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Tuesday, 9 March 2010

warming up

9 mar 2010 

it seems like things are starting to improve around here. 2 degrees today. there is hope, afterall. i am not going to uni just now. will stay home a bit longer today and read in bed although i feel like listening to music only.

my sister will arrive here in the 18th. when she came last year it was chilly. we visited paris and amsterdam and both places were just chilly. i hope we are luckier this time and meet better winds in prague, vienna, and budapest.

in the meantime i prepared myself a good cup of tea and enjoy some jazz. this is how i start my days, every day. :-) music is inebriating, and healing.




Monday, 8 March 2010

a chilly march indeed?

8 mar 2010

i have realized the cold is far from leaving us. my hopes for the warmth of march is fading away as it feels more like we're having 'waters of march'. the rain, the wind, the need for a warm outfit and for a glass of wine :-) do tell me cold is here to stay. by the way, every year they say it feels colder. the world is upside down. why is it cold like this where i am? cold and damp, that's what is not nice. but it should be fine. i am not that unhappy. i just want to register the cold aspect of life here, but i am ok.

Friday, 5 March 2010

the wintery march?

5 mar 2010

it is even colder now that at the beginning of the month. this cold weather is very limiting of the things i do. even for a walk in the i don't feel highly inclined to go. it is chilly. actually, it is freezing cold and the wind only does make matters worse.

i can't wait to put winter clothes away and feel lighter. i am getting ready to go highfield campus, wherei teach today in about two hours, but i wish sooo bad it were not that cold. yes, the cold is a problem for me.

Monday, 1 March 2010

a chilly month ahead

1 mar 2010

it is already the beginning of march, but the cold is still around. this is second march here. last year it represented the hope for warmer days here in southampton. so, when it was very cold early this year i lived on the hope for the month which would warm my days up. my sister is about to come for a visit and i started to wonder what sort of weather will greet her :-)

chilly, chilly days. -3 now. at least the days are now brighter and longer. this is the first manifestation of spring, the renewal of life.

Sunday, 28 February 2010

domingo no parque

28 Feb 2010


I like to name my posts after songs. This is why sometimes the title of the post's language and the language of post itself don’t match; but, trust me, there is always a meaningful connection between them all.

I went for a nice walk in the Common at about 9 o’clock this morning. When I woke up it was raining, not really a heavy rain, but wet enough to make me change my mind. However, not much later it stopped raining and I decided to go. It was so good. I am little by little becoming familiar with the park. I like it when I go and I see many people over there. There are people of all – all – ages, both alone and accompanied by all sorts of company: (a) dog(s), whole family, beloved ones, little children.

Once in a while it is possible to for us people at the park to exchange warm ‘good mornings’, along with a smile. In this sense there are two categories of people: the ones who greet you and these are the ones I love; and the others who ignore you’re around. This morning something interesting happened: I entered the park at the same time as this old couple did, in a way we walked together with me being ahead of them about two minutes, but I knew all the time they were there. Well, the park has many roads that I can follow and I decided to come back half through towards the road the lead to the Cowherds. I don’t know exactly why I did this. When I turned to come back and passed by the old couple the man smiled and asked me “are you giving up?” I found it so cute. I smiled back to him and said: “well, sort of, but not exactly, just going another way”. Later on (15 minutes later) we met again at the end of the same road, but I was coming a different way.

I believe if I go often and at about the same time I will get to meet the same people sometimes and perhaps make friends. The walking has made me feel very good about myself. I walked for 45 – 50 minutes today.

Once again I need to go shopping for fruits and milk but don’t feel like it. I was thinking I needed it so bad I didn’t have food in the house to eat for lunch. Then I thought it was not possible that I had no food at all. I went to the kitchen and found still some good stuff for my lunch: a salad with stuffed zucchini, hearts of palm, olive oil, and some veggies: Chinese leek, cauli flower, and broccoli. To accompany the salad I had pasta with green pesto sauce, mushroom and a little bit of cream cheese. It was quite good and I still have some left over in the fridge for other meal.

Note: I thought I was going to speak about the walk in the park only in the post. For this reason I did not take any photo of the food. :-)

Sunday, 14 February 2010

happy valentine's day

14 Feb 2010


Valentine’s day

Lola came by my room today to offer me this slice of Swiss roll as today is Valentine’s Day. Lola is my flatmate from Nigeria. She is studying a master’s degree in Health Sciences. This special day is celebrated in Brazil in a different way. There, only the ones who have a ‘significant other’ have a good reason to celebrate and enjoy the date, which is in fact on the 12th of June. Here, on the other hand, as well as in the US, it is celebrated on the 14th of February and your valentine can be not only a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but anyone who matters to you. When I lived in the US I received chocolates hearts from friends and even cards. It is sweet, and fattening 

Saturday, 13 February 2010

o caminho

12 feb 2010


Nota: essa eh uma foto antiga do Junior, tio Machado, tia Nenzinha, e Eliane. Tia Nenzinha me ensinou a fazer tapecaria, como essa que esta na tela na parede.

Saudades do meu tio Machado, saudades da minha tia Nenzinha, saudades do meu primo Juca. Eu estou precisando demais escrever aqui sobre despedidas mas nao sei nem por onde começar.

Hoje ja falei com a minha querida prima e comadre Eliane algumas vezes. Eu liguei pra ela porque a Kassandra me avisou que o tio Machado faleceu hoje de tarde. O tio Machado eh pai dela, e irmao do meu pai. Fiquei conversando besteira, com rodeios, sem coragem de dar a noticia, sem coragem nenhuma, querendo que essa noticia nao existisse, mas ela ainda nem era verdade pra cumade, que ficou conversando normalmente comigo e me dizendo que ha tres dias nao tinha noticias do pai dela. Eu comecei a insistir pra ela ligar pro povo la, pras irmas dela ou pra quem quer que ela goste de ligar sempre. O sorriso leve dela sumiu de vez e fizemos um silencio que confirmou o que ela temia. E choramos ali. A gente chora e se consola mutuamente, mas sabe que doi dizer adeus a quem nos ama. Eu chorei muito dizendo que nao queria nunca ser eu a pessoa pra lhe dar a noticia que, apesar de ‘esperada’, sempre nos tira o chao.

A Morte (feminina) é maior que nosso exercito possa suportar. Quando chega, é ela quem decide se dormimos ou não, se choramos ou não. Ela determina nosso rumo, pelo menos nos momentos que se seguem à sua chegada na vida da gente.

A cumade insistiu pra eu não me preocupar nem um pouco, que na verdade ela estava feliz de ter sido comigo esse contato, e me pediu pra ligar pro pessoal no Brasil e avisar que ela ja estava sabendo de tudo. Eu liguei e falei com a Euridice, nossa Dinda. De novo chorei junto com a Dinda, e relembramos outro momento de tristeza grande recente, que foi a morte do Junior, filho do tio Machado, que morreu no dia 4 de outubro de 2009.

To achando essa escrita e esse post todo tão sem sentido, tão sem rumo, uma escrita confusa, mas tenho que tirar essas coisas de mim, porque não consigo parar de chorar.

