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Tuesday 14 September 2010

a barca

14 sept 2010


Meu coração é uma barca
Que não sabe navegar
             Fernando Pessoa

Monday 13 September 2010

Crazy English

13 sept 2010

If adults commit adultery, do infants commit infantry? If olive oil is made from olives, what do they make baby oil from? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian consume? A writer is someone who writes, and a stinger is something that stings. But fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, hammers don't ham, humdingers don't humding, ushers don't ush, and haberdashers do not haberdash ...

... If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese - so one moose, two meese? If people ring a bell today and rang a bell yesterday, why don't we say that they flang a ball? If they wrote a letter, perhaps they also bote their tongue.

Richard Lederer: Crazy English

note: a bit of honesty always helps. i found (or finded?) this nice little reflection on language at hans' blog,  Across Cultures

Sunday 12 September 2010

the happy boy’s prayer

12 sept 2010

My Lord Jesus, please keep this happy boy hopping around, playing around, laughing and enjoying life to its maximum. Sometimes he is the Iron Man. He can also be in the mood for Spider Man. At times Ben Ten has his turn in Leo’s imagination. No matter the disguise, Lord, for they all come and suit the same joyful and sweet and wise boy. Please keep this child with his vivid imagination and a carefree heart, and do not forget his name is Leonardo.


Amem!

Friday 10 September 2010

femea

10 sept 2010
jana, beatriz e felipe
Jana, que foto linda. gostei tanto do vestido com formas, cores, e vida. gostei de sua expressao de femea prenha e os peitoes estao grandes!!! muito lindo a beatriz dando um beijo abracado em voce e no felipe.

desejo que voce viva esse momento com todas as glorias que ele proporciona, ate mesmo com as provaveis noites dificeis de dormir por conta do peso e de nao sei o que mais, mas o momento eh fertil e especial. e unico. viva isso, jana!!! sinta a vida vibrante a seu redor e faca disso sua oracao de vida, de alegria, de promessa de paz, de calor e de caminho com cheirinho de gente miuda e feliz por perto. muuuita paz pra voces.

beijo, Kalina

Tuesday 7 September 2010

por causa de uma abobrinha

7 sept 2010

From: Lima K.S.D.

Sent: Tue 07/09/2010 15:15
To: Vinha M.H.G.
Subject: RE: Reclamacao formal

Prezada Requerente Senhora Hilra Vinha

Eu, Kalina Lima, brasileira, coracao esperancoso de um amor tranquilo, portadora de cedula de identidade daqui e de la, quica dacola, titulo de eleitor sem tanto valor uma vez que nao ha mais esperanca na politica da boa pratica e tendo em vista que nao poderei fazer-me presente ao pleito eleitoral vindouro, venho acatar em sua integra a queixa aqui apresentada; a respeito do que passo a tratar:

- quando de vossa primeira denuncia da ameaca do virus 'abobrinhas' foi tomada atitude na forma de correspondencia enviada aa dona do blog em questao, senhora Thais. a mesma ate a presente data nao se manifestou;

- naquele momento e tambem neste, agora mesmo, sendo precisa, tentei eu mesma, nos limites da minha sabedoria cibernetica deletar o referido blog da minha lista de espaco de passeio, sem sucesso. nem mesmo sei se tenho vergonha do meu insucesso, mas verdade eh que nao localizei em pagina alguma possibilidade de parar de seguir o danado;

- aproveito o ensejo pra informar-lhe que infelizmente nao tenho escrito ultimamente tanto quanto tenho pensado em faze-lo em funcao de sentir que de alguma forma o blog ta precisando mudar pelo menos de template pra acompanhar os ventos, a chuva, os sentidos, o ritmo. . . da vida. . .

sem mais delongas solicito que vossa senhoria de uma tregua e ponha em segundo plano a possibilidade de processo pelas vias judiciais, considerando a boa vontade da minha alma. outrossim, aceito instrucoes sobre como eliminar de vez por todas a presenca de aboboras virais no espaco do dileto soton times para voltar a contar com a visita ansiada e estimada de leitora tao especial. saliento ainda que ofereco uma rodada de paz em forma de pizza e um bom vinho.

abracos calorosos,
Kalina Morena

________________________________________

From: Vinha M.H.G.
Sent: 07 September 2010 13:27
To: Lima K.S.D.
Subject: Reclamacao formal

Prezada senhora Kalina Lima,

Eu, maria nao sei das quantas, brasileira, casada, descasada, re-casada, descasada, e no momento tico-tico no fuba; portadora da cedula de identidade brasileira que nao serve para nada nessas terras, e do titulo de eleitor tambem inutilizado, residente no endereco mais que conhecido, venho informar-lhe que tendo em vista o nao atendimento de solicitacao feita por esta cidada em data nao remota, mas esquecida, sou forcada a iniciar um processo de reclamao formal perante as autoridades de direito, para tratar do caso. Como ja foi anteriormente mencionado em carta anterior datada de deus-sabe-quando, esta cidada, que vem a ser uma pessoa ocupadissima e nao tem tempo para balelas, encontra-se impossibilitada de acessar informacao extremamente necessaria a seu equilibrio mental, emocional e porque nao dizer corporal, afinal mens sana corpore sano.

