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.

the chill & the heat

14 dec 2010

am about to leave to Heathrow to get my TAM flight to Brazil. will be back to UK on Jan the 10th. it is cold here, it is hot there. it is hot here. it is cold there. wherever i go there is the heat and the chill. . .  love it!
i might then be away -  0h my! - from the blog during this time although planning to post post brazilian news.
wishing everyone an awesome Christmas & a very happy New Year. tropical hugs. . .

pub & music & pub = busy night

12 nov 2010

1. the crown inn: today at 6pm diana, susana, mariko, alma and I walked to the crown inn to meet up with other uni folks to celebrate susana's submission of her PhD thesis. the crown inn is always, i mean always, so busy that if you don't make a reservation for a table either you wait long or if you are a large group you'll just have to leave. we were lucky the manager let us sit at this table which was reverved from 8pm only. at the pub we met other people: stephen, adam, ian and his girlfriend, and esteban. we were all very happy for susana. this was actually a celebration for alma's application for her post doc as well. she is hoping to have it here at our uni (now i have a uni).

tonight i had the opportunity to chat with mariko about lots of things, ranging from mundane daily stuff to big time life and professional decisions and choices. we also chatted a great deal about some bizarre events that have been happening around. mariko is a nice person, always quiet and polite, but very much willing to engage in open and funny chats and in having a pint, and in going places. i like it about her because it is almost as if you didn't expect this from mariko. her boyfriend is back home in japan, awaiting her to get married. however, we talked a lot about mixed feelings concerning going straight back home after a degree here or staying a little longer. after spending some years in a new country the changes we observe in ourselves are sometimes out of control and do unexpected things to us.

2. turner sims concert hall: at 7.30 mariko, diana and I left the guys at the crown inn and were headed to the turner sims, just a five-minute walk away from the pub to attend a jazz concert. tonight it was Robert Glasper trio. the concert was fantastic. the first piece lasted 45 minutes. they are very talented musicians and i am very happy to be able to attend such art events paying so low. i bought this arts pass which turns the price as down as £5 per event. there we met up with karla and her friend who is now living in brazil and came to visit. i think her name is also called carla.

3. the stag's head: once the jazz concert was finished we five walked to the stag's head, this on campus pub, two minutes from the concert hall. more cider for me and more chat and laugh and fun. the stag's head is mostly frequented by the uni young students whereas the crown inn seems to be a meeting point for uni staff / teachers and mature / post grad students and alike. well, it was a great night with friends, filled with inspiring and inspired conversations and jazz, the music i love.

it was 11.15 when i realized i had to rush to catch my bus home. off we all went. diana walked home but the four rest of us needed a bus ride home. am i tired? a bit, but happy. today i also had a supervision session with Ros. my research is something i have to devote most of my time to from now on. i have so much to do. the thing now is that i have a better picture of what i should do. way to go, woman! cheers to life!

foge daqui, fica ali, volta pra ca

12 nov 2010

que texto lindo, simples, direto, claro e fluente. muito bom de ler, mesmo.
mas deve ter uma coisa que eu acho que fazer a vida inteira: arrumar outro servico pra fugir das obrigacoes principais e urgentes. eh assim: quando eu estava no mestrado nos estados unidos, muuuitas vezes eu senti um magnetismo incontrolavel pelos filmes na tv, especialmente nas semanas com prazos serios, parecia que era o filme mais importante do mundo, que aquela seria a unica oportunidade de ve-lo, e que se nao o fizesse jamais poderia faze-lo no futuro. (hehehe meu portugues ta de lascar hein) um exemplo desse fato eh o filme 'spartacus' com o irresistivel - alguem discorda? - Russel Crowe.

presentemente, nesse prezado instante e momento, precisamente 11.32hr do dia 12 de novembro de 2010, ca estou eu visitando esse blog Kafka na Praia, porque eh interessante mesmo o danado, ao inves de finalizar meus preparativos para uma reuniao de supervisao com minha orientadora, que sera aas 2 da tarde.

e assim sigo eu, lenta e enrolada, mas seguindo.

woody allen diz: "80% of success is showing up" e nessa fe eu sigo ass vezes, pela metade, mas com cara de quase tudo e insistindo na fe.
abraco grande Karen e como esse comentario ta parecendo um relatorio, vou transforma-lo em post no meu blog.

