back home from switzerland

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

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

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

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

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mother's day

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

31 mar 2011

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

U2B: civic centre - home

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 . . ."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 mar 2011

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

le plat du jour: noodle soup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

26 jan 2011

thanks, Denise.

on the road: portsmouth

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

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

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

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.