The Soton Times

tanta coisa

2011-10-06T13:09:00.000+01:00

6 oct 2011

fotos de meu celular, a caminho da clinica, highfield campus.

faz tanto tempo que planejo contar aqui as coisas maravilhosas que tem me acontecido, mas nao tenho conseguido fazer muito . . . e o pensamento ta aqui, sempre.

depois vou contar, postando nos dias em que aconteceram, a viagem maravilhosa que fiz com minha irma, que veio me visitar, aa alemanha. os dias com ela foram magicos.

ela foi embora semana passada, dia 28 de setembro, e eu mais ou menos voltei aa vida normal por aqui.

muita coisa boa, alegrias e momentos inesqueciveis, mas tambem, nao sei porque, to vivendo um momento pessoal muito dificil. eh dele que vou falar hoje. meu coracao ta pedindo muito para eu falar sobre isso aqui. aas vezes me freio e nao falo de coisas ruins, principalmente a meu respeito, para nao despertar impressoes erradas de que quero pena ou atencao, mas esse assunto acho que merece ser mencionado, inclusive porque ele eh parte importante de mim, de quem eu sou. e eu estou neste blog da forma mais verdadeira que consigo ser, assim nessa linguagem de imagens e palavras tao abertas a um clique.

seguinte: ja faz tempo que venho tendo episodios de falta de folego e um peito apertado, temperado com medo de ficar sozinha ou de outras coisas, tipo ambiente fechado demais e multidao [de multidao eu nunca gostei, nao vejo sentido nem divertimento em estar esprimida numa multidao]. eu vinha contornando como podia, fazendo meditacao, chorando, conversando com amigos, escutando musica otima, caminhando no parque, e tomando um lexotan quando sentia que so ele ia me acalmar.

entao, acho que tudo se agravou desde a semana passada, ou desde as duas ultimas semanas. eu ate desconfio das razoes, mas isso nao eh o mais importante aqui. tive um episodio dificil em londres, no metro, precisamente na linha picadilly, que eh na verdade mais profunda que as outras. laaaa no fundo tem um vento forte, que eh a circulacao natural do ar. para sair dali ou para entrar voce tem duas opcoes: ou esprimida num elevador ou por escadas que tem aas vezes 193 ou 175 degraus (como eh informado la). uma vez fomos de elevador (eu e kassandra) e na outra vez eu insisti pela escada. bom, na saida da estacao covent garden eu fiquei esbaforecida na subida da escada e decidi que por aquele final de semana eu me pouparia de tal estresse. kassandra concordou e a partir de entao caminhamos mais, e foi otimo, e tambem andamos nos otimos onibus londrinos o final de semana inteiro. importante eh que nao sai correndo de la, dos meus planos do programa feliz em londres, apenas arranjamos uma alternativa para a situacao dificil que se manifestou ali. eu ja estive outras vezes em londres e ja andei muito nos metros, porem apenas uma vez em elevador-sardinha. normalmente eh tranquilo.

ai, nessa segunda-feira agora, dia 3 de outubro, eu fui ao student service centre [ssc] da universidade, pagar minha matricula aqui. fui de onibus, mas decidi descer antes, no avenue campus, e fiz o restante do trajeto a pe. na chegada em highfield, caminhando para o predio do ssc eu fui vendo aquele monte de alunos novos e todo mundo me pareceu tao estranho. claro, sao alunos novos. helloooo!!! chegando ao ssc vi uma fila tao gigante que ia ate a porta do predio. entrei na fila, que caminhava lentamente, apesar de ter ali quatro ou cinco pessoas atendendo a gente.

quando fui chegando pertinho de ser atendida meu folego foi apertando. cheguei ate a mulher que ia me atender ja passando mal. disse que queria pagar minha matricula e tirei da bolsa minha carteira de estudante e meu cartao de credito. olhei para ela e disse 'nao to me sentindo bem'. na mesma hora ela disse que ia me dar agua. parou tudo e foi comigo ali para o lado. ela foi um anjo. ai me ofereceu agua, disse que devia ser porque o dia tava meio quente, mais ou menos 17 graus, e perguntou se eu queria mais alguem para me ajudar, uma profissional. eu disse que sim e la vem a ollie, uma senhora que trabalha la mesmo, aparentemente treinada para esses socorros.

ollie foi um anjo. ela disse que ficaria comigo o tempo que fosse necessario e me levou para um ponto com porta aberta, para eu pegar um ar puro. conversamos sobre varias coisas e ela perguntou se eu tinha alguem para telefonar. eu disse que tenho a hilra, que eh pesquisadora ali no depto xxxx, e trabalha com a professora doutora xxxx. ollie localizou a hilra rapidinho e la vem a hilra e a xxxx, para me ver. professora doutora xxxx foi um anjo. professora precisou voltar ao trabalho e deixou a hilra comigo.

hilra foi um anjo. so a presenca dela me trouxe a sintonia ao mundo real, que nao eh assim tao escuro. e ela ficou comigo e me disse coisas importantes sobre o momento, a vida, remedios, dores, . . . eu escutei tudo, nene. nao tema por um minuto que suas palavras tenham sido em vao, apesar de meu estado de angustia. tudo certo e anotadissimo aqui. depois ela precisou ir para uma reuniao e nos encontramos na saida do trabalho dela e tomamos o onibus - certo dessa vez - e fomos ate a cidade e conversamos mais um pouco antes de ela ter que ir embora. foi um alento de Deus!

cheguei em casa e contactei a clinica de psicologia da universidade e a clinica de saude tambem.

ai, ontem, dia 5 de outubro, fui de tarde falar com a medica. ela disse a mesma coisa que eu ja tinha ouvido sobre o remedio, que vai demorar uns dias a fazer efeito, pra eu ter paciencia. e que por isso sugere que eu so comece a tomar o remedio quando voltar da viagem. falei pra ela que tenho lexotan e ela disse que posso tomar se sentir que preciso. ela acha que nao eh coisa de hormonio meu problema.

ela disse tambem que eu preciso de terapia comportamental cognitiva. ela escreveu la e vai me recomendar para um terapeuta. eu vou receber um telefonema de alguem e fazer isso por telefone. e falou para eu ter comigo um saco de papel para respirar por ele se passar mal. ela anotou tudo falando de claustrofobia e da crise de panico e escreveu tambem que nao eh depressao. imprimiu um material para eu ler sobre o medicamento, para eu saber o que to tomando. muito atenciosa, como sempre. adoro ela. contei pra ela dos ultimos eventos e disse que nao to nem um trisco deprimida, que to ate feliz e vou viajar com o mike. foi importante demais pra mim esse momento em que eu falei que nao to deprimida, porque ficou mais claro pra mim o que to sentindo, porque a angustia da crise me invade e toma dimensoes irreais e injustas que fazem minha pobre alma sofrer mais ainda.

tambem hoje de tarde recebi telefonema da clinica da uni. ta agendada uma sessao com a terapeuta da uni para a proxima semana.

se Deus quiser tudo vai se ajustar.

mike e eu estamos empolgados com a viagem. saimos de southampton direto para paris aeroporto de orly. e de volta eh direto e rapido tambem. daqui pra la, de la pra ca. vamos na sexta e voltamos na segunda-feira no final do dia.

amem,
kalina

resultado do sorteio

2011-09-12T16:54:00.002+01:00

12 sept 2011

aqui vai o resultado do sorteio do livro. muito obrigada por todas as leitoras que participaram do sorteio. a sortudona da vez eh a Karla. parabens!!!

1. Cintia, Kent, Inglaterra
blog: http://longedoceara.blogspot.com

2. Veronica Anderson, Pensilvania Estados Unidos
blog: http://www.theshticks.com/

3. Mercedes, Teresina, Brasil
blog: http://corpoestranho.blogspot.com

4. Karla, Southampton, Inglaterra
blog: http://kkerlley.blogspot.com/

5. Simone, Fortaleza, Brasil
blog: http://revisaosimone.blogspot.com/

6. Janaina, Brasilia, Brasil

sorteio

2011-09-06T15:36:00.000+01:00

06 sept 2011

sorteio no soton times
querido leitor /a:

o soton times esta fazendo tres anos e como forma de compartilhar a alegria faz o sorteio do livro 'The shop on Blossom street' da autora Debbie Macomber. o objetivo principal do sorteio eh ter um contato mais proximo com voce, saber um pouco sobre quem voce eh.

regras para participar:
1. responder a todas as perguntas abaixo listadas, aqui mesmo nesse post. voce pode copiar e colar as perguntas para sua inscricao, como formulario. 2. submeter apenas uma inscricao. 3. responder, se sorteado/a, no prazo maximo de tres dias me dando o endereco para onde o brinde deve ser enviado. passado esse periodo sem seu contato, o livro volta para a mesa de sorteio.

o sorteio vale para todos que queiram participar, de qualquer lugar do mundo. nao precisa necessariamente ser alguem que tenha blog. as inscricoes se encerram no dia 11/09/2011, proximo domingo, aa meia noite, hora de londres. o sorteio sera realizado pelo site random no dia 12/09/2011, meu horario, que eh quatro horas a mais que a hora de brasilia. em seguida eu informarei o resultado aqui no blog e entao vou aguardar o contato com detalhes para enviar o livro a voce sortudo/a.

1. nome ou apelido:

1.1 blog (se tiver e quiser divulgar):
2. onde voce mora
2.1. brasil: cidade e regiao:
2.2. exterior: cidade, regiao e pais:
3. sobre o que voce gosta de ler / ver no soton times?
4. sobre o que voce gostaria de ler no soton times?

super boa sorte!!!

amor de mae

2011-07-15T23:35:00.003+01:00

15 july 2011

[email enviado a minha irma sobre uma encomenda que minha mae me mandou por uma amiga que veio passar as ferias na europa e teve londres como base]

nene

diga pra mamae por mim, por favor, muito muito muito obrigada pelas encomendas, tao elegantemente arrumadas. adorei. chega deu pena desfazer o laco que segurava os vestidos. muito lindo mesmo. quanta delicadeza e carinho. adorei o perfume, que eh exatamente o que eu queria e ate maior ainda que o exemplo que eu tinha aqui. o po compacto eh chique e a cor vai dar certo, sim.

ainda nao provei a blusa que ela mandou porque peguei o pacote e tive que deixar em casa e vir pra universidade, mas experimento ainda hoje. nossa, gostei muito mesmo.

e muito obrigada a voce tambem, pelo anel que voce mandou e que infelizmente a Val esqueceu de botar no pacote por enquanto. mas vou recebe-lo na volta da viagem dela, la pelo dia 30 desse mes.

ainda to sem computador em casa, ja faz quase uma semana. se eu ligar do celular eh muito caro. fala pra mamae que nao to ligando porque to assim, mas to ligada ai nos pessoal do coracao. beijo no venicio pelo aniversario dele hoje.

beijo e saudades. . . .
morena

on the road: highcliffe beach

2011-06-19T23:30:00.033+01:00

19 june 2011

mike and i went for a great and relaxing walk by highcliffe beach , part of the Christchurch borough, today. the day was windy and a bit chilly, but worth all the while. i needed the fresh air to clear my lungs and to relax. in addition to the beauty of the place there is the beauty of the country roads, which i like so much. on our way back we stopped by the walhampton arms for a sunday roast. that was another fair treat.

music: stacey kent in basingstoke

2011-06-19T23:19:00.035+01:00

about yesterday, 18 june 2011

yesterday we went to stacey kent's wonderful jazz concert at the anvil in basingstoke. we also listened to her great music both ways on the road. what a day and what a night! the day was bright and beautiful when we drove there. the night was ours when we drove back to southampton. it was my third time seeing her show here and the first time with mike, who said he was happy to go to a concert of my choice, to listen to my music.

this show was a transition between her french cd / tour and the new one which should be released soon. she left the concert straight to the studio with her band. she told me she will come round next year with the new cd. i need to mark that one in my diary.

a few days before i sent her a message saying we would go to the show and said where we'd be seated. she spotted me and greeted me from the stage. i was thrilled. she has been to brazil a couple of times for concerts since i last saw her. mike was much impressed to see her treating by my first name. he said 'you two are friends on a first name basis'. during the break she autographed her cds that i have and love. and we had our photo taken.

'. . . quer guardar o mundo em mim' (Caetano Veloso)

she loves our music. stacey said beautiful things about brazil and its people and its music. she sang joao gilberto, jobim, and caetano. she introduced the song 'coracao vagabundo' by saying she fell in love with the lyrics of the song and explained to the audience how it represents the brazilian people who have so much hope and warmth and joy in their hearts. she translated the first lines into english but then sang it in portuguese:

'meu coracao nao se cansa
de ter esperanca
de um dia ser tudo o que quer
. . . ' caetano veloso

i loved the concert, once again. music inebriates my soul.

le plat du jour: thai food

2011-06-17T23:46:00.004+01:00

17 june 2011

delicious dinner at Sara's. the thai restaurant in portswood. i ate again the panang chicken and mike had lamb. for dessert we shared a plate with some fruits and two scoops of ice cream. they don't specialize in desserts. the programme was great and we went to trago pub afterwards for a while. then, we walked home.

film: senna

2011-06-17T11:19:00.004+01:00

about yesterday 16 june 2011

ontem fomos assistir o otimo documentario ‘senna’ no harbour lights. a producao franco-americana de 2010 mostra a vida e a carreira do melhor piloto de formula um de seu tempo, com cenas ineditas de videos da familia e muito mais. o filme mostra tambem os bastidores da formula um e suas reunioes, varias vezes tensas e que dao uma ideia da pressao que ele recebia nesse mundo que, como senna diz, eh cheio de politica e de dinheiro, diferente do comeco da sua carreira, ainda como o corredor de kart Ayrton Senna, que ele menciona numa entrevista anos aa frente de muito que passou.

varias cenas me fizeram lembrar do nosso senna e de como nos, brasileiros, estavamos inconsolaveis com uma morte tao prematura, absurda e anaceitavel, como se a morte pudesse ser inaceitavel. foi mais uma dessas despedidas dolorosas em que a gente fica querendo ser magico e bem poderoso para traze-lo de volta, mas a vida nao nos da esse poder.

