my dreams are based on ideals, on sand castles. but then i realize the dreams, the utopias, are necessary as a first step. there is no problem at all in being an idealist (a mild one), as long as i can manage real world. this is the big lesson, to be able to work around the possibilities, to be able to make the necessary adjustments, and to keep dreaming. every little move is significantly big and a sign of accomplishment. and i have to keep staring to be able to spot it, to concentrate, to listen to the inspiring birds. cheers!

Sunday 30 May 2010

oh happy sunday

30 may 2010

the common park is so beautiful now with the new season and the amazingly beautiful green leaves on the trees. the birds are singing even more, i suspect. every day i see people who come there for walks, and they bring family and dogs with them. i am very fortunate to have the park as a possiblity of path to walk to uni. i have chosen to walk instead of riding the bus lately, maybe for three months. it feels so much nicer. the walk helps my digestion, and it is such a gift to appreaciate nature right here, just a 3-minute walk from home. and, what is just as importat: i feel safe there, even when i don't see people around. when i do see people coming towards my direction i don't fear anything. to me they are habitues, just like me. many people are very punctual at coming to the park to exercise.

li yu and i walked through it this morning on our way to uni. i went to hartley library to study and she was going to the sports rec, to swim. she is finished with assignments but i am still quite busy and actually super stressed out with bzzzbzzz. we got to the highfield campus, union shop, still chatted a little more and off li yu went to swim and i was headed to hartley. came across yuki, with whom i talked for about 20 minutes. she is a very nice friend of mine, and was, of cours, at the library for the same reasons as the many other peope who were there.

inside the park there is usually only people and not cars. today we found cars, tents and the ice cream car. these are all signs of a fair to take place during the day. people take advantage of every minute of good weather. brilliant!

maybe because i walked in this beautiful day, maybe because i am really loaded and behind on my work, maybe because i am not an irresponsible person afterall, maybe because i had so many inspiring companies at the library, i.e, people doing the same as me, but the fact is that today i was productive, not as much as i had hoped for, but i felt i moved forward.

i stayed at hartley until about 4pm. after that went to the stilo with diana and had dinner there. after that we walked to portswood road to buy food at the polish shop, to this blonde, blue eyed woman who speaks no english, and at the international shop, too. time to bed!

film: 'kitaj'

30 may 2010

Kitaj

Last night I watched a documentary about the life of R. B. Kitaj . He was a Jewish painter who lived in the US and in Europe for many years. The documentary is mainly based on his own account of his life. It was very interesting to hear him telling about his ideas of turning a story from the thing he saw or stories people told him into a painting. He was an influential painter, born in 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio. He died in Los Angeles 2007. Kitaj pointed out that a painting should be used for both intellectual and sensual communication. lots of nudity in his paintings.

I watched it at home, by myself. It felt nice to be under the sheets in the cold night. It felt like being somewhere on a lazy holiday. Thanks a lot for lending me the film, Diana. I loved it.

film: 'bande a part'

30 may 2010

‘bande à part’

released as ‘band of outsiders’

Production year: 1964
Country: France
Runtime: 97 mins
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writer: based on Dolores Hitchens’s novel “Fools’ Gold”, written by Godard
Cast: Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, Daniele Girard, Louisa Colpeyn
Music: Michel Legrand

Last night I watched the film ‘band à part’. As far as I can remember it was my first nouvelle vague film. I like it very much. It is about this girl (Odile), who meets two guys (Arthur and Franz) at their english class. Both guys become interested in Odile, and she is more interested in Arthur. They go the cafes, dance, and when Odile realizes it is too late and she is involved with the plan of robbing the money Mr. Stolz keeps at home, the home where Odile lives with her aunt Victoria. From there problems arise.

I love the film, the scenes in Paris, the black and white effects, the whole natural atmosphere. According to one of the people who worked in the production of the film, in an interview in the extras, Godard said he didn’t do films, he did cinema. i read i think on wikipedia that godard said 'bande a part' is an 'alice in wonderland' meeting Kafka. LOL. ironic and so true. perfect definition.

i watched the film alone, at home. nice and cozy in the cold night.
Thanks a lot for lending me the film, Diana.

the good fellow

30 may 2010

Nikki Puckney today gave me this nice thank you card for the time we shared the desk here at the office. she said i made her life so much easier by cooperation with her schedule to use the desk. i gave her the priority and thought this should be the right thing to do. she was here first and she was working on concluding her thesis. brave woman! i believe we two were respectful to each other and that is why we never had any problem. it is about trust, respect, and camaraderie.

the desk is only mine from now on and i can 'paint' it whatever colour i think fit. i'll see what i feel like doing in it. from the desk i see the window and have a little view of the outside world. it makes me feel good. yes, it is empowering to hold the key to the piece of 3-drawer filer. cheers!

Friday 28 May 2010

le plat du jour

28 may 2010

le plat du jour: veggie salad with prawns

le plat: i cut all the raw veggies – stuffed zucchini, green olives, cherry tomatoes, yellow pepper, and chinese leaf - together to a big plate and added the steamed asparagus and the prawns, which had been cooked in butter and garlic, salt and chilly.

i prepared the sauce the simplest way, just mixing up two small spoons of fat free natural yogurt, one of cottage cheese, balsamic vinegar and basil infused olive oil, and a pinch of salt and chilly. The sauce I added to my plate only.

le dessert: weight watchers caramel ice cream

la boisson: english tea

the salad was very good and juicy. it was a banquet for me and didn’t come from any specific recipe. I just went by portswood on my way home from uni, entered three different shops buying things i like, literally doing something to make me happy. this is perfect for these days when there have been moments i wished i was elsewhere. finished with my banquet i watched godard’s film ‘band a part’.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

do be do be do

26 may 2010

when i got here in the office today it was almost 1pm. logged on computer and checked out one or two emails as i was waiting for diana's response about having lunch together. i had emailed inviting her from home. found her email and replied right away, confirming i was ready for lunch. in one minute there was diana here in my office ready, too. it was about three minutes after my arrival to uni. i logged off and  said: 'now i need a break'. she and nikki puckney, who sits beside me in the office, laughed. i don't know why. :-)

Tuesday 25 May 2010

le plat du jour

25 may 2010
i stayed home all day today.
had planned to go to avenue. did not go.
planned to go for a walk. did not go.
planned to go the supermarket. did not go.

at least i have done some reading. i got today in the mail a book i bought just a few days ago: freire's 'letters to cristina', which was a friend's suggestion. i already love the book. i read only the first letter so far, but have checked out the whole book.

i also cooked, which is important. i stir fried these dried chinese mushrooms which i had been soaking for two days. let it simmer for a while, added chilly, petit pois, and the cooked penne to it. steamed broccoli and voila! last and least, these british hamburgers that smell funny and taste nothing special. i prepared them in the oven. won't buy them again. to drink i made this soothing orange, mango, and cinnamon tea.

i still have pasta for two other meals. only need to think of some more veggies. this is my cooking philosophy: every time i step into the kitchen to cook it has to be food enough for at least two meals.