Liguei pra Kassandra e ela me disse que estavam lá providenciando o velorio. Combinamos que ela me daria um sinal quando estivesse do lado do papai no funeral. Eu estou pensando no meu pai o tempo todo. Eu liguei pra casa dele mas o telefone so dá ocupado lá. Assim fizemos e eu finalmente falei com meu pai. Meu tio Machado tinha 80 anos. Meu pai tem 74 anos. Os dois eram muito próximos. Outro dia a Kassandra foi com a mamãe visitar o tio Machado no hospital e o moço lá disse: “seu Joaquim vem visitar ele todo dia”. Seu Joaquim é meu pai. Foi tão bom falar com o papai. Ele estava tão sereno e me consolando. Eu sou mesmo um lixo. Toda vez eu telefono pro povo pra dar um apoio e o povo é que me conforta. Ainda mais essa. Ali tambem falei com meu tio Toinho e com a prima Lourdinha. Todos eles me disseram que está tudo sob controle la e que eu fique bem. A Lourdinha me pediu pra dar apoio à Eliane.

O tio Machado tava sofrendo muito, ja há muitos dias no hospital, e numa situação muito delicada e irreversivel. O famoso ‘descanso’ eh o recurso de que dispomos nessas ocasiões pra podermos viver a despedida. A cumade me disse que tá se sentindo completamente solta, sem chão, sem céu. A mãe dela, tia Nenzinha, morreu faz um tempo já. Tia Nenzinha, Henrique (meu irmão) e Junior estão enterrados no mesmo tumulo no cemiterio em Teresina.

Me sinto tão estranha escrevendo sobre isso. Eu tinha esbocado um post quando o Junior morreu e ele tá pronto, basicamente com os emails trocados àquela época, mas ainda não tive coragem de publica-lo. Esse agora tá aqui. O blog não precisa ser apenas de flores de alegrias. Se eu falo que ele traduz minha vida, minha vida hoje é de tristeza pela despedida do meu tio.

A cumade Elaine me disse tanta coisa da alma dela, conversando serenamente ao telefone. Me falou que esse amor de pai pra filha encerrou hoje. Nunca mais ela vai ve-lo, e isso é muito ruim, e falou da perda da mãe, e da perda do Junior e falamos como ainda é dificil pra nós todos ‘digerir’ essa historia do Junior. Me contou da alegria de ver o tio Machado quando ela foi ao Brasil em outubro e de como ele ficou feliz com a presença das filhas e das conversas felizes e fotos otimas que tiraram na visita. Tudo se transforma em lembrança de um momento que nao pode ser repetido.

Pois é, parei de chorar agora. A vida exige leveza e testa nossa fé nesses momentos. Vou rezar por meu tio e tenho certeza de que ele vai fazer uma viagem serena.

Friday, 12 February 2010

abre alas pra minha folia

12 February 2010

Carnival

I just realized that these are carnival days in Brazil. I believe I try not to be connected with events which are very different from here because they show me that I am in a different world. This is, at times, slightly disturbing to me.

Another thing I just became aware of, and which always make me feel heartbreaking is that today is the 12th of February. Well, the day after tomorrow – the 14th Feb – my brother Henrique would turn 49 if he hadn’t passed away at age 28. See, too bad. Maybe I have been away from this blog because sometimes the free writing leads me to pain, not to join.

Well, let’s try and come back to carnival. I don’t remember have been a super carnival enthusiast, but it is very obvious that the beauty, the joy and the good energy that it makes us all feel in Brazil these days is contagious. I like to dance, to watch the wonderful parade in Rio, to see the carnival aficionado people who fully stop leading a serious life to devote these days to, just as seriously, let go of imagination, freedom, joy, opportunity for redemption, really. I find it so healing. Honestly, going to the streets to dance and play along with your peers dressed up in whatever disguise you think fit your mood that year can only be great.

Pernambuco, particularly Recife and Olinda have a fantastic tradition of putting an enormous number of people in the streets. These people remain there for soooo many hours, standing and dancing. Yes, it ought to be a soul cleansing and spiritual development ritual. Olinda has those giant dolls, of which I used to be very afraid. The maracatu, the frevo, and the other many peculiar traces of the local history are indeed very good to see.

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

in a cold state of mind

RE: Can we cancel our session?

From: Mitchell R.F.


Sent: 10 February 2010 18:00

To: Lima K.S.D.

Subject: RE: Can we cancel our session?

Poor Kalina, I am so sorry you are in such discomfort!

Let's aim to meet next week - I could do most afternoons, how about Thursday 18th at 3 p.m.?

Ros

________________________________________

From: Lima K.S.D.

Sent: 10 February 2010 16:01

To: Mitchell R.F.

Subject: Can we cancel our session?

Hi Ros,

Can we please cancel our session tomorrow? I've had a very bad cold with allergy, a running nose, headache, and can barely hear from left ear since last week. Both ears are infected. I went to the clinic yesterday and am now taking antibiotics which i hope will make me feel better. But i feel very tired and weak. Actually I don't remember any illness that has made me feel pain in my teeth. The ear infection is making me feel dizzy at times, and when I go out I keep sneezing all the time. I even have conjunctivites. I can't come, Ros. Sorry.

Thanks,

Kalina

Saturday, 30 January 2010

abracadabra

saturday 30 jan 2010

Rod offered me a cup of tea in this nice tea mug, all white at first sight. he warned me that the mug was going to turn darker and darker as i finished my tea because it was going to normally be colder. i thought he was not serious, and went on enjoying my tea. it turns out the mug did get darker, and in the end it was so fast i almost couldn't register in photos the color changing. what an interesting coffee mug! not recommended for children below five years of age. :-)

Friday, 29 January 2010

the award

29 Jan 2010

Nora came to my room this afternoon to offer me a slice of cake she bought to celebrate the award she just received from her department. Her supervisor had told her she would receive this award if she studied hard enough to get outstanding marks, which she did. She was quite happy to succeed and I think it is always great to find a way to officially celebrate the achievements. When we do this we sort of have a powerful file in our mind, one of being happy and knowing that the work pays off. I was very happy for her. I know how hard it is to be away from home and still have to manage hard work from school and endless other challenges we encounter here quite often.

Nora is my flatmate. She is a nice, hardworking student from mainland China. She is studying engineering. What she always tells me she’s studying sounds very difficult for me to even think about what this is.

Her supervisor also invited her, along with other two classmates, to travel together to attend a conference in Dundee, Scotland. She was so excited about the trip. I told her that if her supervisor has offered her such great opportunities the only reason is that he sees in her the good student the good professors hope to find in their classrooms. During this trip to Scotland she mentioned to him she is considering applying for the PhD programme here at the University of Southampton. He said that if she applies for the PhD he will do everything he can to find her a scholarship, even though he cannot promise her she’ll get one. That was great and she came back from trip very enthusiast about the conference, the trip, and about applying for the PhD programme.

Friday, 8 January 2010

a neve que cai e a cidade que para

(o texto desse post eh um email enviado a minha irma kassandra)

8 jan 2010

a universidade vai fechar, de novo. fica bem dificil mesmo o dia. que sensacao ruim. a gente TEM que ficar em casa. to incomodada com essa dificuldade de se movimentar pra qualquer esquina. ta um horror mesmo pensar que os onibus param, mudam a rota, a gente cai (hoje passei por uma moca e 'ops' ela me disse que ja tinha caido duas vezes so hoje. eu ainda nao levei nenhuma queda, mas ando com muita dificuldade, devagar, e com medo. e com um monte de coisas pra fazer.

eh o povo dizendo pra gente se abastecer de coisas e ficar em casa. se abastecer de que??? nem sei o que comprar, na verdade. vou ver se arrumo meu quarto e faco os servicos que tenho que fazer e pronto. torca por nos, pra essa previsao ser so excesso de precaucao deles, porque a neve demais deixa o servico pessimo por varios dias depois, principalmente para pedestre como eu, que nao ando na rua principal, e sim nas calcadas e na floresta, com gelo espelhado escorregadio. andar pela rua eh igualmente perigoso, porque os carros se arrastam e precisam driblar da gente. juro que to estressada. nem to achando nada bonito.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: xxxx@xxxxx
Sent: 08 January 2010 15:52
To: xxxx@xxxxx

Subject: FW: MONDAY 11 JANUARY 2010

Importance: High

Dear All,

Unfortunately, due to the predicted adverse weather conditions for Sunday night into Monday morning the University has taken the decision to close on Monday 11 January.