eu fiquei pensando em como, quando ele ta ganhando um mundial de formula um, vencendo, tendo ultrapassado varios pilotos, ele ja se sabe vencedor e diz que foi Deus que lhe deu a vitoria. um homem que alcanca o sucesso mais almejado e grandioso, um titulo mundial, e diz que foi Deus, revela uma humildade que so as almas boas tem, a de nao se sentir Deus. achei muito bacana ele dizer que ainda tinha muito o que aprender como homem, que aos 30 e poucos anos de idade talvez estivesse na metade de sua vida, que a carreira de piloto poderia nao durar mais muito tempo, mas que ele precisava ainda aprender muito mais coisas da vida. nas entrevistas ele revelava o que sentia, nao se ocupava de passar imagem de grande. muito, muito linda a cena quando ele vence em interlagos e desmaia, tem dores insuportaveis nos ombros e mal consegue se mexer. a equipe o ajuda a sair do carro e quando, nos bastidores, ele ve o pai, pede que o pai chegue perto dele e lhe de um abraco suave. esse momento foi magico.

as vitorias, os milhoes e o sucesso nao tiraram o sorriso leve da pessoa integra e profissional que senna era. foi bom ve-lo tambem sabendo se proteger e se colocar, como mostra uma das discussoes das reunioes, e algumas entrevistas. antes e por tras de cada vitoria ha um mundo pra se vencer que a midia nao consegue mostrar; ofoco eh sempre em um aspecto apenas. muito bacana ver a tragetoria da carreira dele e as passagens pela toleman, onde estreou em 1984, depois a lotus, a mclaren e finalmente a williams, com muitas vitorias, de premios em paises diferentes e de mundiais. mas eu senti falta de saber mais sobre a vida diaria de treinos dele e do trabalho com o nuno cobra, seu preparador fisico.

o documentatio traz cenas do brasil muito miseravel daquela epoca, epoca de verdades ainda escondidas na nossa historia. eu fiquei chocada com o contraste e tomei um susto, de verdade. quando a gente nao ve a miseria com frequencia, se esquece que ela existe. nos, brasileiros, nao duvidamos que ela exista, mas o conforto da vida nos distancia dessa realidade perversa e contrastante que existe no brasil. o filme tem a participacao efetiva da irma dele, viviane senna, narrando fatos e acrescentando informacoes. ela aparece em imagens numa cena breve de familia e no final, no velorio. quando vi o caixao meu coracao doeu, parece sempre o susto do indesejado evento. chorei, chorei muito assistindo o filme, que tinha o pouco publico de quase sempre no harbour lights. e agradeco muito ao mike pela mao calorosa segurando a minha o tempo todo.

e a chuva, sua companheira maravilhosa? ah, a chuva!

feliz dia dos namorados

2011-06-13T22:33:00.022+01:00

about yesterday, 12 june 2011

l'artiste et sa muse

12 june is valentine's day in brazil. it was justly celebrated here, too. how? by

- waking up in the morning to find a sweet valentine's day card at breakfast surprisingly written in portuguese 'feliz dia dos namorados';

- enjoying a rainy and windy day;

- going shopping for food [in the rain];

- appreciating andy warhol's exhibition at the city art gallery. the set of pieces at the city gallery are worth a visit. the other set, which is at hansard gallery at the university of southampton we didn't like very much;

- eating pear, garlic and mushroom cheese with stone baked bread for lunch;

- watching on cosy sofa the american film 'brother, where art thou?';

- eating 'winter in summer chicken' with new potatoes and drinking wine for dinner while listening to good brazilian music;

- . . .

le plat du jour: camarao cremoso

2011-06-13T18:10:00.000+01:00

13 june 2011

nota: essa minha receita saiu no site pimenta no reino no final de maio. foi uma alegria enorme pra mim ter minha receita no site da Faby Zanelati
Camarão cremoso gratinado

Quando eu cozinho minha filosofia é não usar mais do que duas panelas. Na maioria das vezes é apenas uma mesmo. Gosto de, quando vou comer, já ter o máximo de coisas limpas. Eu moro em hall de residência da universidade, faço minhas refeições no meu quarto, e minhas instalações culinárias se limitam a uma prateleira na geladeira, uma prateleira no freezer e duas portas nos armários da cozinha. Ali armazeno minha comida (tem alguma coisa no meu quarto também) e panelas e canecas de cafe / chá e talheres e pratos e temperos. Então, para viver feliz estipulo alguns limites que sejam gerenciáveis para minha pessoa, e assim sempre que cozinho faco o suficiente para duas ou três refeições. Adorei fazer – e comer – esse camarão.

Ingredientes
2 col sopa de azeite de oliva extra virgem trufado com mangericão
300 gramas de camarões
um pouco de pimenta calabresa (quanto você goste)
1 cebola cortada em rodelas
4 dentes de alho
4 tomates para salada (pequenos) cortados ao meio
um pouco de vinho branco
1 col sobremesa de mostarda em grãos
250 ml de cream elmlea do tipo simples (primo do creme de leite)
1 col de sopa (so pra dar um sabor) de cream cheese (requeijão)
queijo parmesão pra gratinar no final

Modo de fazer
Não medi criteriosamente nada. Essas medidas são aproximadas, mesmo, só pra dar uma idéia. antes de começar a cozinhar deixei todos os ingredientes cortadinhos e no ponto para serem adicionados à panela. Refoguei o alho e a cebola no azeite. Fogo médio. Acrescentei os tomates. Não mexi muito. Fui deixando pegar um sabor. Adicionei e refoquei os camarões, que soltaram um pouco d’água. Fogo baixo pra secar um pouco da água e assim ir ficando mais cremoso. Acrescentei a pimenta calabresa, a mostarda em grãos e o vinho branco. Quando tava quase pronto, com os camarões cozidos, acrescentei o cream almlea e o requeijão e deixei cozinhar mais um pouquinho. Arrumei esse preparado num pirex, joguei uma chuvinha feliz de queijo parmesão ralado na hora por cima e levei ao forno pra gratinar.

Comi o camarão com esse arroz tailandês cozido só com água, sem sal ou óleo. Também não acrescentei sal ao camarão, deixei que ele ficasse só com o que já recebe dos outros ingredientes do prato. Enquanto o pirex com os camarões estava no forno eu fui limpando os sinais do meu servico na cozinha, que compartilho com mais seis estudantes: três da china, um dos estados unidos, uma do canadá, e um da india.

beer festival

2011-06-12T22:25:00.001+01:00

about yesterday, 11 june 2011

pub crawls [going from a pub to another pub for another drink] are highly popular here. last night jc, johnny, mike and i started off at 'the southwestern', mike's local pub. we stayed there for a while and decided to go check out the beer festival at 'the junction inn'. there were many people at the festival, of course, and a karaoke was going on. we stayed there for a while and were headed back to the southwestern later on.

the many locally brewed beers, the so many different drinks i have come to know here are fascinating. i plan to write a whole post about them. for now i show these beer barrels from the festival yesterday. at the end they are all gone. this is only a small sample of the many barrels they set up for the festival. people take it seriously and do drink them up.

o latifundio

2011-06-10T14:56:00.014+01:00

10 june 2011

as already mentioned here, i live in the uni halls, sharing a flat with other six international students. my space in the fridge is limited to a single shelf. my space in the freezer is limited to a single shelf. as i was complaining about it a few days ago to amanda, the girl from canada, she told me that alex, the american guy, has left for good. by the way, he didn't even say goodbye to anyone other than amanda, maybe. this means i can therefore have an extra shelf in both the fridge and the freezer. it is the beginning of some luxury and more joy around here.

groupon hair

2011-06-10T13:47:00.000+01:00

10 june 2011

this past tuesday i went to the hairdresser to have wash, cut, blow dry and conditioning plus shiatsu massage. i bought the package for a competitive price from groupon. this is the hair of the day, when the result seemed fine, but now i am thinking i will need another haircut soon as i am not too pleased. i am crazy about having both sizes of my hair the same length. the woman checked it at my request and said it was ok but she didn't convince me. lesson learned about groupon: it may a fantastic deal, provided you have at least an idea of what kind of service you are to get; otherwise you may end up like myself this: not so happy.

upside down

2011-06-09T16:51:00.005+01:00

9 june 2011

at the very moment:

- i am biting my nails. getting to the fingers soon.
15 june 2011 update: i polished my nails today. that means i won't bite them for a while.

- i have been working on a chapter for my upgrade viva. i know what and how to do it, but i don't go straight to the point and get the job done. i think and think and think and slowly do a bit of something. will i change someday? will i go somewhere this way?
15 june 2011 update: am done with a new version to the chapter, and have sent it out to ros. as always, wish i had done more, but am quite happy with what i accomplished so far.

- i will meet again with my supervisor next week. i wish sooo bad i could get to her with loads beautifully done, but something in the very inside of me holds me back from being the productive soul i idealize for myself.
17 june 2011 update: i will meet with her today. all ready and happy to meet up, but am a little worried about the allergic cold which i have now (again). whenever the weather blows any different wind or we get some rain i get ill. it is becoming routine, and i am not happy about it.

- yes, i am eating too much.

- my tv is not working. it has been over a month now. it seems the brand new and expensive aerial i bought not long ago is no longer good enough to get the digital signal. or is it that the tv is really old? i do miss watching tv, the news, the films, and the documentaries.
16 june 2011 update: mike fixed it, although he says it might not work fine for very long, since it apparently is about the digital signal. i even bought a new aerial from john lewis. now i have to give it back to the shop and be reimbursed on my money.

- my new mobile does not work properly. i can't ring brazil from it. i couldn't even text my sister from it yesterday. i have no internet connection on it either. i have no patience or time to go ring these people and spend forever with them on the phone to try and sort out these things. this time it seems i have no choice. i might try their shop in city, though.
23 june 2011 update: it is all sorted out. i now know what happened to my bill and everything is working properly. phew! it was nice to have karlota with me.

- my laptop is all the time shutting down unexpectedly. is it a virus? i have no antivirus now. but i only want to buy one when i know for certain it is going to work.

- my blogger / gmail (?) account is upside down, inside out, completely out of order, out of control. it feels like i have zero competence to manage any sort of technology programme or device.
13 june 2011 update: problem sorted out thanks to Karen.

if you know where the light is, please do not hesitate to contact me.

le plat du jour: arroz com ovo

2011-06-06T22:18:00.001+01:00

6 june 2011

hoje fiz esse prato que ficou bem saboroso. fritei 2 ovos na manteiga de ervas com alho. ai ali mesmo, aproveitando o calor, botei uma sobra de arroz chines que tinha feito apenas com agua, sem sal nenhum. adicionei um trisco minimo de sal pra quebrar a ausencia do mesmo (esse trecho aqui ta parecendo carta). mexi mexi e apaguei o fogo. adicionei uma chuvinha fina de hortela. gostinho surpreendente.

on the road: winchester

2011-06-05T21:44:00.001+01:00

5 june 2011

- we love winchester, don't we?

that was my answer to mike's invite for a walk in winchester. it was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and the day had been gray and cold and rainy, perfect to stay indoors. but mike insisted we needed some fresh air and a walk. there we went. we walked through the city, then down by the river, and into the water meadows. oh, my! it was healing. once in a while a few drops of a shy rain but it didn't bother us at all.

after the walk we had dinner at 'fishers pond', a posh pub in colden common, hampshire. it is on way from winchester to southampton. there were many people (families) there eating dinner. by they way, i've heard many times the english use the word 'tea' to say 'dinner', and i find it a cute trace of their english identity. the food at the fishers pond is good, but not different from anything i can have right here at my lovely cowherds (also a posh pub), but the view from the lake is worth the trip. i wanted to eat something succulent; so i ordered chicken and ham pie, and mike had meat. we once again had a wonderful time in winchester.

below you see photos from our walk and the last one is the view from the pub. got this information about the lake:
"Fisher's Pond itself is an artificial lake held back by an earth dam at one end and adjacent to Marwell Zoo. The pond was constructed to allow the then Bishop of Winchester to have fish supplied to his table, especially in winter. The pub is a former cafe." from mike catell's flickr.

just as we left the river and going towards the water meadows

the water meadows

view from inside the fishers pond pub

conference in london

2011-06-04T18:12:00.053+01:00

4 june 2011

today i went to london with rahmah, a course peer, to attend the '4th bloomsbury student conference in applied linguistics' at the birkbeck university of london.

we left southampton quite early, in the 7.30am train. we got the tube to the conference, got off at goodge station and walked to birkbeck college, where we arrived there on time for everything: coffee, keynote speaker, and all the other presentations, including mine, which was a poster presentation titled 'esl teaching in brazil's municipal schools: contextualized writing?'.

we attend four presentations plus the poster session, which took place at the same room and time of the lunch they served us. very handy. the conference was interesting and i liked very much two of the presentations we attend. people seemed interested in my research and came to ask me questions about it. it felt nice. after i attend many talks i get easily distracted and unfocused. it is terrible, but i can't help it.

we left the conference before it ended because we had plans to go wildly shopping on oxford street. it was a hot day, i mean, fine for me, but very hot for rahmah. i was carrying all the time my immense a1 poster folded in the tube with me, and that is not something you would dream of doing often.

we walked for a while browsing around, window shopping. . . and my conclusion is that i, kalina, will not go again shopping on oxford street. what is the point? the very same - the very same - standard shops they have we do have here: m&s, gap, bhs, next, just to name same. ah, the perfume shop as well. for me it doesn't make any sense to go shopping when in that crowded and busy street when i can do the same here, far more comfortably.

after walking up to bond street we decided we'd had enough and were ready to head back home. we got the tube at bond street station and had a perfect timing to get the 3.35pm train back to southampton. it was a smooth and tranquil journey, just the way there in the morning had been. there only a few people in the train and i could be quiet for a while, appreciating the landscape.

before we got back in the train i was feeling exhausted. i wanted to stop and be quiet, not say a single word. these days it has happened to me that i get very tired of speaking english for many days in a row, many hours in a day, and that it has been enough.

we got to the station here in about 1.15hr. i took the usual u1a bus home and am now resting a little bit. i will later on meet with mike and johnny at the giddy bridge, a ~~very noisy~~ pub on london road. he is now at a music festival to which he invited me, but no, thanks. i can barely stand up. i need a rest from the world for at least two hours. then, i will be ready to go out again, renovated. i'll walk to the giddy bridge to meet up with them.

mfl conference

2011-06-03T21:56:00.028+01:00

3 june 2011

today we had the research student workshop: "research perspectives on modern foreign languages in uk schools", organized by my supervisor, ros mitchell, and two of her supervisees who do research in uk schools. the one-day conference, that happened at building 34 - education, in highfield, had the participation of twelve uk universities. the keynote speaker was professor suzanne graham, from the university of reading, who spoke about learner strategies.