Sunday 23 May 2010

a passos assustadores

23 may 2010

nota: mais uma vez precisei dispensar um convite pra sair. nao por falta de vontade, nao mesmo, mas porque o momento eh periclitante no tocante aa lentidao que ta querendo fazer morada em mim. era um super convite pra viajar pra uma praia e ver um campeonato de barco a vela )-:

nxxx,

muitissimo de montao agradecida pela lembranca. eu vou sim quando der. mas hoje estou enfrentando, finalmente, muitas coisas dos meus servicos. os prazos tem que deixar de ser fantasmas e ser apenas uma data para conclusao.

sinceramente, to ficando cansada de fazer meu trabalho com dor. to com uma dor fisica no pescoco, bem grande, ja faz dias. isso tem me congelado e mantido mais lenta ainda. me sentindo doente. acho que te falei ontem no email. um acumulo tao grande de coisas que minha conversa ta desconexa sobre alguns aspectos da minha pesquisa. eu nao era tao atolada assim, nxxx. sempre fui um bocado organizada e pontual. preciso achar meus trilhos de volta.

nao posso mesmo, nxxx. obrigada de montao. aproveitem o dia lindo la fora. o maximo que fiz pra curtir essa luz foi abrir minha janela. liguei o spotify e to escutando enya. qualquer simpatia pra me ajudar nessa hora.

amanha cedo tenho compromisso, de tarde sup session. . . e um monte no meio do caminho.

obrigada de novo. abraco grande e bom domingo :-)
maroca

Deus eh mais!

Friday 21 May 2010

godard can wait

21 may 2010

subhead: off track. again? what's the point?

RE: godard

Lima K.S.D.
Sent: 21 May 2010 17:55
To: popescu d.i. (dxxx)

di,
i also want to apoligise for emailing only now, but i was in this meeting. this friend is helping me out with readings for my research. . . it seems so confusing as of today.
sorry )-: really
big hugs,
kalina

RE: godard
Lima K.S.D.
Sent: 21 May 2010 17:50
To: popescu d.i. (dxxx)

diana
i am so very sorry to say i am not going to come for the film today. diana, i feel burned out and overwhelmed with the volume iof things i have to do but have not done. . .

i just left from a meeting with a friend with whom i talked about my research . . . looong story. i do need to write something new and send it to ros by tomorrow bc we meet on monday. by the way we met today by chance at Hartley library and Ros said 'see you next week'. truth is i have not done as much as i should. . .

plus, there is the teaching job. i also have lots of things to do about it. these next weeks are crucial for both job and academia. i can't stop for full 2 or 3 hours today. i came back in the library now (am here now) just to get a book and to write this email to you.

very very sorry. i'll just try and do some work still today. we'll have plenty of time for fun, movies, parks, picnics, . . . please just help me out now. i am getting stressed out.

thanks a lot. see you soon. i might work in avenue over the weekend. if you're there we have coffee. or highfield. . . don't know now, but i'll be working somewhere and if we're near we have coffee, ok?
hugs,
kalina
_________________________________________
From: popescu d.i. (dxxx)
Sent: 21 May 2010 10:58
To: Lima K.S.D.
Subject: RE: godard

Okay!! I'm sorry that Mathilde can't make it!
I'll see you at my house at 7! Godard is awaiting :)
HUG

Thursday 20 May 2010

a hectic day

20 may 2010

today i exceeded all acceptable practice of social engagement. yes, i did. guilt is my neighbour, ops, my name. it was a very intense and nice, yet stressful, day.

1. went early in the morning to highfield, to teach at 9am. worked until 10.30;

2. went to the saudy day event and there stayed until past 1pm;

3. walked to avenue hoping to get there and be productive;

4. back from a visit to the loo i came across alma rodriguez in the corridor, by our pgr kitchen. she was preparing a tea. there we stayed, standing, taaaalking forever. i wanted to leave, but she kinda ignored my moves to leave and kept telling her family stories, which i found highly interesting. i was interested in the talk, but worried about work. we also, of course, talked a great deal about our research projects, vivas and so on. diana stopped by but not for long.
(i was planning to come home afterwards because i was getting really tired)

5. wildson told me we brazilian students were to meet at the stag's head, this on-campus pub. i know every thursday there is this brazilian gathering at this pub. it is a nice place, very conveniently located, i really like it, but the music is way too loud if one wants to talk.

6. walked back to highfield to meet with the folks at the stag's head, about 8pm. well, met everyone there, got to meet new people and had a wonderful chat with wildson. we basically taked about freire, our man :-) when i left the pub it was around 11.20pm.

7. got the unilink home and here i am, happy, but drained and filled with guilt.

there is no pleasure when there is no balance. i mean, the things we did today were all great, i did enjoy everything, but a lesson i have to learn out of it: there has to be a limit to off research fun. this cannot be my routine. my routine here is clearly tied up with my research, to be short and precise. it is weekday, workday, then. this is another lesson, besides all the others learned throughout the day.

salam aleikum

20 may 2010

today was Saudi day. it is a special celebration for the saudi students at the university of southampton. they organized a really big celebration that ran the whole day on the highfield campus. the men and the separate, of course, in two large, different spaces. one of my male students was showing me around the event. then i asked him to take my photo with the girls. he had to say 'no' to me, even looking a little embarrassed. he cannot take photos of girls. the camera would have to be mine and somebody else would have to take the photo. this is an interesting culture and visiting the exhibition was another enriching experience for me. i love to talk to them about the differences between life here and life back home for them and for myself. they are just curious about brazil.