Please keep checking your emails and SUSSED for further updates during the weekend and on Monday. Every effort will be made to get the university re-opened on Tuesday.

Thank you for your anticipated co-operation during this period.

With best wishes,
Eleanor

Dr. Eleanor Quince,
Postgraduate Research Coordinator,
School of Humanities,
Avenue Campus
University of Southampton,
SO17 1BJ
http://www.soton.ac.uk/hpgr

Thursday, 7 January 2010

2010 is in the air - what now?

thursday 7 jan 2010

i don't think i am fully connected to this new year yet. not been long ago we were thinking about the turn of the century. everyone was talking about year 2000. now it is 2010. i am so confused!! or lazy?? a bit of both.

the truth is i am slow and struggling with this freezing cold winter in england. this has been a nightmare for me to step out of the house or to walk anywhere. you oughta keep the faith, otherwise. . .

my birthday was yesterday. it felt a little weird to keep it really quiet at home. none of my flatmates knew about it, only internet contacts and personal life people. am i too old now for little celebrations? or have i gotten to the point that it really doesn't matter whether i have a birthday party or not? i am quite certain all i want is to be in good health and to know that the ones who are precious to me are all fine and safe. i know that the most important point for me now.

cheers to 2010!!!!
kalina

Sunday, 6 December 2009

meu brasil brasileiro

6 dec 2009


8.28 in the morning now. i am finishing up with packing before i catch the coach to go to london healthrow airport terminal 4 to catch my tam flight to sao paulo to then catch another flight to fortaleza to finally be in another tam flight to teresina - home at last!

i don't even really know what i'm feeling right now. since i finished teaching on friday i've been sort of entering in a new 'layer' of existence, as it is my plan to take things easy on me from now on. the nuffield theater with diana was an excellent starting point for all this. saturday and today i still feel very much occupied with lots of administrative things to do, about both the trip and my research. however, i do want new life, new mode, new energy in the very inside of me.

until almost 2o'clock in the morning of this very sunday 6 december i was sending documents to people here and in brasil concerning this data collection / the research, which is work that requires full concentration. still, i want to see and feel it all pretty much under new perspectives from now on: lighter, more joyful, and fulfilling.

now i have to finish up packing. at times i wonder if i have forgotten something. i'm afraid i have )-: but let's hope it is just my ordinary worry, and that it should not be confirmed as such.

Me aguarde, meu Brasil lindo e colorido e caloroso e alegre e de amor e de abracos e beijnhos e carinhos sem ter fim. . . chega de saudade!!! (obrigada Joao Gilberto)

Kalina Morena

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

cheers

1 dec 2009

today i went to the cowherds to spend some time with my good friends from uni. i walked from avenue with mariko a little before 7pm. there we met with sonia and callum. later on agota justyna and adalberto arrived and then agota. it was fantastic and i am so glad i did go to this one because i have missed so many events latelly i would not be surprised if people stopped inviting me, but they are all so understanding of my hectic days, as they sort of go through the same situation.

it was started with sonia wanting to see us before she and callum move back to the isle of wight. it is their plan to stay there for a while to organize their life together and save up some money. callum has a house there which is currently rented out for some young guys. he's do some refurbishment in the house to rent it out for a family. i love sonia. she is such a sweet person. and she likes me so much. every time we meet she gives me big hugs. today she asked me so many questions about brazil, about my life, about my job with the justice system, very interesting questions.

callum said his idea of brasil is the one from violent movies. i said to him that the violence from movies such as 'city of god' is part of the story, not the whole story. it is not possible for any country to be, the whole country, one single thing. if brazil were all about slums and violence, it would no really be a charming country. i don't even believe it is possible to have such a large extension of land populated by violence. how can that be? i said to him i believe any generalization is unfair.

it had been a while i didn't see justyna and adalberto. for me it was a great opportunity to see my friends before i go to brazil this sunday. and even better because we met right here at the cowherds, this great pub right close to where i live. we laughed and ate good food (i ate the chargrilled chicken with mushroom tagliatelle) and talked and hugged and wished us all good wishes and promised ourselves to get together for a tea or something when i come back from brazil in the beginning of january. i was really so pleased and light after these almost three hours with good people. this time i didn't have my camera on me. too bad, but the photographs are taken, i am certain, and stamped in my heart. colorful and soothing images of camaraderie.

Monday, 30 November 2009

‘every day is a winding road’

30 nov 2009

We had a particularly tough morning today because the wind was very strong. The rain was no big deal, but insistent. It was a very cold morning, of four degrees only. I walked to Highfield, bought myself a cup of coffee and went to the law building to work. My umbrella was falling apart in harmony with the wind, which blows everything away.

I finished work and stopped by the uni shop to buy blank dvds and an umbrella, now a navy blue one. It was freezing cold and windy outside. I got some money from the cash point by the uni shop and this girl in the queue was shivering of cold. I had no choice but to enter susu building to equip myself: put on scarf, hat, and gloves, this big operation to face the not so unpredictable British weather: yes, it is not going to be so nice, at least not for long.

Well, i ended up getting late for a meeting with Jo. She was going to talk to me about the writing teaching that we do here in the programme. We ended up meeting later on, after 12 o’clock, as I had some ‘emergencies’: I needed to call Dorothy and we talked for a while.

Here is another emergency: I was walking towards my office (after the phone call) when Mariko approached me with such a sad face. It was to tell me that George Blue, our very nice and friendly George Blue, died this past Friday. He had been operated on a few weeks before and, as far as I knew, was recovering really well. According to Rob, it was a triple bypass heart surgery. He was my friend Buk’s supervisor. Buk had told me he was recovering ok, doing short walks, and Buk even visited him in his house one or two weeks ago. I knew he was seeing his students and talking for no longer than a half hour, but that he would be able to be back to work in January in full capacity. Well, the man passed away, apparently while sleeping, but I have no details.

And there I stayed in the corridor, talking with Mariko for a long time, we both in shock for such a sad end for our Blue. She had watery eyes, I could see it. It was interesting, because she insisted in being there with me for this long while in the corridor, as if she needed it, to talk, to share, to express sadness, and maybe – maybe – to understand all this. Mariko invited me to come down to the canteen at 12.30 to have lunch with her and Rob.

Friday, 27 November 2009

‘wait a minute mister postman’

27 nov 2009



I got my cute white voice recorder in the mail today. All the parcels addressed to St Margaret’s, which is where I live, are delivered to Gateley hall, where we should go and fetch them. Only envelope letters are kept here in our mailboxes, because these are not large enough for the parcels. Well, I’ve made my way to Gateley Hall quite often lately actually as I have bought some stuff – books and dvds – from Amazon.