the other presentations, all about ongoing research about the teaching of a foreign modern language in uk schools were interesting. for me it is a good experience to hear about the research carried out here in this multicultural environment. the multicultural aspect of life here, obviously observed in schools is itself not surprisingly object of many studies throughout the country. another point that has caught my attention is the wealth of foreign languages the students have the opportunity to study, and that scarcity of resources and other serious problem like the ones my teachers face in public schools in brazil are not even mentioned. are they really not part of the scenario? it is like an ideal world. the most popular languages object of research today were french and german. anyway, after listening to four presentations in a row my brain nearly collapsed.

other than that i should say i'm happy for the productive week i've had so far: 1. am finished with eng3b report and everything related to it; 2. have been to important meetings on tuesday and wednesday; 3. had my nice experience with recording in a studio; 4. had a great day yesterday: got all my prescriptions sorted out, collected poster for the birkbeck conference tomorrow, did laundry, cooked dinner for me and mike, had the dinner, and went to the movies with him. does it really read something like i did? i am impressed. i need to register these things, although they may seem very ordinary stuff for many people, i'm pleased i managed to do that much. maybe i am not that slow, afterall.

six plus four

2011-06-03T21:09:00.000+01:00

2 - 3 june 2011

. . . and listening to radio 6 and eating creamy prawns with chinese rice, cooked by her, at his place, with strawberries and cream for dessert and drinking orange juice and diet pepsi and going to harbour lights afterwards to watch the very american 'win win', directed by thomas mccarthy and starred by paul giamatti, amy ryan, and bobby cannavale, they celebrated 10 (six plus four or six plus one plus one plus one plus one or five plus five) months together. . .

as estradas

2011-06-01T20:28:00.004+01:00

1 june 2011

hoje eu tive uma experiencia nova e muito feliz. ano passado, mais ou menos em setembro eu fiz um teste de voz (avaliacao para emprego mais legal, relaxada, facil e divertida da minha vida) num estudio aqui em southampton. o servico eh gravar material em portugues. passei no teste e fiquei no banco de dados deles para futuras oportunidades.

finalmente semana passada recebi uma mensagem da coordenadora do estudio me chamando para um trabalho hoje, 3 horas de gravacao por um dinheiro X J.

com todas as direcoes de como chegar la em maos, eu fiz o plano de ir caminhando pelo google maps, o que dava uns 32 minutos. fiquei pensando se ia mesmo caminhando, se tomava um taxi, ou se enfrentava o onibus estranho.

decidi ir de onibus. fui ate a cidade e tomei o onibus 10a da empresa first. eu pedi aa motorista que me ajudasse a descer no ‘bingo’ em shirley. Ela falou que ia sim me avisar e eu paguei £1.60 pela viagem. e ali sentei feliz.

no meio do caminho entrou um senhor com muita dificuldade de locomocao e com um aparelho pra andar daqueles que parece um andaja de crianca. o povo ajudando, o homem se ajeitando no local destinado a pessoas com dificuldade, mas sem ainda sentar. a motorista falou pra ele que so podia sair quando ele estivesse sentado. incrivel como nos onibus aqui os motoristas acompanham o que acontece no onibus e tem que acomodar bem passageiros em dificuldade. o senhor la sentou e seguimos na nossa viagem, e eu na estrada feliz da minha vida.

dai a pouco a motorista solta bem alto no onibus ‘next stop is the bingo’. O onibus todo riu e eu me levantei pra descer, acusando ser eu quem ia para o bingo. desci no bingo e, seguindo as direcoes, cheguei ao estudio.

a gravacao durou tres horas e meia. me surpreendi como achei dificil aas vezes falar algumas palavras longas e mais dificeis em portugues, principalmente quando estao na mesma frase e precisam ser ditas claramente. depois escutamos tudo com cuidado. varias partes foram refeitas. foi muito bom e eu achei que o trabalho final ficou melhor do que eu esperava.

e tomei o onibus de volta, leve e feliz pela empreitada que trouxe graca ao meio dia. passei nos correios e postei um cartao de aniversario para minha tia Maria, que mora em curitiba e vai fazer 80 anos agora em junho.

eu ia cantarolando o tempo todo, na minha cabeca, essa musica . . .

“Solto a voz nas estradas, já não quero parar . . .” do Milton Nascimento e Fernando Brandt.

wrong time wrong person wrong place

2011-05-29T22:40:00.004+01:00

29 may 2011

wrong time: this weekend (27 - 29 may)
wrong person: i
wrong place: in london for the weekend.

the day before yesterday (friday) i got the coach to spend the weekend in london. i booked the return ticket to 3.30 this afternoon. trouble is i was not at peace there as i kept thinking all the time of my duties left behind here. i couldn't stop thinking of the many things i should be doing here instead of enjoying a weekend away.

after many hours of turmoil i decided to change the time my ticket and got the 10.00 o'clock coach this morning. what a relief, and a lesson learned: it is time to concentrate on my research. i decided to put a hold on the other insanities that were occupying my mind, i.e. travelling. it was a beautiful day today and the trip back was good. i took the time to appreciate the road and the cars and to think.

i got off the coach at the uni interchange and - again - embarked on the wrong bus. i got into u2b instead of waiting for a moment for either u2c or u1c. u2b is only good for me when i go to uni, not from uni. and again i visited the neighborhoods. it didn't bother happy me at all.

noticia daqui la ali

2011-05-27T22:17:00.018+01:00

27 may 2011

hoje o soton times virou noticia no blog Pimenta no Reino, da Fabiana Zanelati
com a receita de um camarao cremoso gratinado que eu fiz. isso mesmo, por hoje o plat du jour ta publicado la. nao sou craque na cozinha, nao sou mesmo, mas o camarao ficou bonito e muito saboroso. resolvi mostrar pra Faby, e la esta, na primeira pagina. quanta alegria!!!
obrigada de montao, Faby.

busy and cold and wet and happy

2011-05-26T16:29:00.002+01:00

26 may 2011

highfield campus this morning. photo taken with my mobile phone.

i started the day with a consultation with my gp, who gave me good news about my health. uhlala! but i still have lots of things to do, and she gave me some very useful hints. she suggested i read about 'low gi diet' and explained why i would benefit from it. dr armstrong is so caring. i told her of things i have been doing in my constant struggle to have some control over my weight. she renewed my prescriptions and said we might consider lowering the already low medication i take to keep my blood pressure under control. i was pleased and surprised to see my blood pressure very much under control today. i suppose it might be a result of my low intake of sodium.

then i went by the accommodation office to pay for my rent fee. what a hassle. my credit card decides not to work when i most need it. i ended up going to natwest for an alternative and got all the problem sorted out in the end. i had to walk around campus and from highfield to avenue under a rainy / wet, windy, cold, bizarre weather. however, it felt quite warm inside the buildings. go figure!!!

e viva o viva

2011-05-25T14:00:00.004+01:00

25 may 2011

hoje, agora a pouco, eu estava ali no crown inn almocando com a diana. ai a hilra me telefonou de dentro de um taxi, a caminho da universidade, pra ir para o viva voce dela, hoje ali em seguida. viva voce eh como chamam a defesa da tese de doutorado aqui. primeiro que foi uma peleja pra eu conseguir atender o telefone, porque ainda to ~~apanhando~~ aprendendo a usar o danado. e ai:
- onde tu ta, nene?
- to no crown inn, sabe onde eh? eh um pub entre highfield e avenue (dois campi da universidade aqui pertinho)
- ah, sei nao, oh. eu queria te dar um abraco. to indo pro meu viva agora.
- agora? eita, eu pensava que era so sexta. tava pensando em ti, pra ti mandar um email.
- nao, eh agora. perai, vou perguntar ao motorista aqui se ele sabe onde eh.
(perguntou (conversa em ingles) e o motorista confirmou que sabe, sim, onde fica o pub)

e la eu vejo, de dentro do pub, o taxi passar e estacionar ali na frente. fui ao encontro da hilra, para da-la um abraco grande. maroquilda estava tao linda e chique a caminho de seu momento de estrelato, de fechamento de um projeto que representa tanto.

para mim, na minha experiencia, essa eh uma conquista que nao se localiza na esfera academica apenas, nao nao nao. eh um processo que sofre / recebe influencias dos sonhos, dos empenhos, das pedras que encontramos no caminho, das alegrias, das curiosidades, das horas incalculaveis (e pra que calcular?) de leitura e descoberta do mundo e de nos mesmos. o processo do phd invade a vida da gente, define quem somos, modifica a gente, parece que nao eh mais possivel dissociar academia e vida pessoal. os momentos de coleta de dados, de investigacao, eu os sinto todos como investigacao de mim mesma, de como e porque faco parte. . . como tambem faz parte, aqui nessa cultura, a mesa de um pub. a mesa de um pub aqui nao eh lugar (so) de vagabundo, mas eh tambem um ponto de encontro, descobertas, fechamento de acordos, entendimentos da vida. . .

eu fiquei muito mas muito feliz mesmo de ver maroquilda achar tempo pra ir me ver para um abraco magico nesse momento inesquecivel da vida dela.

mas foi muito engracado quando eu ia caminhando, dentro do pub, ao encontro dela no taxi, como meu pensamento so me dizia: 'to no crown inn'. e eu pensei: 'conversa de gente vagabunda estar num pub ao meio dia de uma quarta-feira, eh?' talvez nem seja tao mal. foi uma pausa de uma hora apenas. e voltei pro avenue campus com a diana. e ca estou firme de volta no servico. o pub eh um carregador de baterias automatico.

manha tao bonita manha

2011-05-19T14:45:00.001+01:00

19 may 2011

i went to bed last night thinking of going for a walk at the park this morning. i woke up this morning feeling my life would get stuck if i didn't go for the walk. i checked out the weather: 5 degrees and a beautiful sunshine. for a moment i felt tempted to stay indoors but it was clear to me i needed and did want the walk.

am thankful to the birds singing to me everytime i walk at the park and i feel so much better, i breath fresh air, my digestion improves right away; the list of benefits is endless. i get answers to some puzzles that have been keeping me company, i clear my head.

tao bom caminhar na manha tao bonita manha.

a step forward

2011-05-16T22:32:00.001+01:00

16 may 2011

i met with ros today. lots of negotiations about content and outline for the thesis. many many plans and dreams on what goes where. she wants to meet me more often now. next meeting is next week. told her about my difficulties concerning technologies and that not even an excel spreadsheet i know how to use. she said we'll have a session on this if need be.
oh my!!! all the time i am happy and stuck and slow and happy and stuck and slow. wish so bad i could change this pattern and finally become the productive person i urge so that i can carry on with my phd research in a more relaxed mode.

the original taste

2011-05-16T10:09:00.032+01:00

16 may 2011

originally from south and central asia, naan bread has become popular in many other countries. this one from photo i had at the gurkha chef, the nepalese and indian restaurant we went to in winchester the other day. it was so ethnic and special it didn't resemble one bit the one i had before long ago from a regular supermarket.

this is my point: if you want to try something which is new to you, like ethnic food or a typical dish (fish and chips), make sure you have access to the good sources, otherwise you may have a negative experience and think that is all about the dish. i had good / original naan bread a while ago at an indian restaurant here in southampton. it really made me think. the taste was so good it felt like i was having it for the first time. i have had the same experience with fish and chips, a staple in english food. you have to check and find the places / restaurantes where it is cooked fresh and by a specialist.

diana's birthday celebration

2011-05-14T16:00:00.037+01:00

14 may 2011

diana and i met uptown, browsed around tkmaxx. she bought herself a pair of shoes. i was glad to find the door hanger for clothes i had been searching for. i was in awe for quite a while at their kitchen utensils section. then we went to specsavers for me to finally collect my second pair of reading glasses.

we went to bella italia for lunch. the day was beautiful, a little cold but not too much. it really felt nice. our lunch was super good. diana had a smoked salmon and asparagus pizza. it tasted delicious. i have eaten bad pizza before there, but this time it was a good choice. i ate insalata pollo e pancetta, which is a whole sliced chargrilled chicken breast, red onion, plum tomatoes, crispy pancetta and baby gem lettuce with creamy dolcelatte dressing (description pasted here from their website). oh my! my salad was excellent.

chat chat chat about travelling, academia, men, life, family, and friends, plus chocolate vanilla strawberry caramel ice cream for dessert. i came back home to get ready for tea later. diana was back into town to continue shopping. as i said in the title of the post, this was to celebrate diana's birthday. she has other celebration in a trip to london with her boyfriend, andrew.

u2b: the accidental journey

2011-05-12T17:33:00.005+01:00

12 may 2011

how could we two - it took two - embark on the wrong bus? the consequences were that we went through, undesired at that moment, roads and roads and roads and neighbourhoods when we could not really afford it timewise. thank God everything got sorted in the end and hope it only meant a little, not serious, delay. am glad maroquilda is back and so serene. we need to meet up again for a proper chat and cafe feliz.

academia & pub

2011-05-10T23:25:00.000+01:00

10 may 2011

i went to the cowherds tonight with my german students elke and bernd. it was nothing planned. it just happened that we chatted a little after class and walked together because the way to the pub is the same as my way home, and we three ended up at the pub. the pub here is where life is sorted out, where you get into and out of trouble, where you learn and teach. yes, the pub here is more or less where we live.

and it happens that we had a great talk about a variety of topics: housing, here and back home; money; loneliness; flatmates and the oddities of sharing space; and other things. we talked a lot about travelling around the uk. all in all they sort of interviewd me, asking me loads of questions about me and my life. it felt nice to see people so interested in learning about me. i promptly responded to all of their questions. we ate mediterranean food and drank shandy. i had bitter shandy. i love the cowherds because it is very comfortable, serves good food, and is located at the common, a 4-minute walk from where i live.

elke is working on her phd and came to england for six months only as a research student. before coming here she was living in berlin. her study is about the pension systems both here in uk and in germany. she joined the english class to improve her english and also to socialize. she seems to be happy with her accomplishments here so far. elke said i am a very interesting person with a very interesting life. what a nice comment to receive from somebody.

bernd is a violin maker from the germanic bavaria. he has a job in romsey and lives by himself. i keep telling him he needs to socialize more and find himself a girlfriend to keep him company. he is very young and such a nice guy to spent so much time alone. he agrees and we laugh. i love to listen to his stories about violin making. it sounds like a magic profession to me.

le plat du jour: file de frango marinado

2011-05-09T18:08:00.000+01:00

9 may 2011

file de frango marinado com shoyu e acucar demerara

fiquei muito tentada a cozinhar o file de frango bacana da Karen e fiz da receita uma desculpa para estrear minha frigideira / grill que promete ser 'a panela' mas que tem sido fonte de decepcao, por enquanto. agora conto como fiz o frango, que ficou moreninho da silva catole e muito mas muito delicioso mesmo. nao medi nada, foi no olho. ate acresencentei um pouquinho de acucar depois e tive a impressao de que exagerei no molho shoyu.