i came by to visit the exhibition of elements from the culture, including clothes and food (dates) and drink (arabic coffee). i had the chance to see many friends i hadn't seen in a long while. one of them is einas. she is now living in london. einas told me she regrets having left southampton, because london is such a big and difficult city, especially when you are alone. anyway, we had a nice chat and took photos. good fawzia and this chinese photographer, raymond, also turned up to visit the festive day. they gave me the outfits and the scarf for the photos. they suggested i cover my face as well for a photo, and asked if i was feeling sufocated, unwell. i said i was fine, but that was only half the truth. i was ok(ish) because i knew i was going to get rid of the cover in a minute, but it felt completely new, something that is not me or mine.

i had my hands dyed with henna by this pakistani lady. women in saudi arabia had the henna in hands, some even in the arms, and on their foot for beauty purposes. it is a very popular custon to have it done at the end of ramadan, the first day when ramadan finishes, called Eid. the pakistani lady prepares brides for wedding cerimonies and provides a range of beauty services. quite interesting. she gave me a visit card in case i need something later on, but her name is curiously not in the card. whom should ask for?

the men in the photo with me either are now or have been my students here. they are all nice and fun people. sultan is actually a prince in saudi arabi. yes, he belongs in he royal family. he is only 22-years old, a very young man.

well, i ended up spending much more time than i had planned at the event, chatting chatting chatting. i have difficulty sticking to a rigid work programme and deviate very often, like today. i knew i had many things to do in avenue. well, i lingered on for nearly three hours at the saudi day.

great coffee, great price

20 may 2010

i love the coffee from this machine. it is hot, creamy, and very very cheap: only 20p per cup. it is located on building 54 highgield campus, the mathematics and something else (physics?) building. i teach there on thursday mornings and always treat myself to a cuppa before going up to 8th floor to work. it is a warm start up indeed. sometimes i wonder why it is so cheap, because the coffee is very nice, but the plastic cup might be one of the reasons why. we always have better thermal cups for the take away drinks here. one of my friends complained about it the other day. i have no complaints on this matter. the gain is bigger.

by the way, i see on the walls of this building offers for scholarship for post grad courses related to physics and mathematics (i think). i mean, when it comes to rare intelligence yes, they do need people and offer opportunities with funding, which is great.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

academia - paulo freire

19 may 2010

i attended this lecture today at the school of education here. i would like to address here two points: 1. the content of the talk, and 2. the speaker's speaking skills.

University of Southampton, School of Education
seminar: "Humanistic science education from Paulo Freire's perspective: reflections for social justice"
speaker: Wildson dos Santos, University of Brasilia, Brazil
where and when: wed 19th may, 2010
12:45 - 13:45
32/2097

1. the content: professor wildson dos santos is a published author of books and journal articles in, i supposed, the fields of chemistry and education, if they can be seen as two separate worlds. he says they belong together, as do society, and i do agree with him. he gave us an excellent overview of paulo freire's life and work, including his time in exile for political reasons and his academic achievements. the paulo freire bit was there to set the connection with his work as a chemistry teacher in brasilia. still today he sees the same problematic situation freire denounced taking place in the classrooms in brazil. paulo freire said so many times that the educator needs to work with the student, not only to feed him or her with whatever he believes is what the student needs or wants. education for freire is the only means to free us, to change society. i believe these teachers who resist dialogue are themselves still imprisoned in ideas that will take them nowhere. this is ok when it comes to one's individual way of leading their life, but when it is the kind of education we have to offer to our citizens the picture becomes worrying. professor dos santos talked a lot about how technology today is replicating a dominance and control over society. we in a way just receive and obey. this is very sad. the content of the talk was all absolutely relevant and interesting. by the way, i never thought i would be able to listen to anyone talking to me about chemistry and still find it meaningful. superb!!!

2. the speaker's speaking skills: i don't know much about professor dos santos, but from what i heard him speak i suppose he lives and teaches in brazil. i wondered for a moment about the level of difficulty to understand his brazilian accent some of the people present there had. i was in the comfortable zone of sharing with him the language 1 (portuguese), which has made all the talk as well as his portuguese accent not a problem at all to me. i actually loved it, the content and his language skills. this is academia, this is europe. everyday single day here, in every single classroom we mix up with researchers who come from countries sometimes we are not certain of their location or language, but we still have a lot to talk about, and that's what we concentrate on. language, altough it being english, is only a means, not an end in this setting. what really matters is the fantastic content professor dos santos had to share with us today. one positive point is that he had long texts in the slides, the information was all very relevant, and the talk was really, really, fantastic and well develop, with a smooth flow between the points. to me his english was fine. i am his fan.

i was very happy to attend such an enlightening talk. i will contact him later on. we chatted a little before his talk. people in the room apparently had a highly positive response to his talk. we were four brazilian students attending his talk: hilra, sabrina, renato, and me.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

film: 'a single man'

18 may 2010

A Single Man

Production year: 2009
Country: USA
Cert (UK): 12A
Runtime: 99 mins
Director: Tom Ford
Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult
 
i just got back home with mathilde. we went to watch 'a single man' at the susu on the highfield campus. price of the ticket: £2. the filme, set in 1962, tells of a day in the life of George (Colin Firth), an English professor who is filled with sadness because his partner, Jim (Matthew Goode) has suddenly died in a car accident. jim's family prohibits george of attending jim's  funeral. george is then lef to lead a lonely, sad, and empty life, despite the work as a teacher and a nice friendship with charley (Julianne Moore). george plans to go about his routine for the day in Los Angeles and to put an end to his life later on.
 
i loved the film, slow at times, beautiful photography and superb interpretations, specially Firth's and Moore's interpretations. i love old movies or movies set back in time, where there is not much of technology, only humans struggling with their lives and make ups. Julianne Moore is fantastic as a recently divorced alcooholic. i do recommend it. i love the in which charley is putting on make up to get beautiful for the night with her friend george. the scene shows she nearly finished with one eye, now with a heavy load of make up that makes her look ver different and upbeat, in contrast to the other side of hers. she looks at the mirror and says, as if her voice were coming from an outsider: 'very beautiful'. i might be wrong about the precise words she pronounces, but i think i am right, and this is the idea, anyway. she is half astonishingly beautiful and half the original, raw, charley.

when we left the cinema we met with yuki (my japanese friend) and hamish (my english brazilian friend), who by the way were together :-)
i chatted with hamish for a while and mathilde with a german friend of hers.  hamish is planning to move back to brazil as soon as he is finished with his phd here. he has dual nationality because he is born to a brazilian mother and a scottish father. he is cute and funny. it's always a good chat whenever we meet up.

they invited us to go to the stag's head, this pub right there on campus, but we said no because we are very (ir)responsible people who keep working. we talking standing outside susu, facing the pub, but still resisted temptation. am i growing up? i doubt it, but there is hope. mathilde, isabella (german girl), and i were then headed to the interchange to get the bus home. at the interchange i met with najima and we discussed our problems with our research. . . readings. . . first year presentation. these conversations are important.

for some reason everyone is on the same boat of being a little too slow, not so happy about production, and worried about deadlines. this defines me at present.