I was ready to go once again for this one, but, surprise surprise I got this nice phone call on Friday morning. During the day I really basically never pick up phone calls as I am almost always at the office busy with something. This time I felt my mobile vibrating in my backpack and decided to check it out. Of course when I got it the call was ended. I called it back and spoke with this gentle mister postman. Yes, the postman waited a minute to deliver the parcel for me. Sooo cool!!! It took me a little while to understand what was going on, but he was very clear: he was in St Margaret’s, he had a parcel for me and wanted to know if it would be ok for me if her left the parcel right there in my flat. It surprised me for it was really unexpected. Plus, I wondered how he would have access to my flat. I said ‘yes, please, thank you, be my guest, just drop it in there and you make me happy.’ He did it.

When I got home Li came by my room with the voice recorder, which is going to be a very important instrument in my research to register data and make my life easier. I will record so many events to come. . . oh my!!! This new toy of mine is very light and white and modern. Indeed.

this constructive side of mine

27 nov 2009


in these busy and confusing days i managed to have a more than productive friday. it did make me feel very good about myself and how i managed so many 'to dos' in such a short period of time.

the thing is my students told me they were not coming to class this friday because they were going to celebrate eid, this muslim holiday. this gave me the free day.

last wednesday 25 i came home when it was 10.40 in the night. my friend buk walked through the forest with me. we both stayed working late in the office. i devoted more than eight hours to my research this wednesday. got home starving and almost numb of tiredness, but since i wanted to go straight to bed i only had a bowl of cereal with milk and yogurt. to make matters really disturbing, i don't think i slept more than one and a half hour the whole night. i was tired but awake and didn't understand why. i just remained in bed seeing the hours pass all night long. had to get up at 6am because i had stuff to do before teaching at 9am. during the teaching this student of mine asked me if i had slept properly and reminded me of the arab coffee they had offered me while i was working in the office the wed night. oh no!!! it was the coffee that kept me with wide opened eyes. that was a nightmare. so i had this tired body for the rest of the day, but decided to stay at avenue as much as possible for the obvious heavy load of work i have to do.

again on thursday 26 i stayed in the office until sometime after 9pm, but not very productive anymore. i had gone to bed the night before around 11 on wednesday. actually i was thinking of reading a bit more before going to bed but i was way too tired to do so. i woke up at 7.30 today (friday). i had a list of things to do in this free friday. the day started windy and rainy, but i don't complain. it was a come and go rain, and it was not very cold. fine, indeed. here is the list:
1. uni for ticket to and from london (done) - relieved this one is sorted out. no need to worry about it anymore. just pack and be ready to go and come back
2. ssc bldg 40 (nope)
3. next (shop in shopping centre) to return a jumper (done) - important stuff because i didn't want to travel not having solved this one.
4. mobile (done) - very glad got this done
5. tk maxx for br shopping (done) - very glad i got kass' sunglasses. phew!
6. mom's xmas stocking (done) - but i am not too happy about it. i'll see if i find something better for her.
7. my shampoos (done) yey!!!

ah, not listed but happily accomplished, i had lunch at supreme restaurant. once again had my warm, delicious, wonton noodle soup. so comforting :-)

not listed here either, i also organized articles for my research and have now a plan in my mind on how to go about what i have to do. it should be fine. if i devote fair time and effort to my research i always feel i am in the right track, and i need it to feel fine. it is nice and fulfilling after all.

finally, more than ever, during these over busy and really difficult days, for various reasons, i have been very systematic in listing what i have to do, and my diary has been loaded. i of course don't always do everything, but at the end of the day if i can tick the things i did, well, this makes me feel so nice. it is interesting that i list some things and don't do them, for days in a row, but then i think about it and why i am being lax on them, because there must be a reason to it, of course. from the list i get to understand myself. sort of. it is just fair to ourselves that we acknowledge what we manage to do. it can be like a powerful file to be accessed in days of 'oh, i can't do a thing'.

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

ain't no sunshine when it rains

25 nov 2009

and the bad times?
and the good times?
and these days in UK with the sun that smiles; then the sun shied away from life by the punctual rain that wants to 'attend class' and keep the tradition; with the wind that sometimes takes you places you don't want to go, but that also takes away undesired feelings. again put on sunglasses, sun is back. not for long, though. rain is back.

and what about the always changeable weather from both the inner side and the surroundings of ourselves?
this is so much about life. i have just been wondering how true to life the weather here really is. i see people everyday complaining about it. it is very common to hear: 'horrible weather', 'horrible day' and . . . ah, another one that we received by email last year, when some activities were canceled due to 'inclement weather'. i find both the word used to name it and the weather itself romantic and inspiring.

it is very interesting indeed what happens here weatherwise, and i think it is a metaphor for life: it rains, then the day gets somber and dark, with a movie scenario of naked trees and the strong wind blowing their leaves elsewhere in search of shelter. then the sun is back, proving nothing lasts forever. sun, darkness, sun, rain, leaves blown away. life, here, there, and everywhere, i suppose.

it is not possible to do 'any' planned action no matter the weather, but we can learn to work around the weather, keeping an eye on how it has an impact upon our lives. it does pose some limitations, but it does open alternative doors as well. ain't it about life?

Monday, 23 November 2009

the monday market

23 nov 2009


every monday we have this nice market in highfield. they sell various goods: cookies, sausages, cheese, fruits and veggies, and there is this big stand with films and books. i've bought quite a few books in different occasions. this time i bought this one: 'lost in translation' (more to come on the film whenever i watch it).

why is it always a woman who sells the cookies? i bought one once, but it was not so good. i like moist, soft cookies, not the crunchy ones.

when i was checking the films out to choose one or more, i asked the man for the old movies. he said he had no clue where they are in his big table apparently well organized. he answered so quickly both informing me that he was not prepared to answer his potential client's quesion but also that he does not care much about his goods. it was a schocking surprise at first but then i recalle he had given me this sort of same answer long ago, maybe last year, when i came by and bought a different movie. he looks like somebody who will be able to deal with the clients and talk a bit on the products, but no, he is just there to get the movie for the films and hand the films over to the clients. very interesting way of making business.

this same 'help yourself' strategy i find in many shops around here. it is difficult for us who come from a culture where the client is informed of everything, including false promises about prices and delivery dates is that's the case. here they beleive that if they are after you to show you jumpers, trousers, sneakers, or whatever, they are bothering you. rather you should be left to make up your own free decisions. this was say to me by a friend who worked in a shop here. this distance from the client gives me the impression that there is no financial crisis going on in this country.

but this past monday i bought fruits and vegetables. the products are neatly displayed in a format that resemble a labyrinth, we walk through it already in the queue. i like the display of it, the planning and everything. we walk towards the cashier doing the shopping. i bought this 'use reuse recycle' cute bag because i had no other bag on me this time.

another point is that in many shops here they do not give us any bag anymore. we do have to pay for them. i see quite often people say 'no, thanks' for the offer to buy a bag. they bring something from here.
yes, let's do our little share in saving the planet.

Thursday, 19 November 2009

mariko, a fantastica!

19 nov 2009
(post gerado de um email enviado a amigos sobre esse momento de beleza nas relacoes entre os mortais, no meio de dias dificeis pra mim. . .)

oi,
so pra compartilhar meu email com a Mariko, minha amiga japonesa que apresentou o piloto da pesquisa dela nessa semana no nosso grupo de pesquisa que tem encontros quinzenias ou mais proximos as vezes. a apresentacao dela foi sensacional!!!!! ela levou o padrao das apresentacoes la pras alturas. lascou quem vem depois. hehehe ela fez uma organizacao e analise dos achados super profissional. fantastica eh o minimo pra se dizer do trabalho dela. e o power point tava lindo demais. a pesquisa dela eh sobre crencas / atitudes a respeito do ingles de pessoas no sudeste da asia. ela vai cobrir varios paises, como por exemplo coreia, japao, china, tailandia. . .

eu mandei um email cedinho pra desejar boa sorte e ela apreciou tanto. as vezes a gente so oferece um sorriso e alegra e aquece o coracao da outra pessoa. eu queria compartilhar isso.

abraco beeeem grande pra voce,

morena

__________________________
_Yey!!!!! Mariko
Yes, I am going. I am very happy to have you as a friend as well.
See you soon
Kalina

_______________________________________

From: Kitazawa M.
Sent: 18 November 2009 16:34
To: Lima K.S.D.
Subject: RE: presentation

Thank you Kalina for everything!