400 gr de file de frango (o meu tava cortado em pedacos pequenos)
lavei esse frango com limao, ou suco de limao, que a gente compra no ponto aqui.

para a marinada:
oleo (fiquei doida pra botar azeite mas obedeci aa receita)
shoyu (desconfio que exagerei uma coisinha aqui)
acucar mascavo (eu usei demerara, orientacao da chef karen)
vinho branco (eu nao tinha saquê, que eh tambem opcional)
dois dentes de alho em lascas bem fininhas
uma cebola cortada em meias luas (eu so tinha cebola roxa, que nao aconselho)

misturei todos os ingredientes - marinada e frango - em um saco plastico para sanduiche. acho que o pobre do saco deveria ser maior. misturei bem misturadinho e deixei na geladeira um tempo, talvez meia hora.

depois dessa marinada, ta tudo no ponto e comecei a grelhar o frango. tirei o frango do saco e deixei a marinada la por enquanto. fui grelhando o frango no super ~~decepcionante por enquanto~~ grill bem aquecido (acho que deixei o coitado esquentar demais), e fui grelhando os filezinhos de frango muito bem, mais ou menos uns seis minutos de cada lado. fui repetindo essa operacao em pequenas porcoes e devagar para nao encher de agua a frigideira. como achei meio seco e quente demais botei um pouco de oleo. e repeti a operacao ate ter grelhado todo o frango. no intervalo entre as porcoes de frango dei uma limpada com papel toalha na frigideira. como eu ja tinha feito alguma coisa errada no grill ele quis ficar com um pouco do papel, mas deu tudo certo.

reservei os lindos files de frango grelhados e deitei a marinada na frigideira, que tava la com os sucos do frango, e deixei ali no fogo brando ate ficar tudo macio. ficou super saboroso. a mistura do shoyu com o acucar e a cebola e o frango grelhado eh uma delicia. para acompanhar fiz um pure de batata, daquelas em po que a gente compra aqui. isso mesmo, piloto de fogao, pero no mucho.

new year's curry in winchester

2011-05-08T21:00:00.011+01:00

about last night 7 may 2011

photo 1: the starter; photo 2: maudie, marie, and jc; photo 3: the cuties

mike and I met with steven at the train station and traveled together to winchester for our 2010 – 2011 new year’s curry at the nepalese and indian restaurant gurkha chef.

we were ten for the night: from the uk: mike (welsh), and the english ones: johnny, jc, marie, steven, the team leader maudie, and warren; and the foreigners murielle and celine (both French), and myself with my verde amarelo branco azul anil heart. In other words, we were ten people, with four nationalities, and from three different languages.

winchester greeted us with rain, but we carried on walking to fulfil our protocol, which is pub – restaurant – pub. Then, we head home. I want to make a point that now I understand better the itinerary that really gives everyone opportunities to interact with various of us.

the pub was the hyde tavern, a cozy but not so comfortable one. I had diet coke and a small glass of their- not-so-special house wine. at the pub I had a chat with murielle. she is french, from a small island near mauritius island. she is a chemist, lives near here, but will move soon to germany, relocated to work there. we talked about this and also about phd life and about brazil. she asked me how my research is going. i smiled and she smiled back, sharing the inherent sticks and stones we come across throughout the process. a friend of murielle’s came by her place and took away her tv when she was doing her phd so that murielle would have one less distraction and could concentrate properly on the duties. later on the friend threatened to take away her phone if she kept spending hours talking to people. we had a good laugh.

then we went to gurkha chef, the nepalese and indian restaurant. i had pork palak (barbequed pork with pork cooked in spinach, tomatoes and onions) with mushroom rice for dinner. i also tried mike’s food, as usual. it was all very good. at the restaurant i the chat was about travelling, mostly with steven, mike, and murielle.

after food food food and chat chat chat we left the restaurant. murielle and celine went home, the others went to another pub. mike and i walked back to the train station to get the 12.07 train to southampton, because it comes by the train station near his place. on our way back both to the station in winchester and in southampton we walk in the rain again. we waited for a while at the train station sitting in a bench and talking: precious moments. this was a much expected rain that did many things: it washed away my makeup and my blow dried hair, as well as some pollen from the trees. i think the long and quiet rain also cleansed both southampton and winchester and gave them a lighter, greener, and more beautiful view. it was so lovely to walk in the rain.

we finally got into the train and back home sometime around 1am today. What a night.

karla's birthday party

2011-05-07T17:24:00.000+01:00

7 may 2011

we just came back from karla's birthday party. later on we're going to our new year's curry celebration, in winchester.

karla's birthday party was at her boyfriend's (thomas) place, in Fareham, a small city located about 10 miles or 16.09 km from southampton. attending the party we were nine adults and a 21-month old cute boy called leonidas, who receives greek input from his father, french language from his mom, and english at the nursery he goes to.

i counted among us seven nationalities, these being the countries: brazil, greece, france, uk, iran, taiwan, and cyprus; and six different native languages: portuguese, greek, french, english, persian, and chinese. this was a great mix and we had a good laugh together and ate and drank and celebrated karlota's birthday.

the food was all vegetarian and delicious. karla prepared a salpicao, farofa, rice, and a very good brazilian feijoada. oh my i loved to have farofa. the girls baked a cake and i made a green salad with rocket, watercress, spinach, celery, cherry tomatoes, grain mustard, caesar dressing, and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top. it was very good and i was really pleased to make it. it has made me think that throughout the years i have been asked by family members back home in brazil to fix one of the dessert plates in our gatherings. a green salad seems to be a more sensible option for me to prepare, i suppose.

back to the raft

2011-05-06T22:45:00.000+01:00

6 may 2011

today i finally put my hands and my mind back into my research. i can't believe this day has come!!! no words i have to express my relief for i have been too disconnected with this, which should always be my number one priority. duty priorities shouldn't have to wait for inspiration. they should just be there and i should just face them in the same way i accept and don't neglect my hygiene routine. but no no no! my last days were a mix of despair and guilt for not working on my thesis and on the other hand trying to lead a normal life. this blog has received much attention and this may give the reader the misleading impression that all my writing is up to date. no no no! only today did i actually manage to do what i had been dreaming of for quite a while.

diana came to the office today and we agreed on a coffee / endless chat for later on. she sort of changed plans and accepted andrew's (andrew is her boyfriend) invite to celebrate one of his friends' viva at the crown. i thanked her very much but i was not in the mood for socializing. meeting up with diana is socializing, too, of course, but in very much relaxed terms. since i was not going to the crown inn we just had some cafe feliz at the avenue campus garden, because the days have been warm and inviting for outdoor activities. andrew came by to fetch her to the pub and i was headed home, very happy for feeling useful and productive again, at last. amem!

a luz no escuro

2011-05-06T22:05:00.002+01:00

6 may 2011

hoje fiz esse comentario sobre um post da Karen:

que bacana, Karen. nao bacana o medo, mas falar sobre ele, e a reflexao que voce propoe. a ultima frase eh fundamental. eh sim importante

"É preciso deixar que essa impressão se dissolva no quarto escuro e esperar que os sons familiares devolvam o sentimento de segurança, mesmo quando falso." Karen

aas vezes precisamos permanecer no local do medo pra enfim deixa-lo ir ou entao pra entender o que se passa e assim trocar o medo com alguma familiaridade. a vida tem me ensinado que muuuitas vezes o que mais me assusta eh na verdade de mim o que mais me atrai, e por isso tenho procurado ter mais paciencia comigo mesma e olhado pra dentro de mim e me surpreendido com forcas que estavam querendo desabrochar, e se manifestando timidamente na forma de medo. eh um misterio, mas se nos formos bacanas comecando por nos mesmos, ha luz! abraco

music: emily barker in winchester

2011-05-05T23:45:00.024+01:00

5 may 2011

emily barker and the red clay halo in winchester

great show tonight at the railway in winchester. emily barker & the red clay halo. she is a guitarrist and song-writer from australia. it is so good to be close to the musician and really feel them making music. this original experience no cd or dvd will ever provide. the girls so reminded me of the dixie chicks. the harmony of the instruments is magic. once again we were sitting in the first row, right there, in the best place. their song 'pulse' is now the opening theme song for bbc two tv series 'the shadow line', a crime and investigation series. pulse is a great song.

before emily barker harp device played as the support band of the night. the link i found to the band is the right one, but it was a different girl singing this time. they are a new band from basingstoke, a city nor far from here. they write and sing their own songs. there is music everywhere in this country, and there are always people coming to the gigs. it is amazing.

catching up at the crown inn

2011-05-04T22:33:00.002+01:00

4 may 2011

diana and i had not met in a while, both because she hasn't come much to the office lately and now because of the easter break, when she traveled back home. she came by the office today and we walked together to the crown inn at 6pm to eat and chat, and we did chat. i ate a burger with pineapple and mushroom and new potatoes (not chips). she ate a spicy burger. and we talked about her recent trip to romenia and about relationships and life and plans and academia and frustration and expectations and dreams and money and how it is rare these days. maybe because of its location the crown inn is a magnet for folks from uni. we saw many people we know there; and today was the german and french day. loads of them. hello hello hello hello

we talked a lot but didn't really stay at the pub very long. then, we walked together to highfield campus. she lives behind hartley library, and i was headed to the interchange to get my bus back home.

six plus three

2011-05-03T10:25:00.001+01:00

2 - 3 may 2011

. . . and listening to radio 6 and eating shepherds pie, deliciously cooked by him, and sticky toffee pudding and drinking lemonade with orange juice and then watching the new tv series 'the great outdoors' they celebrated, at his place, nine (six plus three or six plus one plus one plus one) months together. . .

on the road: hamble

2011-04-29T22:49:00.003+01:00

29 apr 2011

Hamble is a small village located 6.2 miles southeast of Southampton. its official name is Hamble-le-Rice. there was aircraft centre in hamble during ww ii for planes.

we walked around the village, by the water front at river hamble, had an ice cream, and were headed to the hamble common. there were many people at the pubs and at the Common celebrating the royal wedding. after that we walked in the other direction, towards the port hamble marina, where we found many beautiful and expensive yachts.

river hamble is home to sailing yachts, and all types of recreational boating and motorboats. They have a school of yachting there. i was much impressed by the boat taxi and the ferry to warsash, another small village just to the other side of the river. if the boat takes you from one river bank to the other it is a ferry. so far i had only the idea of a ferry as in the large ferry boats which go to the isle of wight or the one i took once from salvador to itaparica, in bahia, brazil.

the small and beautiful village is very close to southampton. it is a nice place to spend a couple of hours walking around. in the summer the village attracts many tourists to enjoy the water.

i will

2011-04-29T22:00:00.002+01:00

29 apr 2011

my tv is still not working. i watched the royal wedding at mike's place, and found the official protocol for the ceremony very beautiful. i was impressed to see various members of the church celebrating the wedding. i loved the sermon the bishop of london made. he said many important and true things about marriage and how every wedding is a royal one for the groom and the bride are the king and the queen at the occasion; and that this represents the beginning of a new life, which will flow through them. it was moving.

it is the Church of England, not a Catholic Church, but in my ignorance i was surprised to see them say Our Father prayer, which for me was Catholic only. maybe it is a Christian prayer. the bride was astonishingly beautiful and elegant. the groom looked concentrated, very handsome and and nothing nervous. Kate and William looked very much connected to each other.

they had nearly 2,000 guests for the ceremony at the church. then, 650 guests for the reception at Buckingham palace afterwards; and even fewer guests for the evening reception at clarence house, offered by Prince Charles. Kate and William are now the Duchess and the Duke of Cambridge and will live in Wales, where he works.

i took many photos from the tv screen while watching the wedding and chose this one because it shows another sample of the protocol they follow: when they pass by the Cenotaph, William does the military salute and Kate lowers her head, in respect to the war soldiers. the Cenotaph is a monument and represents an empty tomb in honour of the people who died and whose remains are elsewhere, i.e. soldiers from a war.

that was i, witnessing history.

groupon pizza

2011-04-27T23:45:00.015+01:00

27 apr 2011

thank you so much fo the groupon voucher, ines. we went to chambers and had the two pizzas, two portions of chips and two drinks. mike and i liked the drinks best. we both found the pizzas a bit hard, but not too bad, and ate them all. it was a fantastic present and we are very very thankful to you for thinking of us for your voucher. we had a great time at chambers. this was the first time i made use of the groupon voucher, a great idea for both customers and sellers, i believe. it was our first time at this pub. it had quite a few people eating with the voucher, which has apparently been a big success. in brazil 'groupon' is called 'compra coletiva'. oh the internet and its endless possibilities.

alo, cambio

2011-04-25T14:07:00.000+01:00

25 apr 2011

alo, cambio, nene

- vida - ferias - vinda- medos - belezas - viagem - sol - memorias - saudades - familia - ida - mar - amor - tristeza - brisa - areia - alegrias - contatos - gargalhadas - mae - paz - encontros - despedidas

cambio,

e aguardo sinal para cafe feliz,

saudosa maroca

in an easter state of mind (?)