Sunday 16 May 2010

londres: a tela de antes

16 may 2010 (sobre o final de semana em londres)

essa tela, pintada por uma artista plastica brasileira, eh inspirada numa historia contada num dos livros do chico xavier. ela eh uma homenagem ao allan kardec e sua esposa, amelie, e foi pintada para ser exposta no IV congresso espirita mundial, realizado em paris, de 2 a 5.10.2004.

a tela eh linda, dificilima de ser pintada, eu acho. eu pensava que ela era na verdade muito antiga mesmo de tao classica que me parece. mas achei interessante que eu ja a havia visto antes. no curso de pintura que eu frequentei em teresina um dia tava la uma moca reproduzindo essa tela. ela pintou um oleo sobre tela enorme. lembro que fiquei impressionada com o tamanho e o aparente grau de dificuldade que a valente estudante das tintas resolveu abracar. o grande pinheiro, nosso professor de pintura, orientou a moca direitinho. saudades do pinheiro, meu professor amigo e tao talentoso.


bom, mas o negocio eh que a ideia toda, de ser pintada uma tela em homenagem a allan kardec, de transformar a historia em tela, aconteceu ali mesmo naquela sala, na casa da beth, de uma conversa entre ela, a elsa e uma senhora, dra marlene, membro ativo da federacao espirita. dai elas encomendaram a tela aa artista, irene hernanperez malvezi.

tai que me senti um tiquim testemunha da historia. vamos a londres, nao so a 'la playa'.

londres: almoco no domingo

16 may 2010 (sobre o final de semana em londres)

no domingo a beth convidou a elsa para almocar com a gente, e cozinhou, mais um vez, comida super especial. e ainda me deu uma marmita pra trazer: o excelente risoto da para duas refeicoes. a beth eh uma pessoa leve, que gosta de ter amigos por perto, e de um coracao generoso. foi muito bacana conhece-la e passar esses dias com ela. conversamos sem parar sobre muitos assuntos. ela tem uma cabeca aberta, e uma leveza sabia de quem ja viu muito, mas muito mesmo nessa vida e nao fica chocada com pouco. beth eh de paz!

na sexta e no sabado ela fez umas comidas que eu adorei, umas saladas e um arroz integral e outras coisas mais criativas e sadias. ah, teve tambem um tortelloni campeao. no domingo o cardapio para a elsa foi um risoto com vegetais (cenoura e abobrinha), queijo parmesao ralado, alem de uma cebolinha no final. teve tambem um salmao no forno com batatas cozidas ali do lado, acompanhados de uma salada fresca de vegetais crus maravilhosa! a salada teve duas opcoes para tempero: um molho feito de maionese, creme e cebolinha e um azeite misturado com vinagre balsamico para. banquete. suco natural de abacaxi. a sobremesa foi uma combinacao de suspiro com sorvete e geleia de framboesa. ah, o cafezinho da beth eh campeao. bote uma colherinha do cafe sobre o sorvete. socoooorro. Deus eh mais.

o apartamento da beth tem essa janela enorme de vidro que da amplitude ao ambiente e deixa entrar uma luz magica, do dia e da noite. apartamento impecavel na organizacao, na limpeza, no bom gosto. na cozinha tambem tem uma janela de vidro que convida a luz do dia e da noite a fazer parte da vida. essa ordem exemplar eh sinal de gente solteira, que nao tem homem nem filhos por perto o tempo todo pra tirar as coisas do lugar? eh sinal de uma disciplina pessoal de nao deixar a ordem do dia acumular e virar um caos?

nao sei a resposta, mas eu nao sou nem um pouco parecida com isso, com essa ordem. pensando bem, preciso sim de ordem e higiene; e quando estou mesmo num caos geral aqui no pedaco preciso primeiro de ordem para so entao ser produtiva, mesmo que eu nao va utilizar nenhuma das pecas que foram resgatadas e devolvidas a seu justo lugar. acredito que a disponizicao das pecas no tabuleiro da vida de cada lar revela o estado mental dos seus habitantes. na minha casa eh assim. parece que sei exatamente onde piso quando ha ordem e uma boa arrumacao. parece que nem sei por onde comecar quando, bom, cade mesmo minha caneta? cade eu?

londres: passeio no sabado

15 may 2010 (sobre o final de semana em londres)
no final do dia, ou a caminho de casa depois do sabado intenso, paramos em tower hill para apreciar as belezas do lugar: um castelo, uma ponte belissima - a tower bridge, a prefeitura da cidade (aquele predio que parece um parafuso se desmanchando ao vento, aa esquerda na foto), e mais gentilezas arquitetonicas que a historia da cidade foi naturalmente construindo, aqui, ali, acola.

quando descemos em tower hill ja era noite, mais de 9 da noite, mas ainda havia luz do dia e consegui fazer umas fotos. muito impressionante a beleza da ponte, a beleza do rio, a grandeza do forte. mais uma vez, cliques cliques cliques de almas que vem fazer parte da historia, e registrar essa participacao devidamente. adorei. ali mesmo tem um castelo que era um forte, enorme e lindo. vou la com calma qualquer dia desses. as duas fotos abaixo mostram um lado do forte, e tambem o forte e a vista da tower bridge. eh assim: a gente anda um bocadim e testemunha beleza arquitetonica, basta descer do metro. os passeios de onibus sao sempre proveitosos, porque obviamente dele pode-se ver a cidade, principalmente se viajamos no andar de cima.