You emailed me this morning with nice warm words, you showed up even if you had teaching in the Highfield, and now you gave me this very nice and kind e-mail again!!!! I'm really happy to have you - such a super nice friend!!! :)

I hope we can talk very soon (are you coming to the annual talk today??)- and let's hang out again!! Yey!
Mariko

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

o carrocel (das emocoes)

17 nov 2009

(this song is on and off in my mind all the time)


O Circo

Nara Leao by Sidney Miller Friends

Vai, vai, vai comecar a brincadeira
Tem charanga tocando a noite inteira
Vem, vem, vem ver o circo de verdade
Tem, tem, tem picadeiro e qualidade


Corre, corre, minha gente que eh preciso ser esperto
Quem quiser que ve na frente, ve melhor quem ve de perto
Mas no meio da folia, noite alta, ceu aberto
Sopra o vento que protesta, cai no teto, rompe a lona
Pra que a lua de carona tambem possa ver a festa


Bem me lembro o trapezista que mortal era seu salto
Balancando la no alto parecia de brinquedo
Mas fazia tanto medo que o Zezinho do Trombone
De renome consagrado esquecia o pr�prio nome
E abracava o microfone pra tocar o seu dobrado

Sunday, 15 November 2009

off track

15 nov 2009 - sunday 1.39pm - avenue campus

i have been off track, basically. this is probably the most honest statement i utter in the last few weeks. now i am swamped with work, desperate because of deadlines, and feeling unproductive. this is a thesis statement of my text today, a synthesis of the whole situation.

i have made some decisions that would apparently help me keep focused in my main purpose here in uk, which is to carry out my phd research. that has been the truth, however. it all started over the summer and the situation has been going on and on and on. i need to understand it at least so that i can think of doing something about it.

for the summer i found a wonderful, rewarding, job. it was rewarding in various aspects: academically and professionally because it dealt exactly with my passion for writing and for academic life in general. so, being part of a team that was set up to help prepare international students for their academic life here was without a doubt superb, of course even helping myself in the same terms. it was also quite handy, actually, this job was a life saver, because the pay went directly to my fees here at uni.

but but but . . . the work did not stop after 10 weeks. i was very very glad i had the chance to teach the extra two weeks, but i now wonder if i did the right thing. i need to find time for my academic work here. and i have not done this lately. ros is very angry at me. i don't understand it all, as it gives me the feeling she doesn't trust me, but in a way she is right. if i had not had so much distraction from my research i would probably be in better shape concerning my plans to Brazil, for instance.

Thursday, 12 November 2009

the toilet bulb

12 nov 2009


got home today to find this cute little note andy posted in the toilet door to let us know the bulb is gone but should still be repaired today. sweety!!! people may complain but i enjoyed having the shower in the dark for a change. it is not even too dark.

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

to spread out or not to spread out

11 nov 2009

today i got up feeling even worse, with a hoarse voice, and feeling pain all over the body. i asked myself how i was going to make it to the day, as i would have a class to teach at 9am. well, took a shower, had cereal with banana and yogurt, and headed to uni - avenue campus. i had spent the night coughing too much, and had coughed and sneezed a lot during the day yesterday. i took a bottle of water with me to the classroom and delivered the planned lesson of the day: tutorials. after a while i started to feel a little better.

i knew i had three appointments during the day: - lunch at noon with some friends, to celebrate hsuya's birthday; - a pgr talk at 1pm; and - a calr presentation at 5pm, about which i was highly interested (topic: elf). moreover, i didn't  want any nasty looks on me (remember i looked ill with the cough). i was really not sure whether i should go or not to the canteen for the lunch to start with, but i did go anyway. i did a little - and cynical - survey to feel people's acceptance on my current 'state of the art'. they were all admant in telling me i should not attend any of the talks of the day, and that i could go next week, trying to console me, and obviously to convince me to stay away with my germs. i was at that time - lunch time - thinking of going, cause i was no longer sneezing or coughing.

it was funny because later on i was at my desk, next to hsuya's, and najima came over to greet hsuya for her birthday. nagima took the chance to say that yes i should go to the calr presentation at 5. i also knew they would go to the cowherds after the presentation, as we did the other day. najima asked for hsuya's confirmation that i should come along, which she did, but i knew she thought i was not in the best shape to be in a closed lecture theater with lots of people. i didn't go, after all. i also had an extra good reason not to go: i have lots lots lots to do, about both my research and my teaching. one thing at a time, kalina. i decided not to spread out my so called swine flu. photos: notes posted on campus.

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

no limiar da exaustao

10 nov 2009

(post originado de partes de um email enviado a minha irma kassandra)

ontem o dia foi de correria insana, como tem sido as segundas-feiras, com aulas de manha e de tarde, e em highfield, onde nao tenho uma estrutura de escritorio que facilite minha vida e onde termino almocando qualquer comida nada recomendavel. ainda tive que ir em portswood na hora do almoco pra mandar preparar na farmacia o meu atenolol que tinha acabado no domigo. pra completar, a farmaceutica foi atender uma velhinha e eu tive que esperar pra ela liberar meu remedio.

dei 6 aulas ontem. durante uma aula, de tarde, minha exaustao era tao grande que eu achei que ia desmaiar. ai pensei 'quem vai me levantar'? haaaaaaa (to morrendo de rir) e segurei a onda. segunda de manha sao  aulas normais do programa de EAS, e de tarde sao as aulas de ingles academico pra alunos de mestrado em marketing, management, recursos humanos, economia e financas. as duas turmas bem interessadas e precisando da aula. . . minha cabeca conseguiu se concentrar e as aulas foram muito boas. acho que o compromisso e a concentracao me salvam muitas vezes.

Saturday, 7 November 2009

supreme

07 Nov 2009

i've already mentioned here that i had a quite busy week and that i was feeling super tired. well, last night i went to bed around 11 o'clock, after doing some readings for my literature review. i was so tired last night i could not go to Viktoria's farewell party, which has made me feel bad, but i was not really in proper conditions for such an endeavour.

got up this morning still tired. i did a little work in the laptop and jumped back in bed. this jumping back in bed over weekends is something i hold precious as it is never possible on weekdays. even breaskfast today i had only after 9am. actually, i woke up around 7am, but remained in bed. . . 'so lucky to be me' but i actually sang 'so happy to be me' :-) (this is a line from a song). at first i doubted i was going to make it to city centre, because my list of to-do things was far from short. i ended up leaving  later than i had planned, but i did go and do practically everything listed. YEY!!!

after an invigorating shower i felt much better and ready to go. my list included places / shops such as: matalan, poundland, tkmaxx, supreme (chinese restaurant), bhs, boots pharmacy, aldi (went to asda instead). these are the places, along with a really long list of items to buy both for me and to take to brazil. i can't believe i did almost everything, calmly, despite the long queues everywhere and my being tired.