2011-04-24T23:45:00.034+01:00

24 apr 2011

Easter Mass at St Edmund's Church, 24 apr 2011

i went to the Easter Mass today at 11am at St Edmund's Church, my local Catholic church, which is a 7-minute walk from where i live. i have been alone for about four days now. this has made me enter into an introspective mode, sometimes it is as if i am not here. at church today it was clear to me that my mind was elsewhere. it was quite intriguing and fascinating to observe myself becoming distracted from the Father's sermon and everything else that was going on around me. i felt as if i were in a bubble, isolated from the other people from church, and my thoughts had only room for my brother Venicio, who is in brazil.

every time i visit a historical place, an old building, an old church (any new church around?), or i see any important piece of art i think of venicio and my thinking is that he should be there in my place. i must say i appreciate art and history just as much, i really do, but am not as knowledgeable as he is regarding these things. this was the first excuse that came to my mind about my absence of mind at church, but in reality it goes beyond this obvious association. it is sunday Easter today and i feel sad for being alone and so far away from my family. venicio came to my mind only as a token for my connection with my family. he was sort of floating around in my thoughts for quite a while. parallel thoughts were of the many great easter days we've had as a family in brazil, there included spending the whole day together, eating the best food (always some cod made to an original portuguese recipe that my sister kassandra masters so well) plus the chocolate eggs and the warmth that cannot be translated into words. i am crying now. thank God i did not cry at church.

the venicio thinking was gone for a moment and i then thought i was doing good, for i had been there for a long while and still very patient and relaxed. what a strange state of mind. what happened to me? when we were to light our candles i lit mine and offered to light three other people's candles. for this i received some grateful and sweet smiles, from the three men i helped out plus two ladies. these were smiles that warmed up my heart.

i was not exactly back and forth in my 'elsewhere' mood, but i was never totally present to the church service today. towards the end of the mass the Father said everyone would go home with an Ester egg, which was to be distributed on our way out. my heart jumped and i thought to myself: 'life is fair afterall'. i felt like going home at that very moment. nobody gave me an easter egg this year, which is not bad at all, truth be told. i was at once filled with hope, anyway. my hopes did not last long. on my way out i shoke hands with the Father, who said 'Happy Easter'. he had a basket with some small easter eggs in it. i asked for mine and he said i would have to be wearing shorts to have one. he should have made it clear the eggs were meant for the kids only. i felt like saying, 'nice to meet you, my name is frustration.' it was kinda obvious that the church could not give eggs to everyone, as we were such a crowd. whatever! i decided i deserved easter eggs and bought myself one from nestle and one from guylian, the belgian chocolate.

i came home and cooked and ate, but i don't want to write about it now. the day is finished and it was nice that in the afternoon i went for a walk at the common and it helped me relax. my walks at the common are magic. after the walk i was sitting on a bench for a while. there was a funfare at the park today, together with the predictable crowd it always attracts, especially in a gorgeous spring day like today. i am now in a scarlet o'hara mood: 'tomorrow is another day'. but i am fine, much better than it may look like from the post. i called brazil and spoke with my mom, my sister kassandra and my nephew joaquim. i tried to reach venicio but his landline phone might be out of order or something. well, couldn't find my brother who occupied my thinking today at church. i feel ready for the coming week.

how was your Easter? how have you been these past days? please, tell me tell me :-)

partout

2011-04-22T23:08:00.028+01:00

22 apr 2011

what are you doing this day? if it is a beautiful, sunny, spring day, i would like to have a barbecue at the park; but i will be just as happy to carry on with my immense load of work at home and (fair enough) have a pint at the end of the day. it might not make sense to go to the office because it will be an official holiday and the office might be sort of empty, which is not at all appealing to me.

as for the Royal couple, Prince Williams and Kate Middleton, hope they have a wonderful day and a fantastic and long life together, always with renewed joy, peace, good health, love, and enchantement. the most important bit i think is that they learn not to be (so) bothered by the insatiable press, or whatever is on their way. making a marriage work out is a lot of work already.

cheers to love!!! cheers to William & Kate!!!

happy easter!

2011-04-21T16:02:00.019+01:00

about yesterday, 20 apr 2011

the italian restaurant la margherita, by the town quay marina was a perfect choice for our Easter meal. mike went to wales today and for this reason we decided to celebrate it before he left. we had pasta, wine, a delicious dessert, and a beautiful view of the water as our table was by the window. so inspiring. . .

switzerland - uk, flying back home

2011-04-16T14:50:00.000+01:00

about mon 11 apr 2011

public transportation in switzerland (or in the cities i have been to and used them) is punctual, modernised, and the service is excellent; but too expensive. the way it is planned makes it very easy for a novice in town to use the service, because it is very well sign posted. they have trams!!! i love the trams, especially the very old ones, like the ones i saw in vienna.

well well but time arrived for me to fly back home to the uk and there we were again on the road. fran took me back to the airport of geneva and stayed until the very last minute she could before i had to go to my departure gate, which was B34. the airport in geneva is small and it all went smooth and easy, despite the long queue for security control. they have a passport control there, too. went through all these and got to my gate, ready to fly, very happy for the unforgetable trip. i flew swiss, and was pleased with this excellent airline.

i had bought a ticket to travel back from heathrow to southampton with national express at 6.30pm, as i knew my flight was scheduled to arrive in london at 4.05, and the time we spend there until we get our luggage is unpredictable. i was so lucky everything went again so smooth i got to the airport central bus station in time to get the 4.30 coach to southampton. i went to the coach platform and handed my ticket to the driver: 'your ticket is for the 6.30 bus. i can't take you.' he said
'why not? oh please take my in your bus'.
'no, i can't. you'll have to wait for your coach.'
i insisted: 'really? you can take me in your coach now.' i knew the bus was nearly empty. the driver asked to wait aside for 10 minutes and then he would see if he could help me. i said 'yes, i'll wait here and you please don't forget me.'
less than three minutes later he turned to me and said 'come on, love.'
you can imagine my grateful smile to the man. i was in southampton about 6.45. yes!!!

switzerland: nyon

2011-04-15T20:58:00.007+01:00

about sunday 10 apr 2011

after montreux didier, fran and i visited Nyon. nyon is a beautiful city 25 kilometers from geneva. its population is of about 19,000, and it is located between lausanne and geneva. it is very close to cheserex, where fran and didier live. fran goes to work in geneva monday to friday through nyon, where she gets the train.

beautiful and cultural city, again, with much history to it. because the days have been sunny there are lots of people everywhere. no one wants to stay indoors when there is the light of the sun. i like it very much. we walked around and had a drink at a bar, of course, outdoors. they have a jazz festival in nyon every year. fran told me you have to be very clever to get tickets to the concerts because they are sold out shortly after they are made available.

the signs.

switzerland: montreux & cooking

2011-04-15T19:11:00.041+01:00

about sunday 10 april 2011

l'amour au bord du leman
one more thing about montreux i would like to share here: the countless couples who spend hours by the lake, some in silence, some chatting, some cuddling, some eating, some dreaming, all in love.

le plat du jour
we went back home and to eat le plat du jour. it was a very sophisticated grilled lamb with mushroom sauce and risoto and vegetables on the side, all prepared by my dear fran. the woman knows the tricks! red wine to help taste the banquet and to spice up our chat.

fondant au chocolat was the dessert. God save my soul for i have been in sin. amem!

switzerland: montreux

2011-04-15T15:02:00.011+01:00

about sunday 10 apr 2011
it took me long to decide on the few photos from the trip to montreux to post here. the whole trip, the amazing cities we passed by on our way to montreux and the city itself are incredibly charming and beautiful. oh, so beautiful! yes, nature was generous to switzerland. i will now post the photos here so that they translate a bit what i experienced on the 10th of april with my friend fran and her husband didier:
- a taste of the place where the famous music festival has happened for decades - beautiful people - a gorgeous sunny day - breathtaking mountains - a long and relaxing walking by lac leman - and some refreshing ice cream to wrap up. what a trip!!!

this is the Nestle head office. we passed by it on the way to Montreux.

the Grand Hotel du Lac is very charming. it is close to Lac Leman in Montreux.

view from the car. getting to the lake front we can already appreciate the swiss alps.

people everywhere enjoying the sunny day. one of the cafes by the lake front.

fancy a boat ride?

these flats face the lake. i sent out the papers to rent one for the summer.

Fran is an old and very good friend of mine. we probably met around 1992, when i started working at yazigi as an english teacher. she taught french there. she had already lived in switzerland as a young girl with her aunt raimunda. she has now been living in switzerland for a good number of years, but every time she went back to brazil and i was there we got together. we have followed up on the events of our lives all this time. she has three kids: martina, who lives in geneva and studies law, and igor and gabriela, who are now living in brazil. i had a great time catching up with my friend and travelling around with her and her adorable husband, didier. martina is doing great and speaks an impecable french. fran and didier live in cheserex - in a lovely and large apartment - with didier's two boys from his previous marriage.

music: simone felice in winchester

2011-04-14T22:56:00.019+01:00

about yesterday, 13 apr 2011

last night mike, johnny, and i went to see simone felice's show at the railway in winchester. there are always nice gigs at this venue. felice's show was organised by oliver, a friend of mike's. it was my third time at the venue with mike. the show happened in the room upstairs that could fit 80 people, and was sold out. it was really very good. why is it that the artist sounds so different in a show from when we listen to him in a cd? we went to winchester listening to felice's music, but the presence of the great artist was fantastic. (what an obvious observation). simone felice is a young man who already had an open heart surgery. this was last summer, as he told us in the show. we were sitting at the front row, very close to him, and got to give him a hug afterwards. cool! before the show he sat for a little while in the sofa reading this book of his, called "black Jesus". when the concert was finished he remained at the venus autographing the book. mike bought one for himself.

switzerland: road and street signs

2011-04-13T17:39:00.001+01:00

about switzerland 8 - 11 apr 2011

can anyone please tell me why i like road and street signs so much? wherever i go i take photos of those things all the time. i like it in switzerland as they give some information about the person who the road is named after. don't miss out the road sign in both french and german: Lausannegasse. how cool is it?

switzerland: fribourg & cooking

2011-04-13T16:19:00.009+01:00

about saturday 9 april 2011

after the moleson mountain in gruyeres we visited this beautiful city called fribourg. i think all cities in switzerland are beautiful. on the way to fribourg we again passed by some small towns driving throught the perfectly paved swiss roads. in fribourg we walked around town, sat by a cafe where didier and fran had coca cola and i had two cups of tea, one of green and one of verbena tea to fight a massive headache i had.

as i had predicted, the tea saved my day. we walked around to appreciate the day, the many people in the streets, mostly because of the good weather, and the old buildings of the city and the spring flowers already blossoming everywhere. the photos will never be capable of showing the real beauty of any place. just like life itself, to feel the taste and the colours, one has to travel and interact with the atmosphere. when we travel we see so much more than can be registered in a photograph or in a blog entry. in other words, life cannot be that manageable, it cannot be all expressed in words or images, it is to be lived, experienced; and from each one's experience different colours may be reported. i just started thinking now about the point in posting photos and trying to say words which i feel are not enough or fully truthful to what i saw. here again i need to face limitations and work around them.

when we got back home fran decided to cook a special dinner for us: salmon with spinach and feta cheese in a puff pastry wrap. it goes in the oven for about 25 minutes and then you need to grill it. on top of the big wrap she poured a curry sauce. on the side we had rice. and wine. it was soooo good! it is all very easy to do.

for dessert we prepared this apple pie, but to be eaten tomorrow only. fran taught to cook those things. she is such a talented and creative cook. she is also well organised and does a lot in quite a short time. i was much impressed.

switzerland: le moleson mountain, gruyeres

2011-04-13T15:47:00.005+01:00

about saturday 9 april 2011

didier, fran, and i went to moleson mountain, in gruyeres, the city of the cheese with the same name. again it was a beautiful spring day. we went up in a nice and modern telepheric. we stayed up there for nearly two hours, appreciating the breathtaking landscape. the swiss alps are really very special. moleson mountain is also a good option for skiing.

there weren't many people around that day and the restaurant was actually closed. we didn't care. all we wanted was to appreciate nature and take photos, many photos. on the way to the city of gruyeres we pass by so many beautiful little towns. we also see many vinyards along the road. what a beauty switzerland is! it is a highly organised country, where everything is planned to happen and to remain orderly. it is unbelievably expensive, too. but the point here is the unforgetable beauty of the alps and the peace we experience up in the mountains.

switzerland: geneva at night

2011-04-12T16:01:00.001+01:00

about friday 8 april 2011

as i said in the last post, i got off the bus, met with fran and went back to the 'missao brasileira', where she works. it is a brazilian diplomatic mission in geneva. there we ate our food: i had quinoa salad and a slice od salmon pizza. my food was very good. she had a tomato and cheese with basil salad and chicken. it was about 5pm and we were hungry from a long day.

we left the 'missao do brasil' later on and walked again around other parts of the city and through different parks. it felt great to be in a safe place where you can just walk wherever and be certain the chances of having something bad (violence) to happen to you are very slim. well, i even played this giant chess at the park. geneva is just as beautiful at night. i love the night lights and to see life taking another pace. we walk still a lot until we got to cuba cafe. it is the place fran and didier had their second date. *memories*. we went with some light drinks; i tried passion fruit beer - very very good. i also had panache, called shandy here in the uk, it is a mix of carbonated lemonade and beer. i had never had in the uk and really like the drink. it gives the beer a special taste and i suspect it might make it easier for some people who are not so fond of beer to have it, because the taste of the carbonated lemonade plays a trick.

two other brazilian girls joined us for the night. aparecida, from bahia - brazil, is married to a spaniard, had two kids and has been living in switzerland for ten years. luciene, from rio de janeiro, is married to a swiss man and has a 2-year old boy. she two has been living in switzerland for ten years. luciene was driving and stayed at cuba cafe for a while and chatted and chatted and chatted about so many things.

then we were headed for this brazilian / latino party happening at 'paquis', a neighbourhood in geneva. part of the way we did on a tram and got to a car park for luciene's car. at the party i was amazed: i had never seen such a massive concentration of brazilians in one single space abroad in my life. i had no idea they were that many in switzerland. we stayed there until nearly 2am. the music was great and inviting to dance, but i was really very tired at that point. on the way back home i fell asleep in the car. they all live in cities very close to geneva. luciene drove us all home. what a start!!!

switzerland: first great impressions

2011-04-12T15:12:00.002+01:00

about friday 8 april 2011

and now i start finally posting about my fantastic trip to switzerland. i need to say it has been very difficult to choose which photos to post because they are so many great photos.

initial trip costs
£ 18.50 return national express coach ticket southampton - heathrow; heathrow - southampton
£ 119.00 return ticket to switzerland: flying swiss, heathrow - geneva; geneva - heathrow. the ticket included health and baggage insurance

i left southampton in the 1.30am coach to london heathrow terminal 1. my flight was at 7.30am. at the geneva airport the immigration lady asked if i spoke any french, 'parlez-vous francais?' to which i responded 'un peu', and added (using finger gestures) 'je reste ici trois jours'. right away she asked: 'et apres?' i said that after the three days i was going to return to england, where i live and am a phd student, more or less like this: 'apres je rentre a angleterre, ou je suis une etudiante de phd'. the woman opened a wide smile, and stamped my passport. i smiled back and left.