londres: o grupo espirita

15 may 2010 (fim de semana em londres - sabado)
nesse sabado acompanhei a beth no compromisso dela no grupo espirita de que ela faz parte. foi um dia intenso, com conversas, gente nova pra mim, compra de 4 livros, e muitas novidades.

de manha foi montada a exposicao de livros e aconteceu a reuniao formal da federacao, com decisoes importantes, incluindo eleicao da nova diretoria. eu estava preparada pra ficar lendo alguma coisa, mas me chamaram para a reuniao. intervalo com cafe e biscoitos e mais varias comidas. e no final da manha chegaram mais algumas pessoas, ja se preparando para a palestra da tarde, do Cesar Perri.

no intervalo fomos almocar num shopping ali perto (perto de onde mesmo? nao sei o nome do lugar). eu e esse povo da foto de baixo fomos pra um restaurante chines. eles sao: zeze, uma carioca que mora aqui ja faz 37 anos, cesar perri, o palestrante, tanya, uma moca inglesa, janet, outra inglesa, que morou 20 anos no brasil e fundou o espiritimo aqui na inglaterra, eu e a karine na ponta da direita. a karine eh de fortaleza e mora aqui em brighton. trocamos figurinhas e emails.

de tarde aconteceu a otima palestra do cesar. ele falou sobre os livros pscografados pelo chico xavier, mostrando muita informacao sobre a obra e a vida de dedicacao bondade do grande chico, que ta fazendo esse ano 100 anos do seu nascimento. o cesar eh dentista de profissao, ja escreveu varios livros sobre o chico, da palestras em varios paises sobre espiritismo. ele mora com a familia em brasilia. eu gostei muito da palestra, que foi bem informativa e clara, e super bem organizada, para uma pessoa leiga como eu, e tambem preciosa, eu acho, mesmo para os que ja sabem muito sobre o assunto.
 
o cesar falou e mostrou fotos antigas do chico, enfatizando que ele era um homem engracado, que gostava de sorrir, uma pessoa muito simples e proxima dos amigos. eles tiveram uma convivencia proxima durante anos. o lancamento do filme sobre a vida do chico, comemorando os 100 anos de seu nascimento, esta uma producao de sucesso de bilheteria no brasil. o diretor eh o ateu daniel filho, que se disse tocado pelo homem fantastico que chico foi. eu fico feliz com a repercussao e com a divulgacao da religiao que no chico tem como caracteristica primeira o amor.

londres: encantos

14 may 2010 (fim de semana em londres - sexta-feira


beth e eu demos um passeio por londres, aa noite, vendo muita gente na rua, movimento enorme, luzes, noite fria, muitos taxis pegando varias pessoas de uma vez so, o big ben la, pra me despertar de qualquer duvida, a national gallery, lindissima e convidativa a uma visita sem hora para despedida, porem com sua bandeja de cha encerrada pelo dia.

londres eh domavel, me parece, mas deve cobrar um preco doloroso aos que optam por desfrutar dos seus encantos, quero dizer dos que para ali se mudam. a seducao dessa cidade esta no imaginario de muita gente, de gente que ja esta la e de gente que sonha em vir. eh muito boa a sensacao de poder andar e entrar e sair de onibus bonitos e de dois andares e de metros sem medo de assalto. chegamos em casa quase meia-noite, tendo caminhado ainda uns 12 minutos depois que chegamos na nossa estacao (white chapel), sem temor.

ao longo do nosso passeio a pe, por pracas, monumentos, vendo o rio tamisa, o big ben, a london eye, vimos uma infinidade de cliques de cameras de turistas. a quem pertence londres? qual eh a 'cara' de londres? historia e modernidade, sonhos e requinte. muita historia nessa cidade tao importante para o mundo.

Friday 14 May 2010

it's london, baby

14 may 2010
dei uma passeada por esses arredores ai com a beth, so pra esquentar as turbinas. regiao de bom gosto, tudo a ver com minha nobre, porem simples, pessoa. os elefantes estao espalhados pelos parques na cidade. devem ter algum motivo especial. eu gostei muito de ver os elefantes e pra mim eles sao pra dar sorte. pura energia boa e vibracao de luz. excelente chegada na cosmopolita e tomada londres.

tantas cores - povos - linguas - culturas - sonhos - desilusoes - amores - encontros - sons - noites frias - dias claros - vidas mil. assim eh londres, na minha modestissima, deslumbrada e assustada impressao.

Thursday 13 May 2010

ole: juan martin flamenco dance ensemble

13 may 2010

acabei de chegar do turner sims. ainda tenho que arrumar mala pro final de semana em londres, mas nao aguento e vou falar aqui. as fotos ficam pra depois. so uma por enquanto. fui com diana, mathilde, agota, e simon.

apresentacao do 'juan martin flamenco dance ensemble'. musica flamenca sensacional.
tao intenso
tao lindo
tao dramatico
tao estranhamente leve

o juan martin toca o violao dele, tem um flautista muito legal e um cantor de tirar o folego. eu queria trazer ele pra mim. e tem mais um casal de dancarinos de flamenco. eh impressionante como eh tudo tao intenso e dramatico e no final nao fica nada pesado. a sintonia entre eles eh magica e eles jogam com as maos e os olhares tudo que viveram na musica. adorei.

musica com influencias judia, arabe, e flamenca. uma riqueza de culturas na musica deles. parece um lamento, uma dor profunda, um sentimento extravasado. o juan martin contou que foi cantar no aniversario de 90 anos do picasso. preparou um repertorio todo bem elaborado. quando chegou la disseram pra ele: 'simplesmente interprete as obras que estao na parade'. ele disse que o que saiu foi rock - jazz - flamenco. morremos de rir. muitos aplausos e vibracao da plateia, teatro lotado.

*suspiro*
toca de novo.

choices

13 may 2010

Any choice I make entails heartbreak of the other choices not taken. I am now left with either seeing one side only or else being in agony. This is the agony of the impossible, of the absent, of the not being able of avoiding the turmoil. How is it connected to the choice?