Thursday, 5 November 2009

prescription for happiness

05 Nov 2009


highfield campus today 5 nov 2009

whenever you feel quite tired and fear you can no longer concentrate and be productive, i mean, those days  . . . when you're drained and all you see before your eyes (mind) is a bed, silence, and a fair rest. well, give your hairdresser a call and you may be lucky enough to find a free slot for an appointment. go ahead and get it. go to that hairdresser where people don't care much about others around, where they go to get rid of any sign of ugliness or ageing, where you can just sit, be treated, check out the gossip magazines . . . and after a little while you do look and feel so much better. and, guess what, you'll have had a quite productive day afterall.
that was me today. ah, on your way to the hairdresser do whatever else pleases you, such as taking pictures of . . . whatever.
cheers,
Kalina

Monday, 2 November 2009

'after a while, crocodile'

02 nov 2009



today i attended this great event from the portuguese studies folks. it was a pleasure to meet Astrid. i love the experience of listening to the author reading her poems and telling us about them, why she wrote them that way. she read the original protuguese and jaine beswick read the translation to english. great reading by jaine. loved it, too. astrid has a beautiful voice and seasoned the words with the forest accent as she comes from the amazon region. this accent is different from mine. when i listen to somebody reading poetry i feel like closing my eyes and just feeling it. also, listening to the author's reading give a particular interpretation, one that is different from mine. poetry should always be read out loud. here is my favorite, original followed by translation:

cave canem
dentro de mim ha cachorros
que uivam em horas de raiva
contra as jaulas da cortesia
e as coleiras do bom senso.
solto-os em nome da justica
tomada de coragem homicida.
mas sabendo que raiva mata
aa mingua de domar meus caes
vacinei-os. ladrem mas nao mordam
e caso mordam, nao matem.

Sunday, 1 November 2009

oh happy day!

1st Nov 2009

oh happy day!!!!
                                             
i was planning to go for my inspiring walk in the Common this morning, but the day came up rainy and windy. i don't mind the rain, i can happily walk through it, the wind is a little problematic. moreover, it was pouring early in the morning, it was not really good to walk in that rain. so, i decided to stay home instead.

i have not even gone to avenue campus yet. i might go later on, but i doubt it. well, i stay home but that doesn't mean i have the whole day free to watch movies and have fun. actually, i am super busy with different materials to read for my research and also materials from the classes i am teaching now. the good thing about staying home is that here i listen to my soft jazz at itunes, from apple. right now listening to Carmen Mcrae. sooo good.

Saturday, 31 October 2009

Vô Crescêncio e o alvorecer

Southampton, UK, 31 de outubro de 2009.



a foto do Vô Crescêncio eh afanada do facebook da Isabela Pinho, as do livro sao de minha autoria :-)
Book review

de Pinho, Crescêncio Marinho. Do alvorecer ao sol posto: retalhos do passado. Memorias. ABC Editora, Rio – Sao Paulo – Fortaleza. 2007


Acabei de ler esse livro com as memorias do Vô Crescêncio. Eita, nem sei por onde comecar esse meu primeiro ‘book review’. Isso mesmo, a delicia da leitura me fez pensar em compartilhar o conteudo desse livro precioso, que traz as memorias do menino sonhador que saiu de Sobral no dia 16 de julho de 1936, aos 18 anos, 7 meses e 5 dias de idade, para comecar uma outra jornada da vida nos varios lugares onde morou. Durante o livro todo Vô Crescêncio nos conta da vida em seu tempo, no Ceara da Monsenhor Tabosa (antiga Telha). O livro traz historia, aventura, cultura, conversa de gente braba, de gente preguicosa; enfim, de muita gente que cruzou o caminho do Vô Crescêncio.


Eh claro que o menino que, juntamente com a irma Maria pegou caxumba e quase precisava ser amarrado pra ficar quieto, nao ia ser queitinho nunca nessa vida. Uma memoria de Tamboril de quando estava com a familia, todos conversando na calcada, ilustra o espirito do garoto:
“Em dado momento, meti a mao no bolso superior da blusa e encontrei um prego, de uma polegada ou pouco menos. Dizem que em bolso de menino pobre nunca faltam prego e cordao. Da existencia do cordao, naquele dia, nao dou conta; quanto ao prego, la estava ele e quase me mete em encrencas. Retirando-o do bolso, levei-o aa boca, prendendo entre os labios. Talvez porque continuasse falando, o prego, desprendendo-se, escapou goela abaixo, antes de qualquer gesto meu para conter-lhe a descida. Sentindo que ele se me atravessava na garganta, dei o alarme. Foi um deus-nos-acuda. Deram-me a comer pedacos de banana, farinha e outras coisas mais consistentes, que pudessem o intruso na ‘caminhada’. Tal era a minha aflicao que nem sequer sabia o que estavam me dando a deglutir. Tudo, finalmente, voltou aa calma quando senti que nao mais estava sendo por ele incomodado.” (p. 21)

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

Clive the clever

28 Oct 2009

Clive the clever & the gold run at the Common




I have a hectic day ahead and decided to gor a little walk in the Common, again following my sister's advice. i hade a sore body, and feel very much out shape, i mean, i AM in a unique / bizarre shape at the moment and i wonder if this is physically only.

well, in the very entrance to the park i saw this man running. i try sometimes to run a little, even if for 5 seconds only, as part of my plan to carry out 'unimagined tasks' :-) . as i attempted to run this smiley man crossed the walking track to speak with me. he said something like:

'never run on this, always run on the grass. i am 80 years old and i've been running for 40 years. if you run on the hard surface your knees are gone after 20 years. always always try the softer ground to run. try and buy the best shoes possible and run or even walk in there (pointing to the grass). it is wet, your feet are going to get wet, but it is much better than spoiling your knees.'

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

the moves of the day

27 Oct 2009


at Lattes Cafe Bar with Hilra and Highfield Campus in Autumn 2009

Today i came to Highfield campus to teach an Academic English class on Management building. After that i came by Hilra's building (Education) to do something with her about my blog. We went up in this super secure lift which only the cool people can ride, such as Hilra and whoever is lucky enough to follow her, like myself today, as you need an ID to make the machine work.

Then we went for our agreed upon nice coffee at Lattes Cafe Bar, the staff club. We had our calories for the whole week (I had a chocolate muffin with coffee and Hilra had this unbelievably caloric fruit cake with coffee) in one single sit and talked about life. . . It is usually inspiring to talk with Hilra, and the conversation always goes on and on and on and on from one topic to the other in a very interesting flow that does not require clear cohesive devices to be coherent. What makes the whole bit coherent is our understanding and the freedom to speak up freely, which we certainly do.

It is amazing how we can find pleasure out of dealing with pain to an extent. It is really a puzzle to me sometimes that we choose to be around the ones with whom we can exactly talk about what worries us rather than just spending time with people to laugh only. . . My meetings with Hilra have been opportunities to explore thoughts, experiences, (im)possibilities and whatever the topic of the day is. Sometimes our conversation is so seriously around concrete worries, not only about ourselves, but also about others who relate to us, and it is so nice, so nice. And we say bye bye with the feeling that we still have this something else to say about whatever. hehehe

Well, today I had to bear with a new feature my friend Hilra is starting to display, which is a sort of neologism, well, not exactly neologism, but more like 'hibridism' in the sense that she, after having been living here for more than five years now does sometimes mix Portuguese with English. We clearly speak only one language at a time, which may in the end be another sort of symptom :-) but the point is we two try to keep being the naturally good Portuguese speakers that we are. My friend, however, is now with this little problem, so funny! She said she feels the need to buy two dictionaries to help her out on this issue, both of them starting with the letter O: Oxford dictionary (for English, of course) and Orélio dictionary (for Portuguese support, obviously).