my dear friend fran was waiting for me at the arrival gate. big hugs and greetings and we took the bus to city. first stop was at manor, this immense department store with whatever you may want (i suppose). there we had a fantastic breakfast at the terrace area, as it was a sunny and nice day. then we walked around town for about four hours and i saw a lot about geneva: the banks, the expensive shops, the beautiful streets, the commercial area, the 'jet d'eau', a book fair, the amazing geneva flower clock and so much more around leman lake.

we walked to a square where lots and lots of people were sitting at the cafes enjoying the beautiful day. we were there for a while. i had diet coke and fran had panache, a drink which is beer mixed with carbonated lemonade, called shandy in the uk. very nice. the streets and the old buildings look so nice in this very expensive city. i photographed the court of justice. after the cafe we walked to a park where there just another bunch of people on the grass relaxing, eating, or sleeping. we stayed there for quite a long time talking about life. fran and i had some nice, honest and serious conversations about brazil, europe, family, longing, and the gains and loss we are faced with every time we make choices in life.

but fran had to go to work and martina come to meet up with us. again martina showed me other parts of geneva and we ended up going to her apt. martina is fran's 22-year-old daughter. he is a law student in geneva and a very kind and responsible girl. when we got to her place i took a shower, which made me feel renovated for the many hours of fun yet to come still on friday.

martina and i left her apt and stopped by manor again to buy some food for me and for fran. she then took me to the bus stop and told me exactly where i show get off on my way to fran's job, where she'd be waiting for me by the gas station. i was at first scared and feared i wasn't going to be able to go on my own, but i took careful note of all the stops the bus had until my own. i entered the bus from the front door and spoke with the bus driver and asked him to help me out with this. he said 'fine' (in french). i started checking the stops' names and felt calm as everything was very clear and organised. half way through we had fiscalization in the bus. you don't show anybody that you have paid to ride the bus unless there is the visit of a fiscal. voila! they were five coming all together to the bus. a guy asked me for my ticket, which i showed to him, and i was fine. fran had bought a day rover. i got off at my stop, crossed the road towards the gas station, and before i saw i heard fran's voices calling 'kalina'. yey!!!

back home from switzerland

2011-04-12T10:17:00.001+01:00

12 apr 2011

bon jour!
i got back home from Switzerland last night. it was an unforgetable four-day trip to visit my old time dear friend Francinete. yes, it was fantastic! the whole trip was so magic: from the endless and nice and relaxed chats with fran to the visit to the mountains and to some very beautiful cities in switzerland. fran and her husband Didier are great hosts. i had, to say the least, a memorable time with my friends. let's hope my load of work around here this week allows me some time to come post about some of the things we did together in detail. my facebook is already loaded with photos.

in a summer state of mind

2011-04-06T19:22:00.002+01:00

6 apr 2011

park across from civic centre public library - see the ice cream guy!

i have to say it has been an amazingly beautiful day with temperature between 15 and 18 degrees celsius. it is spring, but quite summerlike today. i am getting ready to go to switzerland for four days this coming friday 8 april and walked uptown this afternoon to sort out some things related to the trip such as getting some swiss money, buying my coach tickets to and from heathrow, and buying the presents to my hosts there.

i left home at about 1:30pm and went straight to have lunch at supreme, the chinese restaurante and had the same old dish: wonton noodle soup. it seems like my eyes only see it iin the menu. i also had a portion of dumplings. they were all really good, but i am thinking of sort of learning to cook the soup because i think i could spend less money then. when i got to supreme it was 2pm. after that i went to the tourism office to get some souvenirs to my friend. then, national express for my coach tickets. after that, i walked up to london road. on my way to london road i passed (walked) by the park across from the civic centre public library (photo above) and saw that some people are today in summerlike mood. so nice! the ice cream guy wastes no time. things are rescheduled here if the day surprises us with a beautiful sunshine, which should always be appreciated. i love it, too.

at highfield campus, between the staff club and hartley library

happy happy me stopped by the post office at london road to get some swiss francs. i had a plan to go to uni to buy some uni coffee mugs for my friend but was not so sure i was doing it today. however :-) , as i left the post office there comes the U1A bus. i had no doubt and went to highfield. bought what i wanted from the shop, including some bottle water to refresh from the heat, and found these people, probably students and staff, by the grass. it is so relaxing, because it is a beautiful day, the sun is out there, but it is not super hot. i saw many other people sitting and eating outside and under the sun in some restaurants and cafes while walking in town. so summerlike! time has come for pimms, the english summer drink. i'll have one tonight. cheers!

six plus two

2011-04-05T23:50:00.010+01:00

5 apr 2011

and listening to radio 6 and eating salmon with roast potatoes and drinking south african wine followed by sticky toffee pudding with double cream for dessert they celebrated, at his place, eight (six plus two, or six plus one plus one) months together.

very interesting that the guy from radio six tells stories about manchester and the pubs all that coincide with the pubs mike used to frequent during his uni years there. they both went to uni at the same time.

note: the real day is the 3rd, but he was away for the weekend in wales.

getting things done

2011-04-04T23:44:00.003+01:00

4 apr 2011

the common - photo taken yesterday 3 apr 2011 - the joyful first days of spring

sometimes i think a situation is so difficult i need much time to prepare myself before i face it, in a way that i will, yes, succeed. today was the day to turn last weeks’ plans into practice. i thought i would feel fear and really have the hardest time even getting to the place, and doubted my skills to express myself although i was so certain of what i want to say. i considered postponing it, as i have done to a good amount of difficult situations in my life, and wait for some confidence to come to me from elsewhere. i even tried the pottery painting course to spend the next hours and therefore be distracted from thinking about the issue of the day, but they close on mondays. was it another sign that i was meant to face the music? yes, today was definitely the day and i looked in the very inside of myself and saw a determined woman, with nothing to fear and a decision which had no reason to be put on hold. it was I who did everything, with the priceless help of my cousin Eduardo, with whom i talked for over two hours last night. i am the woman who today took a very significant towards freedom, the freedom of my soul.

e tal e coisa

2011-04-04T08:46:00.000+01:00

4 apr 2011

From: hxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.com
To: kalinasaraiva@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Leitora do seu Blog
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:49:32 +0000

heheheh eita que lindo, fia. Bendita essa Clara, porque nada como uma voz real pra nos dar a nocao de quem alguem nos le, ne nao? E eh muito bom saber que eu tinha razao.....como sempre hehehe

From: kalinasaraiva@hotmail.com
From: hxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.com
Subject: FW: Leitora do seu Blog
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:07:06 +0300

passando o recado ai, viu?

Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:25:22 +0100
Subject: Re: Leitora do seu Blog
From: cxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.com
To: kalinasaraiva@hotmail.com

Kalina,

Agradeca por mim a sua amiga que deu a ideia de vocer escrever um blog, ela tinha razao :)

Acho que escrever e um dom que faz muito bem, nao tenho um blog, mas escrevo em um diario, isso vem me ajudando muito.

Sempre que posso vou a Londres, no momento nao estou trabalhando mas de vez enquanto to lar para me encontrar com amigos ou com meu esposo.

Eu nao tenho amigos da terrinha do sol aqui, voce e a primeira :)

xeru
Clara

2011/3/29 Kalina Lima

Oi Clara,

mais uma vez, muito legal seu email. parece que o mundo pequeno eh pesquisado mesmo por muita gente. tenho varios acessos de gente que chega por la.

pois eh, eu escrevo em ingles ou portugues, depende do que sinto vontade e do que aconteceu. os textos vem em ingles mais naturalmente quando eu falo de coisas que vivi em ingles,mais ou menos isso. um blog eh um espaco do ego, basicamente. acho que foco principal eh eu mesma, e o registro das minhas coisas. eu comecei o blog por insistencia de uma amiga que dizia que eu tinha que escrever, e num blog, e que seria otimo, e por ai eu comecei. no comeco meio defensiva e sem me expor. hoje nao me importo muito e sinto que escrever traz um resultado otimo pra minha vida. eu ja sempre escrevi muito. . . no blog ou nao. ate trouxe alguns textos de emails que tinha escrito falando daqui pro meu povo no brasil. eu gosto de registrar o que faco, isso me ajuda um pouco a organizar minhas coisas, eu acho. entao acho que todo leitor eh super bem-vindo, mas nao tenho um foco particular, eh qualquer pessoa interessada em ler sobre as coisas variadas que escrevo.

no momento to querendo melhorar o visual do blog e inserir alguma coisas, mas nao sei como fazer isso. uma hora da certo. . .

vc tem amigos de teresina ou do piaui em londres? e em outros paises da europa?

pois eh, qq dia a gente se encontra, em qualquer lugar que de certo. voce vai sempre a londres londres?

beijo e nos falamos
Kalina

Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:08:24 +0100
Subject: Re: Leitora do seu Blog
From: cxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.com
To: kalinasaraiva@hotmail.com

Kalina,

Obrigada pela resposta rapida.

Eu sou leitora recente, encontrei seu blog no site Mundo Pequeno, o que mais atrai e deve atrair quem ler o seu blog eh cotidiano

aqui na Inglaterra, como as pessoas se comportam, o que voce come, as cidades, temperatura....Sim pelos seus post voce da uma otima ideia de como e a vida aqui isso e otimo, quanto ao escrever em ingles isso depende mesmo de que voce quer "atingir" sao pessoas fluentes em ingles? sao brasileiros que falam ingles? sao brasileiros morando na Inglaterra? sao brasileiros morando no Brasil?.

Eu por exemplo se tivesse encontrado seu blog em 2009 quando comecei a saga Brasil- Inglaterra nao iria me interessar em seu blog, nao porque voce nao tem textos interessantes, e sim pelo motivo de ser escrito em ingles, porque naquela epoca meu ingles era fraco e nao ia entender e iria optar por um blog que falasse em portugues.

Eu pessoalmente continuo preferindo os blog em portugues, pq? pela a saudade do bom portugues, nao tenho muita oportunidade de falar em portugues a nao ser pelo msn com meus pais e amigos. O que aguca minha curiosidade e saber como uma brasileira(o) vive aqui na inglaterra, e como ela/ele escreve no sotaque daquele seu particular estado ou cidade, mas que mesmo voce nao sendo desta mesma cidade ou estado voce entende porque voce eh brasileiro. Para mim blogs de brasileiros aqui sao um refugio para ler coisas que acontecem aqui mais em portugues, o univo blog que leio em ingles e o seu, gosto do seu jeito humorado de escrever um post que eu sorri muitooo foi "Por causa de uma abobrinha" nossa achei a cartas que voce escreveu e que sua amiga tao inteligente a forma que voce usam a lingua de forma formal, para contar uma estoria engracada :)

Concordo as vezes tudo eh tao facil e gostoso aqui, mas outras vezes a saudade torna as coisas um pouco dificies...

Ja ouvi falar em Southampton, mas nunca fui ai, muito obrigada pelo convite, essa sera uma otima oportunida para conhecer a cidade e voce, no momento nao sei quando posso lhe visitar porque meus finais de semana estao sendo consumidos por DIY.

Vixe ja to escrevendo quase um livro me desculpe.

Muito bom ter o seu contato, ja anotei seu numero e vou adiciona-la no meu msn :) para continuarmos em contato

xeru
Clara

2011/3/29 Kalina Lima

eita, mas que email simpatico, Clara

muito obrigada por me escrever. adorei! desde quando voce le o blog? como chegou a ele? das coisas que eu escrevo, do que voce mais gosta? pelos posts eu dou uma ideia da vida por aqui? fiquei curiosa de ter a opiniao de uma leitora que nao me conhece pessoalmente. por favor me fale mais um pouco sobre suas impressoes sobre o blog. eu escrevo mais em ingles. o que voce acha disso?

tudo em paz por aqui.

eu escrevo e fico pensando que o povo sabe na hora de onde sou direitinho. no meu perfil fala que sou do nordeste. nao escrevi um monte pra nao espantar o leitor :-) mas me sinto do nordeste em geral. meus pais sao cearenses, eu morei muitos anos em fortaleza, e eu nasci em campo maior e morei muito anos em teresina, onde hoje tenho minha base de vida estruturada.

voce sabe que eu moro em Southampton, nao eh? nao eh longe de londres. eu estudo aqui, faco PhD, entao, tenho mais ou menos data marcada pra ir embora. aas vezes eh tudo uma delicia por aqui, aas vezes da um cansaco grande. acho que voce ja viu isso nos meus posts.

ah, nao sei se voce notou, mas aas vezes eu faco post de muito tempo atras. jornal com noticia de ontem, pode ser? hehehe

gostaria sim de encontrar com voce, conversar mais e tal e coisa. hehehe

meu telefone eh 0xxxxxxxxxx e meu msn eh kalinasaraiva@hotmail.com e meu skype eh kxxxxx

voce tambem ta convidade pra vir passar um dia ou um final de semana comigo e eu te mostro por aqui. como vai sua vida? o que voce faz ai? londres eh uma cidade cara pra se viver, nao eh clara?

abraco grande e saiba que foi uma surpresa feliz encontrar seu email hoje de manha,
Kalina

Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 22:27:16 +0100
Subject: Leitora do seu Blog
From: cxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.com
To: kalinasaraiva@hotmail.com

Hey Kalina

Como voce esta?
Sou uma leitora do seu nice blog.

Comecei a ler o seu blog pelo curiosidade de saber a vida de uma brasileira morando na Inglaterra, mas para a minha grata surpresa descobrir em seu blog que voce eh de TERESINA (ebaaa), eu sou de Teresina tambem quer dizer nasci em cidade do Maranhao, pequena fui morar no Para e aos 17 ans fui fazer faculdade na terrinha do sol, influencia da minha mae que eh piauiense :)

A um ano e poucos meses moro em Londres, me casei com um ingles, larguei meu emprego na TV Clube e me mandei para morar com esse inglesinho que conquistou meu coracao :)

Quando comecei a ler um de seus posts vi que voce escrevia e tals, (eu falo e tals, tb), pensei comigo "ah talvez em outros estados pessoas tambem usam e tals" rsrsr foi ai que vi uma foto sua no aeroporto de Teresina, e descobri que voce e tambem da terrinha do sol, fiquei muito feliz em saber que voce e de la e ver suas fotos e posts falando sobre Teresina, me senti la....
Se um dia voce estiver por Londres e quizer falar um pouco no sutaque Piauies entra em contato comigo, sera otimo conhecer voce pessoalmente meu celular e 0xxxxxxxxx.

xeru
Clarianne (Clara)

mother's day

2011-04-03T18:29:00.001+01:00

3 apr 2011

it is Mother's Day here today. in brazil it is only on the second sunday of may. i called my mom anyway and said 'happy mother's day' to her. restaurants offer a special menu and some families book a table to have a happy (and expensive) meal at these restaurants. this advert if from the cowherds, one of my favorite pubs, ever, which happens to be located two-minute walk from where i live. it was for a good while my number one; but now considering that i have been to many other pubs in town it is still quite good, but i can be happy there as well as in other places. mike and i went to a great pub the other day in shirley. oh pubs. how good am i to write about it? well well, i am entitled to my own impressions, right? i want them. but the point is that the post was supposed to be about mother's day.

happy thursday

2011-03-31T23:55:00.002+01:00

31 mar 2011

a good break in mid week with a nice chat at the south western arms. cheers!