Wednesday 12 May 2010

underground

12 may 2010

Shara,

Hoje almocei com a Diana, uma amiga romena, e conversamos sobre o sentido da palavra ‘underground’. Nossa conclusao, baseada em nossa vivencia apenas, eh a seguinte:

- a palavra ‘underground’ eh usada basicamente com dois sentidos:

1. o meio de transporte publico em algumas cidades grandes do mundo: paris, londres, madri, tokyo, nova york, sao paulo, chicago. Esse transporte publico, que em algumas cidades eh totalmente subterraneo e em outras tem trechos subterraneos (‘underground’) e trechos de superficie (‘surface’), recebe nomes diferentes em diferentes lugares. Aqui na inglaterra eu teria que fazer um esforco para lembrar de alguem que chame o metro de ‘underground’. O nome mais comum eh ‘tube’. Porem, no meu universo / minha vida diaria, nenhuma dessas duas palavras existe, e eh disso que posso falar. Moro em Southampton, sul da Inglaterra. Meu meio de transporte principal diario eh minha pernas. Incrivel como penso nisso quando penso na minha movimentacao aqui: ‘minhas rolicas pernas’, e com alegria. Aqui eu caminho muito para varios lugares. A segunda alternativa eh o onibus (‘bus’ na cidade e ‘coach’ para os intermunicipais / de viagens em geral.

2. a ideia ‘cultural’ que, desconfio, deve ter vindo da idea de que algo (musica, arte, . . .) ou alguem / grupo de pessoas esta abaixo da superficie / fora do convencional, em ingles: ‘counter stream’; ou seja, nao faz parte do que eh principal / convencional, em ingles: ‘mainstream’. Eh um lado da cultura ou do comportamento ou da ideia apresentada, que eh dissociada da principal. Cuidado: no nosso entendimento isso nao implica qualidade inferior, ou superior, mas com certeza um ‘mundo’ outro, aa margem, ‘underground’.

- o underground aqui e nos estados unidos:

1. aqui na inglaterra, como ja disse, eh chamado informalmente de ‘tube’ (sera mesmo?), mas eh possivel encontrar muitos falantes com outra ideia e ate mesmo dizendo ‘underground’. Nao esqueca que minha informacao vem de uma pessoa que nao usa o metro e nao mora em londres. Meu mundo eh outro. Aqui na europa, nos paises que visitei, vi o metrô ser chamado de ‘metro’: em paris, viena, praga e em budapeste. Ha tambem em muitas cidades da europa, liiiindos e alguns ja bem antigos, bondes, importantes no transporte publico, aqui chamados ‘tram’.

2. nos estados unidos o metrô eh chamado de ‘subway’ ate onde lembro; mas deve ter nomes carinhosos e ate ironicos em suas diferentes localidades.

abraco grande,
Kalina

Monday 10 May 2010

training session: writing

10 may 2010

Humanities training session
“Writing for a PhD: skills and techniques”
Monday 10th May
1 - 3 p.m. 65/1097
Instructor: Professor John McGavin

The session had 20 students. Very many people need support on their writing.
Precious tips from the beginning of the session: 1. stop thinking about yourself; 2. stop thinking about your reader. These should get you going.

We had two major group activities:

1. first part:
we were paired up with a student who is not from our same department, and swapped pieces of writing. First, we talked about our own subject area; then, we read each other’s papers.
My pair was Cristina, from Sweden. She is a first year PhD student in Archaeology, doing research on food culture from the Bronze age in Scandinavia.
My writing is not even a proper writing yet. It is only part of my thoughts on my methodology. I was hoping she would help me – give me ideas – on how to organise the writing.

Cristina's feedback on my writing: = I need to signpost my information and organise information.

I was at first frustrated with this feedback, because I hoped she would give me more, save me; suggest a structure to my mess. How could she say what I already knew? But, because she did not do so, I felt I was back in square zero. I kept thinking about her feedback and my expectations until I thought: ‘well, maybe my piece is not too bad after all. Maybe I only need to really revise it, and so what she suggests.’

What I learned from it: (a) writing is difficult, as repeated and cliché as it seems; yes, it is difficult. (b) we need other people’s eyes on our papers to point out what we can no longer see. An outside reader always proposes an alternative to our ideas. (c) I don’t know what should come first, if a draft (stream of consciousness writing) or an outline (a plan), because to organize a piece of writing from a draft is complicated and time-consuming.

From each one:
(a) reader’s need determines the info we provide
(b) linking, no hopping (between ideas / points)
(c) don’t assume too much knowledge on the reader – define terms
(d) long sentences are not preferable
(e) take care of jargon (it’s a potential danger to yourself. Jargons come in a package)
(f) simplicity is not bad
(g) reader has to understand sequence
(h) use a ragbag (good quotes in a separate file)
(i) don’t be afraid to empower the reader
(j) a problem in writing talks about a problem in thinking
(k) have a mixture between long and short sentences. Short sentences are better. Too long sentences read like writer is lost, not organized. Too short sentences mean no connection
(l) have a clear line of argument / goal, so that theory can support it
(m) keep aims up front and people can see them. Focus on argument
(n) stay aware of structure / function
(o) how to get started – revise – select – refine (???) what works best varies from person to person. Maybe you have to reorganize everything back again
(p) signpost coherent sequence.

2. second part
We formed different dyads to again exchange our pieces of writing. Peer chose (a) best sentence and (b) worst sentence. we talked about it, why I /she found this and that the worst / the best. My pair this time was Emilie, another Swedish girl, also from Archaeology. Her writing was too technical. I couldn’t understand much.

→ avoid:
- abstract words (value, concepts rather words related to the topic)
- too long footnotes. Put it in to the text
- words like: via, important
- inconfidence (get rid of that person and write to serve your reader. The ghost will disappear)

It was a very helpful training session. Maybe we should have it more often, same format / idea.