Anyway, the main point of this post is to emphasize my rationale that no matter how busy you are, if you want to, you can manage to find a moment to spend with a friend and help and be helped in all ways. This Tuesday has been (it's 5.55pm now) a very busy day for me. Still, we had agreed to meet for a coffee today and the new things I had to add to my day to do as well, which represented round trips from highfield to avenue throughout the day, were not important enough for me to cancel our meeting. I am happy because these breaks during the day are so invigorating and should be part of life. It is like being responsible in a more harmonic way.

I feel so tired right now because I came to Highfield to teach 9 - 10:45 in the morning, spoke with Hilra from 11am to 1pm, walked back to avenue campus, grabbed a slice of pizza to eat, taught an EAS class 2 - 3.30pm, met with Chris Sinclair, walked back to highfield for an appointment here at 4.30. I am now free and waiting until the buses are not too packed with people. I need to buy fruits, but am not in the mood to go to supermarkets and queue up and carry heavy bags home.

I have to write an email to this one person to talk about something really bad that is going on now and is having an undesired implication on my personal life. I should stop torturing myself and just go ahead and write the email. duh!!!

Kalina Morena

bus stop at the Avenue, and Highfield Campus in colourful  Autumn 2009

Monday, 26 October 2009

nous allons voyager a Paris

26 Oct 2009


our French class today was so much fun. we were supposed to, in groups plan a trip to Paris. our group planned a trip for a four-day trip. my classmates are all so young and cute and nice, i like them very much. the activity was very  creative and practical. Manu, the teacher gave maps of Paris, a plan for the underground, the informaion about Eurostar, the train that travel through the English channel, and about hotels. well, when we were looking for a hotel my peers right away spotted a hostel, like any youngster naturally does when planning a trip. i found it so cute and smile. i suggested we picked an expensive hotel instead because Manu was going to pay for everything. they liked the idea and we decided to stay at a great hotel very close to Montmarte and to Sacre Coeur. 'au pied de Montmarte et pres de la basilique de Sacre Coeur.' the groups then had a chance to present their plans to class. we had a blast and Manu showed us his pockets were empty actually, with no money to pay for our trip, and said that he stays in Marseille, not in Paris. i told him everything is possible when you dream. he corrected my French to something like 'tout c'est possible quand on reve'.

Sunday, 25 October 2009

Stacey Kent at the cathedral in Winchester

from yesteday - 24 Oct 2009

i have a hoarse voice from talking so much with my friends about the concert. i am sooo happy that they after the show asked me to tell them again whenever there is another concert for us to go together. awesome!!!

Friday, 23 October 2009

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

"living word"

from yesterday - 20 Oct 2009


the acude grande - Campo Maior - PI, Brazil

this is about our meeting yesterday from the group 'Living word'. It was our second meeting this school year. This time we had five more students coming along for the meeting. so nice to realize that the rain didn't sahy people away from coming to have this moment of quiet and peace.

Because it was at Catherine and Liliana's place, we took shoes off as we entered the house. This is actually very common around here and i find it cool for it helps keep the house quite clean. The house was by the way suuuper clean. So, we sat together in the lounge and started talking friendly, very nice atmosphere. i saw the people i had met the week before and also had a chance to meet new people, such as this Nigerian guy whose name insists in not sticking in my mind, this Brazilian guy who was adopted by a Maltese family and would love to visit Brazil at some point in his life and to speak Portuguese.

We are from both Solent University and the University of Southampton. Each week one university plans wht we do in our meeting. Yesterday was Solent's day. I like this a lot because it gives equal opportunity for the different uni guys to plan something they / we find interesting. We started off by singing two songs, with Liliana playing the guitar. I loved it. Liliana is in charge of the Solent Uni students whereas Catherine looks after us from the Uni of Southampton. I tried to concentrate in the words of the songs (church tunes) and to listen to the voices of the group singing together. It did feel good. The tunes were followed by a reading from the Bible - Luke 19, 1-10, about Jesus and Zachaeus. The guy who read studies performance and is an actor. He's got such a strong voice. He read the passage and made some comment about it. I honestly did not pay much attention to it. I think the opennes of having him read and make a comment might mean that in the future each one of us, or at least the ones interested in, can do the same.

Liliana then said a few words, making a connection with our talk from the previous week, which was about the reasons to pray, and then we had some quiet moment for individual prayer. this time anyone could speak up and say whom or why we should pray for. i remained quiet but my thoughts and my prayer were all devoted to a colleague of ours here at uni, who died about two days ago now. I will omit her name here because the most important thing for me now is that we reflect about death and why it happens sometimes when it should not have happened really. I thought, really did, of asking us to pray for her but held my piece because i was a bit insecure about the reception of the group on the terms of how her death happen: she committed suicide.

I remember when I was a child in Campo Maior, Northeast Brazil, one day I was told the Catholic church would not ring the church bells for the people who committed suicide. I remember not understanding it quite well, and finding it not so fair. It was a tradition at that time for the church to ring the bell to announce people's death in the city, so that everyone would know somebody died. I reproduced this practice yesterday, when i neglected my colleague of having the group have her in mind while praying. I did and i still do feel bad about it, in spite of my prayers having been devoted to her, for her to find peace.

My sweet Dorothy made a comment about suicide, saying that it is very sad when people make this choice thinking this is the only way out of any terrible situation when in fact there are various possibilities, always. I am left with my prayers.

- i picked a saying from the hand out we got yesterday:
"Prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us." St. Teresa of Jesus

Tuesday, 20 October 2009

movie "Sukkar banat" or "Caramel"


this is the view from my window, and my feet resting a bit :-)

19 Oct 2009

i should be at uni now doing more reading and writing my literature review. instead, i decided to stay home and watch this very nice lebanese movie called originally Sukkar banat and Caramel in English, about the life of five lebanese women living in beirut. 

i do love and recommend the movie. it is very interesting that through cinema we have the chance for a flavor of other cultures and their peculiar perspectives on life. 'caramel' tells of the life of these five lebanese women who have different personal needs and possibilities and how they struggle in life. it also points out the common things between them, the beauty parlor being the main stage for this. the beauty parlor - with its sweet 'caramel' - i reckon stands for femininity and the inner search for outside look of ok & acceptable & attractive appearance that gives everyone, we all included, the impression that the situation is pretty much under control. but this is not enough, of course, to guarantee that life is indeed under control for them. that is clearly stated throughout the movie, so beautifully expressed in the song that talks about their search for identity. the song that plays in the end was, according to karen, a lebanese girl who is my flatmate, especially composed for the movie. this musician is married to Nadine Labaki, the movie Director. She plays layale, the main character in the movie. caramel is a must see movie.

the soothing song goes a little little this:
'mirror on the wall
listen to my story
tell me who i am'

another point that has drawn my attention is the language. i had no idea the arabic they speak in lebanon would sound very soft and display an enormous french influence. it actually has some french words incorporated to its daily speaking. 'merci' for this extra piece of precious information about the lebanese culture, nadine.