notas: 1. esse post nasceu de um comentario que fiz no blog da Karen, Kafka na Praia.
                2. esse post foi escrito acompanhado de um cafe delicia na caneca charmosa que meu amigo querido Noom (Wisut) me deixou de heranca. ele terminou o PhD e foi embora de vez pra Tailandia semana passada (assunto em outro post).

film: another year

11 nov 2010

Director: Mike Leigh

Writer: Mike Leigh
Stars: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville
Jim Broadbent ... Tom

Lesley Manville ... Mary
Ruth Sheen ... Gerri
Oliver Maltman ... Joe
Peter Wight ... Ken
David Bradley ... Ronnie
Imelda Staunton ... Janet
Release Date: 5 November 2010 (UK)
for more check out imdb website

today we saw this film at harbour lights written and directed by Mike Leigh, released just six days ago. at first i told Mike i loved the film and am quite impressed with the actress Lesley Manville for her excellent interpretation of Mary, this all screwed up woman. but now i think back and have to admit Mike Liegh exaggerated in the blissful life of the forever happy couple Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) (unlike the animation characters). the film portrays this couple's house as a magnet for friends and family for both good and bad times. throughout the four seasons of the year they are there for everyone.

part of Leigh's style is that much of the film dialogues are improvised. he is talented and makes ordinary people with ordinary life living ordinary events look remarkable. moreover, i do love the photography and the pace of the film, which is really worth watching. i like it, but i question the forever blissful happiness of the aged couple. 

however, i am also - have to confess - disappointed to see how miserable he portrays Janet, the woman at the beginning of the film, who is so lost she can't even remember a happy moment in her life. Mary herself is so lost. she buys a car, which instead of leading her to new places brings her lots of problems and makes her get stuck and have get tickets and all sort of troublesome stuff possible. a bit too much? anyway, Manville's interpretation of Mary is outstanding. Ronnie (David Bradley), Tom's brother who becomes a widower comes into the picture towards the last part (last season) of the film. i like him very much. Ronnie does not pronounce many words, he only displays Bradley's talent to say much with his presence and pass along all the feelings of the character. 'Another year' was filmed in Derbyshire,UK.

le plat du jour: chinese dumplings

8 nov 2010

le plat du jour was this scrumptuous batch of chinese pork and chives dumplings. tong, my chinese flatmate gave them to me as a present. they are kept in the freezer. i steamed them in my brazilian steamer (a cuscuzeira) and ate them with balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. i also added some sweet and chilly sauce, which was also a present from another chinese flatmate, to the dish. sooooo good!

autumn & the lovers' walk

5 nov 2010

this is what the lovers' walk path looks like in these chilly but beautiful autumn days. this passage is on my way to the avenue campus. nature is so inspiring. the whole common has been so beautiful there is no photo to make it justice. our eyes see, our heart feels it, but the camera cannot register the real and breathtaking beauty.

le plat du jour: light :-)

2 nov 2010

le plat today was this politically correct light sandwich with white bread, crispy lettuce, wild rocket, tomato, a slice of ham, and pineapple cottage cheese. it was followed by a nice bowl of cereal and a warm cup of tea. cheers!

autumn at the avenue

2 nov 2010

this is what the avenue looks like this morning in these gorgeous autumn days. i walked to the city centre and of could not resist and took some photos on my way to up town. the colors are unbelievably beautiful. they trees remain full of colourful leaves until the wind and the autumn rain come and make them all fall over the ground. later on the city council men come to collect them. and the trees will spend the rest of the autumn and the whole winter naked and unprotected to face the chilly days and the incessant rain.

St Edmund's Church is on the avenue. i found the image of the church behind the leaves very beautiful.

my daily fiber

1 nov 2010

at least monday through friday i have this as my breakfast: cereal plus oats plus some fruit plus yoghurt plus milk plus 3 or 4 drops of sweetener. i buy different types of ceral, but more or less around the ones i already know and consider to be digestive and tasteful to me, which are basically the bran and the swiss alpen ones, but i also like the cereals with red fruits like strawberry for a change sometimes. after the cereal i have a nice, warm and fresh cuppa tea. it is the perfect start for my days. then, i walk to uni or to wherever. this start makes my whole body function satisfactiorily. 

at weekends i sometimes vary my breakfast. i then take the time to make coffee and toast with butter, sometimes even a scrambled egg is added to my meal. very good indeed. i like to enjoo my meals, to respect food, and to give each the right amount of time to both prepare and eat it.