U2B: civic centre - home

2011-03-31T17:00:00.003+01:00

31 mar 2011

note: i've already written a little bit about things that happen in a bus, but from now on i will write about specific bus trips i take, or underground or whatever, i mean, about what i see here while using public transportation. this idea of dealing with the topic in this 'organized' way was inspired by karen's kafka na praia. i love her posts about her bus trips.

today i walked to city to collect my new pair of glasses and took the bus back home. for lunch at supreme, had the usual won ton noodle soup and a portion of dumplings. it was good but i’ll buy myself some dumplings from the chinese supermarket, for the sake of saving up some money and eating more dumplings.

on my way home, about 2pm, i saw the bus from inside Matalan, and i ran not to miss it. the bus driver was, as many times they are, smiley and polite. because I had to stay a while in the bus before it actually left (if only I had known I wouldn’t have run) i decided to find myself a seat this time. for most of the trips I just stand in the bus, cause it is not a long one. i live in the uni halls; so, I am exempted from paying for the bus fee. all i need to do is to swipe my student card in the bus card reader. handy, huh!

looking around me i spot two passengers having their (official) meal. Lunch here is only a sandwich for many people, especially for the English. this one guy, accompanied by girl is talking to her and eating at the same time, using the same hand he might have just used to access the bus and maybe to get money to pay for the bus. I look and see this girl eating little pieces of something from a supermarket bag. I wonder how hygienic this is. Neither the guy nor the girl looks at the food. Why do I find it strange? Do we look at the food as we eat it? I think I do sometimes, but maybe not always, especially when I am entertained with any other activity, but my food and i are always clean. that’s for sure.

right behind me there is a young guy who talks loudly with this friend of his who is now in the bus in a language I cannot understand or identify. it sounds eastern european. a variety of languages is a constant in the bus.

". . . a caminhar cantando . . ."

2011-03-30T10:05:00.000+01:00

30 mar 2011

nota: recebi da minha maroquinha querida Hilra essas lindas linhas por email:

Nene, cabei de ler isso no rodape de um email que recebi e achei a tua cara!!! mais perfeito nao poderia ser:

"Não, não tenho caminho novo.
O que tenho de novo é o jeito de caminhar.
Aprendi (o caminho me ensinou)
a caminhar cantando
como convém a mim
e aos que vão comigo",
Thiago de Mello

walking around lovely Winchester, UK with Mike, 06 feb 2011

getting to charming Lymington, UK with Mike 27 feb 2011

amazing sunset at Hatchet Pond, New Forest, UK with Mike 27 feb 2011

film: submarine

2011-03-29T14:01:00.015+01:00

from yesterday, 28 mar 2011

submarine
Director : Richard Ayoade
Producer : Mary Burke, Mark Herbert, Andy Stebbing
Screenwriter : Richard Ayoade
Starring : Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Gemma Chan

yesterday mike and i saw this great film at harbour lights. set in Wales, Submarine, adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s novel, is Richard Ayoade’s debut as a film director. the film is a funny, romantic, and truthful portrait of teenage life in the 1980s in Britain, when we had no computers, social networks or mobile phones between us and contacts were mostly done in person and or by landline phones. this alone gives the film a particular charm. i saw the other day an interview on tv Ayoade and the main actor, Craig Roberts.

Oliver Tate’s (Craig Roberts) plans are to lose his virginity to his outspoken school sweetheart Jordana (Yasmin Paige); and to save his parents’ marriage. the schoolboy is more educated by his books than by his parents. From the beginning of the film Oliver reminded me of Salinger’s Holden Caulfield. i love the scene in which he gives Jordana three books: one by Nietzsche, one by Shakespeare, and Salinger’s ‘the catcher in the rye’. the books are the synthesis and the very essence of his thinking, I suppose. Oliver’s Dad (Noah Taylor) is a depressed marine biologist and his mother, Jill, (the great Sally Hawkings – see her also in Made in Dagenham) a frustrated civil servant who finds herself trying to be back to an old times’ relationship with her first love (Paddy Considine).

the film has made me laugh and feel light and delighted by the fantastic interpretations and use of colours and some special effects, like when Oliver is in his bed after Jordana breaks up with him and his bed is transplanted to the ocean.

photography is great. the effects and the colours give the impression that it is not a low budget / independent film. Carefully and creatively planned, Submarine is unique, lively, witty, and also about human pain and truth. it is delightful entertainment. i highly recommend it.

exercising with david cameron

2011-03-28T09:14:00.001+01:00

28 mar 2011

i just saw at the 'breakfast news' on bbc 1, this very first news programme of the day i watch nearly every day, an interview with a personal trainer talking about the way Prime Minister David Cameron runs. they showed footages of the Mr Cameron running with his fellows and the trainer made comments on how wrongly he is running and he should run instead. apparently Mr Cameron is tense, which affects his running in an obvious negative way. they also pointed out the fact that if we today witness such an important person to the country exercising it does send out the message 'go and exercise you, too. it is important'. the personal trainer emphasised that people do not realise how much exercising affects our decisions we make daily. i feel like going for a nice walk at the common now, but i'll leave it for later on, when i leave the house for other things, too. one nice image from the minister exercising is the contact with nature. breathing pure air is so invigorating.

my fruitful friday

2011-03-26T12:16:00.025Z

about yesterday, 25 mar 2011

last night, talking with mike i realised i had an unexpectedly productive day. i was if truth be told not expecting that much because i have been slow lately. here is the report:

1. 7 – 8 am: started off the day having breakfast with mike, a good start . . .

2. 1.45pm: sent out an abstract to the Bloomsbury conference. I was freaking out and did fear not meeting the deadline, which was today. hurray!!! can’t really tell how pleased I was to manage something that may be just a simple task, something I have made so many times, but that has been a struggle for the past few months.

3. 2.30: met up for coffee at trago lounge with diana and sue. topics of the day: (a) how we relate to our families back home, how much we miss them, how much support we receive and give them, how much we tell or hide from them, . . . and (b) cosmetic surgery. it is a big thing in brazil, I know. it is not so big in romania, diana said, but it is a hot topic in south korea. so, sue was the one to do most of the talk. here are some facts about cosmetic surgery in korea: - yes, many loads of boys and girls do the eyes in search of a more westernised look; - they do it so often and ordinarily they don’t even call it ‘plastic surgery’, it is rather referred to as ‘make up’; - people place big time value on their looks, even professionally speaking; - girls may undergo ‘make up’ for a job interview; and finally that korean surgeons have a reputation of being highly skilled.

4. about 4.10: did some shopping at waitrose and was – surprise surprise – again excellent managing my time and doing all I wanted, I mean, buying all I needed to cook the dinner for later on.

5. about 5pm: got back home. waited for the U1C bus for more than 20 minutes. got back home and cooked dinner for me and mike. this time the cooking took me no more than two hours. such a success I hadn’t thought I would achieve because the first time I cooked it took me the whole day, not counting the trips to supermarkets and hours to decide on a menu. well, menu of the day: ‘summer in winter chicken’ (chicken on a pesto sauce with crème fraiche and basil; chicken with cream and parmesan and another cheese; - rice; dessert: blueberries and strawberries in a bowl with cream. English tea to drink. am very pleased mike enjoy the food very much. finished with eating mike helped me do the dishes. Four hands can be do so much more than just two. amazing!!!

6. about 9:10pm: we went to bellemoor tavern, in hill lane, shirley. It was to meet up with maudie, her friend aidan, jc, marie, and warren. I liked the pub: spacious and with a good menu for food, and good price; but we have drinks only. people here don’t drink and eat much. I had two glasses of wine, which helped me relax.

7. about 11.45: we took another taxi back home, to mike's place; and finished up the day in good hands / arms. . .

the writing class & i love japan

2011-03-21T22:36:00.003Z

21 mar 2011

my great writing class and takuya with the British Red Cross money box for Japan.

today was the last day for my 'writing your master's dissertation' class, group 1. we had a general of the points dealt with throughout the course and also talked about real samples of referencing, paraphrasing, note-takinh, and data collection instruments: a semi structured interview and a questionnaire. i will miss this great, participative group. wish them all the best of luck and inspiration for their dissertation.

one of the class students, takuya brought this british red cross money box to collect money for the victims in japan. we all donated some money and i found his act noble. he is such a polite guy.

le plat du jour: salmon with thai sticky rice

2011-03-21T21:17:00.001Z

21 mar 2011

today i ate salmon again, this time with thai sticky rice, but cooked my own wrong way. i now need to get the cheese cloth to cook the thai rice properly, although it tasted fastastic this way. tea on the side and a piece of fruit for dessert. it is a banquet to me.

music: tea hodzic trio

2011-03-17T23:16:00.003Z

17 mar 2011

tea hodic trio at turner sims concert hall 17 mar 2011

tea hodzic trio is based in london and performed today here in Southampton, at the turner sims concert hall. Tea is originally from the Balkans, this region in central europe very much marked with ethnic, religious, and political conflicts: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, plus the autonomous provinces within Serbia: Kosovo and Vojvodina. Tea left former Yugoslavia long ago to establish in london and her trio plays folk music from the balkans. it was very interesting to listen to this music and to observe the trio with a repertoire filled with songs that talked about beautiful girls. Oliver, the violen player who is originally Welsh, said there are no ugly in the balkans, as a joke or course. Luke, from london, plays the accordeon sooo beautifully. it had been very long since i last even saw an accordeon. i really loved to see tradition and history in every sound and tune.

Diana's mother is Serbian. she told her mom she was coming to the concert and her mom got so excited. diana bought mom a cd with the music from her heart. what a night! afterall it is always healing to be able to go back home, even if only in our souls.

i love japan

2011-03-17T15:16:00.014Z

17 mar 2011

Mariko came to the office today with this money box to collect help for Japan. it was a pity only Hee, (you can see her by her desk in the upper level) and I were at the office. this meant collection was not very significant, but we did our share to help the enormous crisis her country is experiencing these days.

it was actually a nice surprise to see the polite and (apparently) shy Mariko collect donations. way to go, girl! it is amazing how events may lead people to do unpredicted / unplanned things. it can be crucial to be able to negotiate and adjust, especially during difficult times.

le plat du jour: pasta with pesto sauce

2011-03-16T22:08:00.010Z

16 mar 2011

this dish of pasta with pesto sauce was very very good. this time i used fusili and penne, left overs of each that i still had in my cupboard. added some seastick and some basil to it. simple, quick, and delicious.

my optician's appointment

2011-03-16T22:02:00.003Z

16 mar 2011

mike: so did you go to your optician's appointment this morning?
kalina: oh yes i did.
mike: how was it?
kalina: i got there a little before 9 and was seen straight away. excellent service. yes the woman was very nice and i am pleased i went cause i'll have now the spare glasses in case the lens falls off again.
mike: how did you go? did you get the bus?
kalina: nope. i walked there. it is nice to walk to city here. guess what.
mike: you asked the woman to take your photo.
kalina: yes.
(both have big time laugh)
kalina: mike, how can people (some guys) be out on the streets wearing a t-shirt and not a single warmer jumper? it was seven degrees this morning.
mike: the hard guys.

note: the photo from the post i took myself. the lady took one, but i insisted and took another one, and decided to publish mine. yes, i am insatiable with photos.
here is how much i paid this morning at specsavers for my reading glasses: £ 151:

- £ 22 for eye test there included test for glaucoma and diabetes. the optician said my sight is great and my laser surgery was a success. thus i have nothing to worry about. she said my sight is so fine she did not think appropriate to make the prescription stronger. phew!
- £ 99 for two pairs of glasses. i got the frames slightly different.
- £ 30 for anti reflective lenses in one of the pair glasses.

so far so good and i am really pleased with both the service and the final price. i'll come round there this next monday to collect the glasses.

nature

2011-03-15T23:34:00.001Z

15 mar 2011

me - viktoria - mariko in oxford, uk. summer 2010

From: Kitazawa M.
Sent: 15 March 2011 14:33
To: Lima K.S.D.
Subject: RE: the news

Thanks a lot, Kalina. It's not a silly comment at all - I like your Brazilian female politician's comment! And I love your big, fluffy, and tropical hug.

Sorry that I was upset in the office. I've been unstable now. I'm fine most of the time but sometimes I just can't control my emotion...

Thanks again and talk to you soon.
Mariko

-----Original Message-----
From: Lima K.S.D.
Sent: 15 March 2011 12:30
To: Kitazawa M.
Subject: the news

My dear friend Mariko,

It's been a few days I've wanted to contact you but don't know exactly what to say about the terrible last events in your dear country. Mariko, I am truly profoundly sorry about everything and do hope your government, together with whatever aid that will come to them be able to recover from it.

And we ask ourselves 'why?'. In my ignorance I have no idea and only learned the word 'tsunami' a few years ago; I believe like you did. Well, this Brazilian female politician from the amazon forest says nature is like a woman: it can't protect itself, but it revenges. Sorry about the silly comment. Please ignore it if you want. I just wanted to put some silly thinking into it :-)

Accept my big, fluffy, and tropical hug. We are together in this difficult moment. And I promise i won't beep beep beep on your ears when you're around in the office.