from the movie:
Sukkar banat or Caramel
- Director: Nadine Labaki
- Writers: Rodney El Haddad (writer)
             Jihad Hojeily (writer)
- Awards:3 wins & 2 nominations more
- Cast (Credited cast)
Nadine Labaki ... Layale
Yasmine Elmasri ... Nisrine (as Yasmine Al Masri)
Joanna Moukarzel ... Rima
Gisèle Aouad ... Jamale
Adel Karam ... Youssef
Sihame Haddad ... Rose (as Siham Haddad)
Aziza Semaan ... Lili
Fatmeh Safa ... Siham
Dimitri Staneofski ... Charles
Fadia Stella ... Christine
Ismaïl Antar ... Bassam

cheers,
Kalina

movie and book: 'Le scaphandre et le papillon'


 Jean-Do dictating his book. .
                                                               photo from wikipedia



I saw this movie a few days ago. It is impressive how Jean Dominique Bauby (Jean-do) managed to write a book by only blinking his left eye after he had a cerebro-vascular accident. At the beginning of the movie he is waking up from a 3-week coma after the accident. we see the room in the hospital from his perspective, from what his eyes manage to see. It is sort of disturbing. Well, the doctors and therapists come by and talk to him about his problem and explain to him he has this 'locked-in syndrome' and thus will need help for anything he might need or want. There is a strong scene when the doctor stictches his right eye. Jean-do is bedridden but his brain works perfectly. From his perspective we see the doctor coming close to him and saying that he is going to stich his eye because it is dry, no longer good. stitch by stitch we see a wondow being closed.

He start different therapies: physical, and speech therapy. we hear his thoughts throughout the film. he says that after the accident he only has his memories and his imagination left to him. when this therapist comes to help him she teaches him to dictate to her what he wants to say, by blinking his left eye. amazing!!! everyone should watch this movie and, i believe, read the book.

i ordered the book and already got it in the mail. i'll read it as soon as i have some free time.

from the movie
Director: Julian Schnabel

- Writers (WGA):Ronald Harwood (screenplay)
                           Jean-Dominique Bauby (book)
- Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 40 wins & 33 nominations
- Cast (Cast overview, first billed only)

Mathieu Amalric ... Jean-Do
Emmanuelle Seigner ... Céline
Marie-Josée Croze ... Henriette Roi
Anne Consigny ... Claude
Patrick Chesnais ... Le Docteur Lepage

cheers,
Kalina

my 'carbonara, pero no mucho'

20 Oct 2009




I made this pasta carbonara today as part of my project to stay away from number one obligation: my PhD research. no, seriously, every time i cook i do it so that i can eat the food up to 4 times. mostly i cook pasta, with some variations, and add veggies to it.

the menu today:
Ginger, garlic, seasalt, crushed chilli (very hot), courgette, fresh mushrooms, seastick (immitation crab meat in the US and kani kama in Brazil), maybe three slices of ham, fusili, mustrd, olive oil, milk, and cream. i boiled the fusili, stir fried the garlic, crushed chilli, and ginger. Added the courgettes, fresh mushrooms, ham, and wait a little for it to cook some. then i added the boiled fusili, a dash of milk, wait a little. last ingredients to be added were the seastick and the cream. make sure it is really warm. Food is ready!!!
I added frozen (defrosted) veggies to the pasta. these frozen vegetables are very practical indeed. Leftovers are enough for three more meals. YEY!!! it was fine, but not so special. Mark: 7.5. my scale is 0 - 10.

want some?
cheers!!!

Sunday, 18 October 2009

Living word - 'what's the point of prayer?'


Sunday 18 October 2009

........CATHOLIC SOCIETY
........dear all,a summary of what's on this week Cathsoc wise...

TUESDAY: 7.30pm at Chaplaincy we'll be beginning the 'Living Word' group.. an informal time of reflection and faith sharing together.. the theme for the first evening will be 'what's the point of prayer?'.

Praying for you all this week,Catherine

what you have above is the invitation from our Catholic Society here on campus. i deleted the other part of the message, as i will talk about our group meeting on Tuesdays only this time. Catherine sends us messages about what goes on every week. finally i managed to go this week to this discussion group. it was really nice. we were a total of eight people: Liliana and two other english students at Solent University (can't remember their names, but one's is Tom). Liliana coordinates for Solent University the same chaplaincy activities Catherine carries on for us here at University of Southampton. Plus Catherine, this other english guy, a girl from Sri Lanka, named Asha (suuuper talkative), and a french guy who came over a little late but still participate in the discussion. i DO want to speak english with a french accent. it is the coolest possibility ever. oh, and myself.

we read, prayed, and discussed. i really enjoyed the time for reflection and the opportunity to get to meet new people around.

Chilly morning at the Common

Sunday 18 October 2009

i went this morning for a very nice walk at the Common, this awesome park in the city. you can in a way get to it from so many different areas. I am in the Hants now, and when i walk for some 20 something minutes i get to Shirley. sooo cool.

when i left the flat it was making 3degrees, very cold indeed. but as you walk for a little while the body warms up and the first impression turns into something more relaxing. i went to bed almost 3 o'clock in the morning, as i was reading a nice article by Dick Allwright about one of his many studies in Brazil. i wasn't really very tired bu decided it was time to go to bed anyway because i had this walk for the early morning today and i know if i come to uni it is very likely that when i leave it here it is already too dark for a walk in the park. plus today i am planning to go to church, to our 6.30 mass in highfield campus.

when i was back from the walk i cooked myself some pasta (fusili) and added stir fried mushrooms and pesto sauce to it. i will have it with vegetables. by the way, the most practicl way of eating veggies aroung - ha!! i bought this bag with four individual packs of a mixture of veggies. i keep the bag in the freezer and whenever i want to eat it i just warm it up in the microwave oven. what else can a lazy soul ask for? but it is good, trust me :-)

the walking this morning was a suggestion Kassandra gave to me the other day. she said i should take a nice walk in the park over the weekend, especially because we are happy for 'things' that are going so right for me these days. YEY!!! therefore, i devote this happy walk to my sister, my lovely sister.

sooo much love, but now i'd better go back to work because i go by deadlines all the time - hellooo!!!

Saturday, 17 October 2009

From Summer to Fall 2009 - changing places

from 19 Sept 2009

this day everyone was expected to vacate their rooms everyone in uni accommodation. i moved out of Montefiore 3 in Swaythling to St Margaret's hall, which is very close to the Common and also to Avenue campus, my main campus.

Montefiore is very beautiful and has nice gardens full of colourful flowers, surrounded by green, large, trees. this days was very busy, with loads of students moving in and out all day long. i was sitting for a long time in a bunch at the entrance, close to the reception, greeting people, chatting with my friend Campi, from Thailand, and taking pictures. the two musliim girls were quite happy to pose for me. i did all this while waiting for Ines.



it was a very smooth moving of houses :-) because i had some precious hands of friends all over the process.

the only belongings i ended up losing in the movinf out and in were my clothes rack, but Ines already gave a new one. and i happy. the other thing i lost was a little beautiful basil plant. i was really sad about it. when i bought it i got so scared of having it could die i realized that i don't buy much of this things is because i am afraid i won't be able to treat them properly and they'll end up dying in my hands. i just bought a new one, and it is in the kitchen now. i ate some of it last night night with my frittata (await for a post on this one).

Thursday, 15 October 2009

A new start

Lovers walk is on my way to Avenue Campus

15 October 2009
6.22pm - Southampton, Hampshire, UK

I am trying to start a new blog, this time calling it The Soton Times, which is the name i informally have been giving to some of my writings about my experience here in the UK since September 2008.

For some reason my writings have had a little downfall these days. I believed it started over the summer, but it will come back as fruitful as it has been in good previous times, so i want it to.

i will add to this post later on, and include a photograph to it eventually.

cheers
Kalina