Saturday 8 May 2010

theatre - shakespeare's antony & cleopatra

8 may 2010


diana, agota, mathilde, and i went to see shakespeare's tragedy 'antony and cleopatra' at the nuffield theatre today. i had high expectations about the play, maybe because last week i saw an outstanding interpretation of another master work in english literature, 'the canterbury tales', but this one comes the from the The Nuffield Theatre Company itself, which is very good, i must say. after the play we discussed how shakespeare has really made everyone interested in presenting their interpretation of his plays.

a few lines from the play. my source is literary sparks note:
cleopatra: if it be love indeed, tell me how much.
antony: it would be a pretty stingy love if it could be counted and calculated.
cleopatra: i want to measure the extent of your love, to see how far it stretches.
antony: then you would have to go beyond heaven, beyond earth.

note: the text in blue below is the advertisement from the theatre:
The Nuffield Theatre Company
Antony and Cleopatra
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Patrick Sandford
Dates: 6 – 22 May

The tangled love story of two powerful leaders.
Their infatuation is politically disastrous and ethically irresponsible. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA lead untidy lives; ultimately they abandon any sense of duty to their nations, and yet on a personal level they fulfil each other, completely and utterly. They celebrate magnificently humanity, love and life…
Shakespeare tells us this in his most beautiful language. The play is passionate, ironic, sometimes highly comic, and finally profoundly sad. Yet audiences over the centuries have always felt uplifted by the sheer energy and generosity of spirit in this great play.

after the play we 'played' a little around the theatre making these short films to send to a girl, for her boyfriend. then we were headed to the stilo, this pub right there on university road, 3-min walk from the nuffield. i love the geography of this uni with all these amazing facilities at walking distance from each other. at the pub we ate crisps and drank white wine. the kitchen there closes at 9pm. the way pubs work here deserves a post. but let me be back to consideration on shakespeare's portrayal of love, i mean, tragic love.

here is our discussion on the play / shakespeare: - of course we should always find in any intrepretation of shakespeare's work a great deal of old english, no matter how much of modern stuff is put into it. - we cannot understand the language from beginning to end because it is really difficult, but still worth every single penny to listen to it in the original language. - well, this is a quite macho representation of human relations: 1. antony never has one woman only, and that is fine; 2. cleopatra is dramatic about everything. se is this fragile female who is always expecting this man. when he is around she needs to be ascertained ofhis love for her; 3. her lady and attendant iras is way too neurotic, crying and passing out whenever things get a little difficult; 4. the men are strong and make all the decisions. LOOOL we also pointed out that otavia, antoni's second wife, is actually more beautiful than cleopatra in the play, but cleopatra sends out a messenger to check out the woman, to make sure she is nothing special. DUH!!!!; 5. the black actress who portrays chamian, the other one of cleopatra's attendants, is a really good actress, and sings beautifully. last but not least at all: it has been a super chilly spring. all days have been cold. it was 9 degrees at night, but it felt much colder. england never gets really 'hot'.

another chilly day

8 may 2010

 i had plans to go to the library today, to be there and just cross the road for the theatre later on. well, i also needed to try some tidying up in the area here. i started off the day with for a nice one-hour gold run at the common while i was doing laundry; when i put the clothes in the dryer i left it here because to dry the time can be longer: 75 minutes. i love the days here, with new colours and the sounds of the birds, but it was very very cold. at first i thought of trying out to go very lightly dressed up, with one or two covers only. when i got there i was happy i was properly dressed to remain at the park for the time i wanted. chilly chilly common park.
back inside the house i organized the room, a little, i mean. this is always important to me, as it makes me see better the things around here and help me move on on on on, i.e., do the different, new things i have to do. i am happy i changed and washed all my bed sheets and got back a duvet i had already put away, thinking warm spring was on the way. spring yes, but not warm yet. i now sleep on winter pyjamas and have a bed sheet to cover me, plus two duvets. yes, they switched off the heater in the uni halls. i emailed them complaining about it this week. below is my contact with them. there is hope if next week it is still too cold to bear. i'll get ready to go to the theatre now.

-----Original Message-----
From: Lima K.S.D.
Sent: 06 May 2010 13:16
To: Rxxxx; Sxxx

Subject: heater
Hello,
I live in st margaret's. I understand spring is in the air, but still very and constantly cold. Could we please the heater switched back even if only for a few hours per day? It is particularly cold in the morning and in the night.
Thanks a lot,
Kalina
__
Hi,

Many thanks for your query about the heating. I'm afraid that the heating goes off this time of year in our halls every year. It was turned off when the weather was warmer, and I do appreciate that now it has got colder again. However, the weather forecast is set to improve at the start of next week so I'm sorry but the heating will not be turned on again. The heating in other halls is off at the moment or being turned off over the weekend so the situation is the same across other sites. However, if you feel next week that you are still cold, please let us know and we can review the situation.
Many thanks
Txxx Kxxxxx
Assistant Hall Manager

Friday 7 May 2010

joy is in the air

7 may 2010

i am happy. got today the book i bought this week. got some work done. got a good contact with brazil. got to cook noodle soup with vegetables. got some thinking thought over. got the ticket for the play tomorrow, going with my folks. got the ticket for the flamenco music and dance performance next week. got to feel the beauty of of spring.

got hope. . . the taste of life is maybe the proper way to express it. yes, there is some pain, inevitable, predicted, tough, but hopefully for the better.

'tomorrow is another day'. scarlet o'hara
i love it from the italian movie 'l'uomo delle stelle': 'dopotutto, domani e un altro giorno'. scarlet o'hara

i know this text is ambigous. but it is very true to fact. good and bad. hot and cold. night and day. the taste of life. happy for the accomplished. sad for the losses. i search for the balance.

Entrevista com Wim Wenders

José Saramago - O pecado é um instrumento de controle

Thursday 6 May 2010

to stay longer or not to stay longer

6 may 2010


photo from the entrance to lovers walk, near the post office and the banks Gower's building, in highfield.

i am just now listening to a james taylor video on youtube. i am at hartley library, on the highfield campus. i am happy. i got so much done since yesterday!!! sometimes i feel i am between writing here or writing there, my academic stuff, and preparing my teaching materials. but today, because i have checked a nice list of to-do things i figure i deserve some fun.

am now listening to 'shower the people'. james taylor sang before 'carolina in my mind' with the dixie chicks. i love them, too.

well, talking of today's schedule: i taught in the morning and rushed to avenue campus for a meeting with jo at 11am. the meeting was super productive and we both left it quite happy. yey!!! it was about planning my teaching, the end of the EAS semester, the long essay. . . everything looks beautiful. thank God!

then i ate a plum and a clementine (the tangerine's cousin), and also had coffee with ginger biscuits. i was planning to use this bite as my lunch.

now it is carly simon's 'you're so vain'. she was married to james taylor for about 22 years, i think :-)

i rushed back to highfield to do two things: 1. to post something to brazil. i also topped up my mobile at the post office. 2. to buy my ticket to the theatre for this coming saturday. the play is 'antony and cleopatra', from shakespeare. big time expectations on the way. i am going with agota, diana, and mathilde.

