a day away from phd work

30 nov 2012

note: i tried to insert a photo here. blogger told me i ran out of space for photos. what??? the post seems naked to me without a photo. it should be fine. for now.

yesterday i decided to stay home in the morning. i took the time to contact some people in brazil to try and sort out some 'things'. also, to stay longer in bed. got up at 9am. very good!!

then, it was almost 1pm when i took the bus to city centre.

i had chinese buffet at the ocean dragon. ate less than usual and drank less than usual as i had leftovers from both tea and water. still, it felt like my belly was about to explode.

after lunch i walked around the german christmas market a bit. it is almost the same as every year, with food from some countries and german sausage in a bun and a german bar. it was about 2.30 and there was not much going on really. in previous years i've seen a busier market sometime after 5pm, when people leave work, i suppose, and find time to appreciate some food and drinks.

then i met with diana and went shopping and chatting. it was very cold and i had more layers than i would like to need to beat the cold. after shopping we took the bus back home together, got off in portswood road, went for some grocery shopping at sainsbury's, stood at the corner of the mitre talking for a while, and said good bye.

it was 5.20ish when i got back home. it was absolutely dark, night time and i was still feeling super full. took a long and renovating shower, watched some tv, and kept mike company while he ate because all i could have were two cups of cleanse tea. well, i still tried a little bit of the pasta he made.

later on we watched an episode of 'the hour' together. this series is getting really good. it was so cold last night that i changed my shorts for warm trousers and put on thick, winter socks.

it was just as cold this morning, with frost in the car. i've been in the office all day, and as most of the days, i had my lunch right here, at my desk. if i am not going to meet with a friend for lunch i don't bother to leave the office to eat. i feel tired but the day has been productive. i have so, so so so much work to do. i keep thinking i can't be faster even now that i need it so much. maybe i should just keep going and quit fighting myself.

ellie is back in the office today after three months away in three different countries, collecting data for her research. she told me she has been working like crazy all day, basically. i can't see myself doing the same, because after some hours my productivity is compromised. it was nice to catch up a bit. she is nearly finished. she invited me to go to the crown tonight. but nope, i can't tonight, already have something else planned.

the days

27 nov 2012

this is my lunch for today: a sandwich with seeded bread, turkey, ricota, a little bit of camembert, loads of watercress and a sliced salad tomate. for dessert clementine and plum. 

i went again by the bank today. when i was at lattes cafe [at 7.30 this morning] to wait for the bank to open at 9 i was thinking i should write a new post today, but had no clue what to write about or rather have had too much stuff going on in my busy head. oh well, when i took the lunch photo i thought it would be nice to show it here, more or less this is the beginning of it all. for today.

:-)

things were very quick at the bank, with no queue. i really enjoyed going there again and walking back through highfield campus to avenue campus, where i have spent most of my time in the past two months. yes, now i realize my daytime weekday life has been concentrated around this area, which goes until portswood road, with portswood road occupying also some of my nights. i am more like a free bird on weekends.

this week the temperature is going down, they say. it has gone down already, i feel it. but again it felt very nice to take this quite short walk in this sunless morning all wrapped up to protect myself from the cold. i have many things to do today. am writing a chapter about the brazilian context. i will provide an overview of education in brazil, the teaching of english, and teacher professional development there. not sure why but i feel overwhelmed with the massive amount of information i have gathered for this. will need to make practical decisions so that the chapter gets its planned length, no shorter, no longer. 

other than that i can't help but say i have really enjoyed every day here, appreciating the beautiful things the change of the seasons bring. perhaps there is already a sense of missing this place where i have lived for over four years now.

noite no dia

22 nov 2012

ontem 21 nov 2012, 7.35 da manha. entrada do avenue campus. foto do celular.

achei essa foto que tirei ontem de manha tao incrivel. nem parece que ja eh quase oito horas da manha, tao  escura e molhada de chuva, e assim parece que ainda eh noite, com as luzes da rua e as do carro em movimento acesas. hoje nao teve chuva de manha cedo, mas o dia nasceu lento, como sempre acontece nessa epoca do ano. como eu to curtindo essas manhas com charme de noite!!!

ontem sai da universidade quando ja era perto de sete da noite. fiquei umas doze horas aqui. e fui caminhando e pensando na noite alta e no dia que se encerrava ali no transito ainda frenetico. entrei no supermercado e comprei cenouras para completar as verduras para  uma lasagna vegetariana que vou fazer hoje, depois do meu cha com uma amiga, por favor. e comprei tambem um chocolate que eh edicao limitada da lindt, chamado stracciatella. eh um chocolate branco com flocos de cookies. nao achei muito especial mas gostei de qualquer maneira. eh bom poder gostar do novo.

vontade de ir bem ali me embrenhar no common numa caminhada e cheirar esse dia curto com seus ventos que trazem e que levam o que a gente quiser; mas o servico me aconselha a ficar aqui, cuidando dele.

feliz!!! tao bom poder entender um pouco a vida, encontrar luz na penumbra. vou agora me preparar um cafe com coffee mate bem gostoso para aquecer a manha e inspirar meus trabalhos.

na tempestade

21 nov 2012

hoje 21/nov/2012, 7.35 da manha. entrada do avenus campus. foto do celular.

os dias por aqui tem sido frios, com pouca ou nenhuma luz do sol. dias curtos e noites longas. ontem e hoje especialmente amanheceram chovendo. hoje a chuva estava mais forte ainda.
eu acho esses dias misteriosos, lindos, e romanticos. adoro a chuva que cai por aqui, porque ela eh mansa. mas aas vezes o vento que vem junto eh forte e quebrador de guarda-chuva e molha a gente muito mais, alem de fazer mais frio. ai fica um pouco dificil, mas nao chega a estragar meu deleite.

ontem, 20/nov/2012, 7.25 da manha. de dentro do carro. foto do celular.

ontem tambem fiquei fascinada com as luzes da noite se misturando ao dia, que chegava insistente na manha molhada e escura, enfrentando chuva e vento. tive a sensacao de ver um dia valente se posicionando para atravessar a tempestade inospita. a tempestade que esta ali fora nas ruas e tambem aqui dentro de alguns de nos, no carro ou nao.

the foggy common

16 nov 2012

photo from my mobile phone. the common park. southampton.

these photos are from not long ago. it was 12.06pm. 12 degrees celsius. i went for a walk in the common park, which is just neighbours with avenue campus, where i come to do my phd work. it was so foggy and beautiful. 

it was a 35-min walk, not much, but enough to make me feel much better. the park is soo beautiful and well preserved. despite the cold and the fog we see people there alone, with family members, with their dogs, all enjoying the fantastic park. i will miss it forever when i leave it here. fond memories.

a misty morning in the common

7 nov 2012

 
this is the common park. it is misty in this very cold morning. 3.5 degrees celsius when i arrived here today, 7.30am. mysterious and beautiful. i felt like going for a walk there just as i was faced with this rather rare [to me] and inviting scenery. i came to the office instead. maybe later on i will venture in the park.

these two photos show one of the ways to access the park, which is quite large and really really beautiful. it is just a 1-minute walk from the avenue campus, where i work on my research.

beauty

6 nov 2012

it was 0.5 degree when we left the house this morning. because it was so early i spent some time at latte's cafe until i could go to the bank to sort things out. on my way back from the bank and walking towards avenue campus i was very pleased to see again so much beauty at highfield campus. the autumn colours are just amazingly beautiful. the days here have been quite winter-like. really chilly. and sometimes the sun smiles through the chill. nature is perfect.