Desde a data supra-omitida por esquecimento, encontro-me impedida de abrir o informativo diario online The Soton Times, pelo qual a senhora e a responsavel direta e imediata, alem de autora, administradora e unica funcionaria conhecida. Portanto, todas as imputacoes cabiveis e incabiveis sobrecaem sobre vossa pessoa. Estou lhe escrevendo apenas por gentileza, para informa-la que estou constituindo representante legal, o qual em breve devera entrar em contato com vossa senhoria para inicio do processo. No entanto, poderei abdicar do meu direito de consumidora fiel e participativa do dito informativo de entrar com o citado processo caso vossa senhoria faca a gentileza de tirar aquele bendito link pra o site das abobrinhas na cozinha, para que minha pessoa possa voltar a ter acesso ao referido blog da vossa pessoa.

Sem mais para o momento e contando com sua boa vontade no que tange a este assunto, aguardo providencias no prazo aberto de alguns dias, ao fim dos quais serei obrigada a entrar com o processo na justica blogaria internacioanl, nacional e municipal.

Atenciosamente,
eu mesma

Hilra Vinha
MPhil/PhD Student
School of Education
University of Southampton
Highfield
SO17 1BJ

Thursday 2 September 2010

good morning, gorgeous september sun

2 sept 2010

just came back from an invigorating walk at the common. the sun is shinning outside and it is not cold (13 degrees just now). i walked for 70 minutes. i don't always go fast, i speed up and slow down many times. i see people come and go. i have been descovering new avenues, sometimes literally 'avenues' at the common from my walks, sometimes metaphors for 'avenues' other than the concrete ones but not less important to me.

i walk, i breath, i feel awake, i listen to the birds, i think, i smile, i feel i am having the beginning of a good digestive process because of the moves, and it feels good. today i found a new path. i try to vary the paths i follow but essentially my walks start with no fixed plans, and i like it. sometimes i walk for a while in one direction to then realize i haven't walked for a long time. in this case i go towards other directions, but i don't care really where and for how long, i just understand that sometimes when i 'apparently' feel tired is the moment i am getting mostly warmed up for the activity, and this has kept me going. i love it. i feel very happy.

i will now get ready to go to uni and sort some things out. later on have lunch with my dearly friend Diana, who arrived yesterday from Romania. yey!!!

update at 2.47pm: got back from lunch with Diana at the crown inn at about 2pm. once again, great chat. i am glad my friend is back, but not for long. she's going to new york this coming tuesday and will not be back until the 24th. it is going to be a field work trip for her research. i think she'll also attend a conference.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

cheers to life

1 sept 2010
hilra & kalina at the highfield campus. photographer: Clarissa
I met with hilra and her troupe this afternoon on the highfield campus. What a great surprise to see the little ones all with lovely cards written to me saying they love me and missed me. I hugged them as we met. It is always a funny moment because they know I want a big cuddle. Hilra had bought the cards to give away to friends and they asked to write one for me, nominating me the first chosen one. I got two lovely cards and a cute book marker with nice words from hilra, leonard and clarissa and also a prayer. So so so sweet and heart warming!!!

It was fantastic to spend this time together. Because we were at first at the workstation at Hartley library we all had to whisper our words not to bother people. The kids behaved nicely. I think that when they saw me using a computer at the workstation they thought I had something there that was my own. Clarissa asked: ‘have you got a house?’ sooo cute. she knows I do, she’s been here to my place a number of times. I told her I do and that that place was where I went to study.

I had put the cards in my backpack to read them later on because I wanted to keep our presence there as quiet as possible. but Leo whispered determined: ‘when are you going to open the card?’ I whispered back ‘now’ and opened them to read. It was so much fun, Leo crouched down the chair to hide his shy face. He knew I was going to grab him for a big hug and a thank you kiss. We all laughed, I mean, quietly laughed. Then I got Clarissa’s card to read and she did the same crouching down the chair. One thing that was lovely was that the students around didn’t make any unhappy face with the presence of the kids in the room. They’re good fellas!!!

Hilra was finished with the printing thing and we were headed to enjoy the beautiful day at the gorgeous park we have at uni, where we stayed until nearly 5pm. Oh my was it good! The kids were joyfully running around and making friends with a girl their age. Oh and mr spider man paid a visit. Hilra and I talked non-stop – what a surprise! – and yes, it was refreshing and a perfect break even from big stressful deadlines I had for the day. We always simply talk, I feel so safe and tranquil to think hilra is around. It really gives me a sense of security. Amem!

After the great time at the park they left and I went back to Hartley library where I stayed until it was about to close, which is 9pm during the summer. at the library i did some more of my work which was due today. i am pleased i at least managed to complete a task and send it on the deadline, although i think i messed the application process. i am now also left with an important reflection about my slow and threating last minute approach to things that seems to want to become a pattern in my life. oh no!!! On my way to the bus stop I passed by Ros, who was I think walking home from avenue campus. ‘Hello kalina’ ‘hello ros’ and I rushed to the U1C bus that was coming. I ran not to miss it and when I got into it asked the driver if he had seen me run and if he would leave me there waiting for the next – 20 minutes later – bus. He said he did and that he would not leave me behind. I gave him a thankful smile and the trip home was safe and pleasant. from the middle of the bus i thanked nice bus driver before leaving bus. He responded back ‘cheers’.