after the post office i was headed to the interchange, to catch the bus home. while waiting for the bus i started to ask myself whether i really did want to go home or to stay longer on campus. decide to stay longer and come to the library to try and get some stuff done, some serious reading and thesis writing, i mean.

since i was hungry i passed by uni shop and got myself a panini with chargrilled veggies, and a can of coca cola. i ate it and came to the library, just to realize i am not in the mood for more work. i have been sitting here for a while now, listening to music. the good point is that i sent out the emails i had planned to send these last three days. i have also made important contacts regarding my research.

what is the purpose of this post?
do you want to stay longer or not?

carly simon is singing 'coming around again'. so beautiful.

update - 4.27pm
time has come for me to leave, i'm afraid. i've listened to so many tunes, seen youtube videos. i am keeping one computer busy when so many other students need it to do real work. i started to feel very uncomfortable, really. but i still want to say about the other pearls i got to listen to:

carole king - some tunes. toni mitchell with james tayler. to wrap the garfield spell i am listening now to wonderful, wonderful diana krall singing 'a case of you'. please check this one out on youtube. she is amazing. as soon as she finishes i should be ready to leave.

it is only fair that i don't stay any longer. plus, i can work from home. why not?

au revoir, mes enfants :-)

Tuesday 4 May 2010

with a little help from my friend

4 may 2010

i all of a sudden find myself doing something about my academic life. i came today to the avenue campus to work some and also to attend a training session on how to make a poster. so many people in the session. it was nice, but i didn't learn much.

the good surprise of the day was to meet with noom, my friend from thailand, goi's husband. we had a long chat about our researches. our topic is nearly the same, around the writing of english as a second language. he, as always, gave me useful tips and suggestions on readings. from the conversation i realized how actually i am disconnected. . . i have to plug me back into real world.

o sentido da vida

4 may 2010


(post originado de um email enviado - agora mesmo - pra minha irma. apenas minha parte ta aqui.)

kassandra,

ontem fiquei muito triste de ver que o fabio barreto, o cineasta, ainda ta num momento preocupante, sem acordar do coma, sei la. poucas e tristes informacoes no uol. rezo por ele. de um acidente de carro, que a gente espera nao ter causado problemas incontornaveis, ate hoje ele esta num estado complicado. um homem lindo, jovem, e talentoso, e com uma familia linda esperando por ele. acho muito, muito triste.

o que tu tem feito? caminhadas? sabado passado assisti um filme: 'walk the line' sobre a vida do cantor americano country / gospel / romantico - do tennessee - johnny cash. toda vida mostra ou esconde dores apenas suportaveis nas telas. talvez por isso contemos de nos aas vezes: na esperanca de tudo se transformar em fantasia, ou pesadelo.

eu to aqui, lenta, atolada. . . devagar, e tentando acertar o passo. o frio nao vai embora, apesar das flores e das cores terem chegado lindissimas. nao canso de admirar isso. tenho variado meu caminho, tenho caminhado mais, tanto na direcao da uni como na direcao do centro da cidade. e assim tem sido minhas tentativas fazer mais, ou fazer, apenas.

to terminando um cha verde com limao. hoje meu cafe da manha foi pao com cafe, mas sinto falta do chazinho, que me ajuda na digestao brilhantemente. a proposito, ontem de noite tive uma diarreia inimaginavel pra mim. acho que foi de uns vegetais que preparei na frigideira. refoguei tudo com manteiga e um pouco de azeite e depois botei um tiquim de molho de soja. pense na portinha de tras aberta e gritando ao mundo inteiro que queria sair. a aventura varou madrugada adentro. mas to bem. ontem meu jantar foi esses vegetais, arroz (comprei aqueles do saquinho que vao na agua fervente e ficam no ponto logo), e salmao assado no forno, temperado com sal, pimenta, e coberto de lascas de cogumelo e um tiquim de manteiga e azeite de oliva em cima. eu queria comida comida, e arroz. agora nao sei mesmo onde a bomba foi preparada. minha quimica so entende de amor hehehehe

beijo e fique com Deus,
morena

Sunday 2 May 2010

agota's soothing breakfast

2 may 2010


i woke up quite early - about 9am - and read the material i had on me. ying, our chinese friend, just came back from data collection. she brought her husband and her child along this time to live here with her for the time of her phd. her husband will start a phd somewhere soon, too. i did not go down to speak with yang because i really wanted to do some reading, great reading, by the way.

agota brought me coffee in the bedroom and received ying and her family. diana went down, too. after they were gone agora prepared a super breakfast for us three. veggie omelette, toast, and fresh coffee. we talked lots again. when diana and i left the house to go to hartley library it was past 1pm.

i stayed at hartley until almost 7pm, and got a little done. it was a very nice weekend, but i need to work. of course there was a pause for coffee at lattes cafe with ahmed and diana. maybe i am registering these to have the truth before my eyes. i do need to focus more on my studies. anyway, i do focus on it, during the week and everyday, during the day. hilra suggested i try and put all duties for the day so that i don't have to cancel the social life, which is not really that hectic, to be honest. she is so right and this wise piece of advice has come in good time.

film - 'walk the line'

about yesterday, 1 may 2010

. . . from highfield diana and i walked to her place, on kitchener road. there we met with agota and chatted chatted chatted bla bla bla bla bla. about what? our course here, our home countries, our life here, men (oh!), traveling, films, friendships, you name it. of course, relaxed and great talk, as always. i went to sleep over, as i said before.

the next door neighbour came buy the window to say hello. he is from goa, india, brought up in dubai. very young and nice guy. we invited him over to watch the film with us. the film we watched was 'walk the line', from director James Mangold, based on the book 'johnny cash', about the singer's life. Joaquin Phoenix plays the role of johnny cash and Reese Witherspoon plays june carter. we all liked the movie very much. love, alcool, dreams accomplished, hearts broken, and a beautiful musical career, spiced up with a love story he lived with june carter. even the most tragic event, when on screen, is softened. it all becomes a little surreal. i can imagine the pain he went through many times in his life, though.

oh, we prepared veggie salad and a tomato and cheese salad. we also had stone baked bread and grapes to munch. superb! we went to bed at about 2 o'clock in the morning. a tv at home is a great programme, especially in these chilly nights.