Yours
Kalina

le plat du jour: salmon with bread

2011-03-14T23:11:00.001Z

14 mar 2011

le plat du jour today was this scrumptious salmon with flute bread, from waitrose. i love both dearly. the salmon is so practical. we buy them in baking bags (envelopes) that are sealed at the supermarket, we just place them in the hot oven for 20 minutes and voila! it is beautifully done. ideally the salmon could be eaten with roast potatoes or nice, but i neither have time for ~~complicated and time consuming~~ cooking nor did i feel like cooking more than the salmon requires. it was a fantastic meal. had tea on the side and no dessert. uhlala!

film: wasteland

2011-03-13T23:22:00.000Z

13 mar 2011

it is a pity this documentary about brazil will have on run only, this coming tuesday at harbour lights. wish i could come to see it.

tea for two

2011-03-12T22:49:00.001Z

12 mar 2011

i met with diana at trago lounge this afternoon for some coffee and chatting. as usual, we talked very long about both academic and personal life. . . then we went shopping in portswood road. diana is a great company for shopping and a friend i like very much. these days she almost never shows up at the office as she prefers to work from home. i think if you manage to be productive from home it is always a better option.

le plat du jour: pasta with pesto sauce

2011-03-10T20:03:00.000Z

10 mar 2010

today i prepared this delicious pasta with pesto sauce. very simple, basic, and quick. added some seastick and stirred fried prawns to it. it was really good. had it with green, and a nectarine for dessert.

new source of energy

2011-03-10T10:49:00.002Z

10 mar 2011

following a friend's suggestion i decided to try dates as a new source of energy and aid for my ~~frequent~~ spells of binge eating. i've always liked dates but hadn't seen them as a helper concerning my 'problem' of craving sweets and many times not resisting temptations. the dates are very nice and energizing. this box is nearly finished now and has indeed helped me some.

diverting at the cowherds

2011-03-09T23:45:00.009Z

9 mar 2011

i do love pubs and going to them with friends and chatting and eating and having a great time. yes, i do. always. however, although karla and i had a super great time at the cowherds today i am aware i should have gone somewhere else, to a place which could maybe keep me away from too much or unnecessary eating. typical example of what i do when i should be doing something else.

well well, regretting does not help. the chat with karlota was great and it was a decision we made together after the talk at uni. we deserve to treat ourselves good from time to time, right? for some food is tempting, for some a bore. for me it is most of the time irresistible.

six plus one

2011-03-03T23:48:00.003Z

3 mar 2011

. . . and listening to folk - country - blues - cajun music they celebrated seven (six plus one) months together at the platform pub . . .

as amarras e o movimento

2011-03-01T11:05:00.000Z

1 mar 2011

encontrei essa preciosidade no blog sindrome de estocolmo e acho que ela eh bem verdadeira.

le plat du jour: noodle soup

2011-02-23T23:45:00.017Z

23 feb 2011

i finally decided to cook myself something fresh tonight. after spending the whole day at home and having had ready made food for lunch i felt i could try out fresh food. for this chinese noodle soup i stirred fried shallots and garlic in basil infused olive oil. added vine tomatoes, a pinch of chilly, mustard, a veggetable cube and hot water. then i added the chinese noodle to the pan. when it was nearly ready i broke two egges into the soup. it tasted nice and i think i truly deserved the treat. for dessert i had two clementines and also drank a cup of tea.

i am still ill, with this allergy that is lingering on and on. i felt very very tired all day and once again i slept many hours during the day. hope to feel better soon.

le plat du jour: sweet and sour

2011-02-22T23:34:00.023Z

22 feb 2011

i had a busy day at uni today. lots to do and not enough time or good food to eat. i had something for lunch about 12.30 and then did not eat again until i had (highly salty) crisps right before i started teaching. got back home wondering about what to eat and hoping some magic solution awaited me home. these days i simply do not feel in the mood for cooking. i do not wish to cook anything. i have bought again some ready made food of which i am getting sick. well, because it was already getting late, past 10pm, i decided to have these clementines and kiwis. very healthy, huh! but these fruits taste so sour. i was not lucky this time at all in my choice with the fruits. i had to add up some honey to be able to eat them. it was fine in the end. i have been struggling with food and what to eat and what not to eat. tough days.

windows 7

2011-02-22T21:45:00.006Z

22 feb 2011

my reflection number one about my decision to go abroad for post graduate studies concerns the sad fact that i did not update myself with technology skills. oh my! have i been through tough times here!!! what for some is more toys and fun and resources for me is a new challenging programme. i keep looking for where to click to number pages, . . . . well well. . .
during these days of updating technology we have been getting emails about when and what they were going to do, including support to help us manage novelties. well, not quite. the scheduled training sessions were basically devoted to those having some specific difficulties, not for the ones with a (long) list of difficulties like myself.

le plat du jour: indian food

2011-02-18T23:06:00.046Z

18 feb 2011

foto 1: Mike, Maudie, JC's head, Murielle. foto 2: Mike's food. foto 3: the cuties.

today we had a busy night:
1. the platform pub for some drinks, from 8.30 to 9.15. the pub was so full. not certain it was because it was a friday night, but it was completely full. some of its walls are the original city walls. so cool!! i liked the atmosphere in the pub. there was also live music. well, everybody got there, we had to stand and drink as there were really no tables available for us to have a seat. by the way, i am not certain we would be allowed to sit. in many pubs you can only have a table if you order food. otherwise you have to stand, which many people do, or find some small table, i think. food there looked good, but we had other plans and were headed to
2. Coriander restaurant on high street, an indian restaurant. we walked about five minutes throught the gelid night. i was feeling dead cold. table reservation was for 9.15pm. we had to wait a little for our table as again the place was quite busy. i had mushroom rice and an indian chicken which i expected to be chilly free. nope! if you ever plan to eat at an indian restaurant be prepared for some fire even when they say there will be none. Mike had this variety of meats with rice and a delicious naan bread. i really loved his bread. we had baileys as digestive at the coriander and after dinner i believe it is a tradition amongst the Britons that they wrap up the night in another pub. yey! there we went to
3. the standing order, which is a pub just accros the road from the restaurant. there we stayed long and i wanted to go home. i was feeling tired and very cold because of this allergy that has been around and shown no plans to leave. Maudie was the first one to leave. that night i met two new friends of Mike's: Martin and the French chemist Murielle. we were a total of 10 people, with carefully planned table for 10: martin, murielle, mike, me, jc, marie, maudie, stephen, johnny, and warren. it was high time past midnight when we left the pub and went home. all the others still stayed there, but i believe pubs here close no later than 1am.

good morning, chilly february day

2011-02-17T09:19:00.001Z

17 feb 2011

yes, it is getting even colder despite my desire to say good bye to winter. i go through winter only hoping and because i know it will not last forever. some days it does feel like winter lasts forever. oh, no!

the uni lifesavers

2011-02-14T15:15:00.001Z

14 feb 2011

Thank you so very much, Paul.

You ARE such a life saver.
All the best to you,
Kalina

-----Original Message-----

From: ServiceLine [mailto: xxxxxx@soton.ac.uk]
Sent: 14 February 2011 10:01
To: Lima K.S.D.
Subject: RE: SERVICEXXXXXX: Resolved

[14/02/11] - Hello,

I have restored the "Articles for lit review" folder to a folder called 'restored' on your desktop.
Thank you
Paul

Details :
Ticket ID: SERVICEXXXXXX

Summary: BXX/ Post grad study room X UOS-XXXXX - Folder Deleted
Description:

Heeeelp!
Please can anyone help me out here.
I think in a click I deleted a folder from my desktop.
UOS XXXXXX is my computer. It is a folder with the articles for my PhD. Please.

Thanks
Kalina

silvana's chocolate cream

2011-02-13T22:40:00.006Z

13 feb 2011

thank you so much so minha prima linda, for the chocolate cream recipe. i prepares it for last night's ice cream and it went great. now i have the recipe as i want it. the creamy top is like la cerise sur le gateau. prima, i was really pleased to be able to make it and with the final result. yes, it gets rich and thick, but i used extra thick cream. sooo good!!! am glad you remembered to teach me that one when we spoke on the phone. thanks again. love you to bits.

feliz dia dos namorados

2011-02-13T21:45:00.036Z

about yesterday, 12 june 2011

l'artiste et sa muse

yesterday was valentine's day in Brazil justly celebrated here too. how?

- getting a sweet surprise in the form of a valentine's day card written in portuguese 'feliz dia dos namorados' early in the morning;

- enjoying a rainy and windy day;

- eating pear, garlic & mushroom cheese with stone baked bread for lunch;

- going to the city art gallery to appreciate andy warhol's exhibition, which is also at the hansard gallery at the uni of southampton. the set of pieces at the city gallery is worth a visit. we were not impressed by the one at the hansard gallery;

- watching the american film 'brother, where art thou?' in the cosy & rainy afternoon;

- having a special dinner eating winter in summer chicken with new potatoes and listening to brazilian music.
- . . .

film: brighton rock

2011-02-10T23:30:00.025Z

10 feb 2011

Brighton Rock

Production year: 2010
Country: UK
Cert (UK): 15
Runtime: 111 mins
Directors: Rowan Joffe
Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Andy Serkis, Dame Helen Mirren, Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Phil Davis, Sam Riley

we saw 'Brighton rock' at harbour lights. the film has a fantastic photography and some remarkable interpretations, like Helen Mirren's. my ignorance on the plot has made me choose to watch it, i must say. i thought at first it was a film based on a true story / crime that happened in Brighton in the 60s and the subsequent investigation about it. it is actually about the violent battles between Mods and Rockers. i was pleased to watch it anyway. again, the excellent photography, the wardrobe and the collors, oh and the music were all worth the while, really. also, it felt nice to see the places i have been to in the big screen: the brighton pier, the pavilion, and all the others sets from the movie. not a must see, though.

as hot as it gets

2011-01-30T23:46:00.001Z

30 jan 2011

this is what january is like: wintery, cold during the day; and colder at night. sometimes i surprisingly manage well the chill, most of the times i feel like staying indoors. i can't wait for the spring. please don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint. this thougher days are gone already and we started having daylight until sometime around 5pm, which is really nice. this change towards longer, brighter days signal the change of the seasons. to me it anticipates spring, with its renewal of life atmostphere.

on the road: Christchurch

2011-01-30T10:22:00.002Z

30 jan 2011

the sun came early to say good morning and made the day bright and inviting for an outdoor activity. we decided go take the road and visit somewhere nice. the pick of the day was Christchurch, this small and beautiful city, with the river Avon, the many boats, the numerous people enjoying the sunny hours in this long winter, the nice and clean streets and the various streams which make up for charming walks around town.

the church, built in the 11th century, is amazing. i love to visit old places and buildings and churches. it feels like they are so impregnated with life and history to me. yes, of course they are. i really love to visit historic cities. see that around the church there is a cemetery. i find it impressive to think that people at that time located the cemeteries around the place where they prayed. why was that? was it because it would be difficult to move a heavy coffin elsewhere? was there a strong religious belief the dead would be better looked after (really, after) if buried in the church surroundings? i would like to know more about it. also, there lots of homages inside the churches, i have seen the same thing in other churches as well, to people who died; amazingly, in most cases town people who died at an early age. it gets me wondering if sneezing could be fatal.

le plat du jour: mix of protein and carbo

2011-01-29T23:52:00.000Z

29 jan 2011

it is, as it has been lately, very cold today; and i felt like staying in all day because of that. since this morning this light from the poste in our building car park is switched on. the photo is of how i see it from my bedroom window. it may mean the day is so dark it automatically requires extra light. and in i stayed all day. to eat i sliced this fresh and delicious white bread from Waitrose, fried an egg, fried sausages, and added green stuffed olives and wild rocket to them in a plate. ah, passed butter and cream cheese on the bread. scrumptiously delicious. i don't know why i have craved for eggs so much so often. it was comfort food to me and tasted fantastic, like a brand new recipe.

le plat du jour: thai food

2011-01-28T23:00:00.009Z

28 jan 2011

dinner last night was at Mango, this Thai restaurant on Portswood road. we left home and met midway to the restaurant on Lodge road, walking through the cold night to meet up with the significant other. it was so cool and romantic. booking a table in advance did not help and we had to wait for a while as the restaurante was quite busy. i was surprised to see it full on a thursday night. food was good, but my dish, which i did not expect to be spicy was spicy. mike's was very very spicy, right the way he appreciates (Thai) food. i had the delicious chicken panang once more, with coconut milk and sticky rice. after dinner we walked to mike's in the freezing cold night. although food was very good at Mango, i still prefer Sara's restaurant, this other Thai restaurant, also on Porstwood road. something thing i notice especially in Asian restaurants is that they don't play their original (Thai in this case) music. oh yes, they do a little at Sara's, and i dearly enjoy it. last night they played just normal western music, including Ray Charles, who i love, but i'd rather immerse in the same cultural experience altogether, i.e. food, environment (decoration) and music all from Thailand.

sharing solitude

2011-01-26T22:51:00.001Z

26 jan 2011

thanks, Denise.

on the road: portsmouth

2011-01-23T23:54:00.005Z

23 jan 2011

today we went to Portsmouth. nice trip, beautiful city. we visit the old part of the city and then walk around going to the gun wharf. impressive view of the ferries the botas the shops the sea. despite the cold temperature of 7degrees Mike and I had ice cream because i was craving it. lots of offers in the shops. i bought myself a jumper. Porsmouth is a very charming place.

after much walking around and doing some shopping we sat at the 'waterfront cafe' to appreciate the view of the boats at sea from inside the cafe while treating ourselves to something nice. Mike had cappuccino and coffee cake and I had latte and teacake. it was a very nice and relaxing programme. on our way back we passed by Southsea. I liked the sea front. it must be very nice there in the summer.

Portsmouth 23 jan 2011

le plat du jour: leaves

2011-01-17T22:50:00.000Z

17 jan 2011

le plat du jour today was this super fresh veggie salad of crisply leaves, wild rocket, ham, boiled egg, tomato, celery, with parmesan cheese and olive oil. very very good!!!

on the road: lyndhurst

2011-01-16T22:07:00.003Z

16 jan 2011

we took a great trip today to Lyndhurst, this small and very beautiful city closeby, in the New Forest. it was very cold and i didn't want to walk at the common because i think i am getting a cold. we decided then to go visit Lyndhurst for cream tea. we visited the museum, walked around the main road, found a tea room called 'good food' and there we had tea with scones and coffee cake. a special and delicious treat for the end of a chilly sunday.

cafe feliz M&S

2011-01-12T20:21:00.020Z

12 jan 2011

i got back here in the UK from Brazil last night to find an invite from hilra to have our luxurious breakfast today at Marks & Spencer. yes, of course. all in all we met sometime before 10am and said bye bye around 3pm. we had the always good food, chatted there sitting and ignoring that maybe other customers needed the sofas to sit and have their breakfast, browsed around the shop, bought food, and walked to the bus stop. the content of the conversation is highly confidential and protected information. i doubt wikileaks will ever have access to it.

ah, am very happy to be back in the UK and to what life holds for me here.