O mundo da Lua

Cultural? But of course! Baby, it's 5 FLOORS full of geeky headphones flaps hands

2012-02-05T19:06:00.002+08:00

This Japan trip always had the potential to get really tight. We're only going for about 9 days (excluding the to/from) which means that something's got to give. Unless we want to be rushing from one place to another, an option that is not ideal if you have someone tagging along with a just healed (one hopes!) knee fracture.

So, in theory, it could get tight. At least, in my theoretical world it could. However, more importantly, it could be put into practice - healed leg and all. But theory was just that, a never intended loop in this Japan trip. At least in his world :)

15 minutes was the time it took him to politely and reservedly say that he would prefer to miss Hiroshima so that we would spend more time relaxing in Tokyo. 30 minutes later, while casually giving instructions on where to fetch everything he needs before we're headed out the door for lunch (he's milking it big time :)), he starts to enthusiastically describe how there's this geeky neighbourhood where he really wants to spend an entire day exploring floors with piles of ridiculously expensive headphones (followed by an explanation of all the intricate mechanisms involved in the manufacturing of said pieces).

The geek-nerd just wants to live the life in Tokyo! Even the hotel we booked had to be in this area :)

Watch out cherry blossoms (please do blossom while we're there) and wired people - we're all set. There is one hotel left to book (Hakone, Mt. Fuji area) but all the others bookings are taken care of. As of now the itinerary is cool and very manageable: Osaka - Kyoto - Nara - Hakone (Mt. Fuji) - Tokyo - Nikko.

I'm trying not to have mild apoplectic attacks every time i book rooms (i have paid more for the hotels in this trip than all the other hotels i've stayed at throughout my life put together) and we haven't even bought the Japan Rail Passes yet (bullet trains, yay)! Ouch...

I'll just go and much on some carrots until April.

Today, the photo is:

2012-02-05T15:57:00.002+08:00

Hanoi, Vietnam, June 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2012-02-05T15:53:00.001+08:00

Florence & The Machine - Strangeness & Charm

There may (will) be an overload of FATM around here :)

Today, my iTune is:

2012-02-04T22:11:00.000+08:00

Florence & The Machine: Shake It Out

I think i've repeated this over and over lately but i am so totally in love with this band. What a musicality, what a voice, can we have more of this non-stop, please?

Quem me viu e quem me vê :)

2012-01-30T21:14:00.001+08:00

One does loads for love. Things that one loves and things that one doesn't particularly love or even like but that are necessary (if for nothing else other than seeing someone be happy).

In the latter category one can definitely find 'attending a Roxette's concert'. And so it is :)

Today, the photo is:

2012-01-30T20:44:00.001+08:00

Tickets booked (super excited doesn't quite cover it!).

Today, my iTune is:

2012-01-30T20:38:00.000+08:00

Alphaville: Big in Japan

Today, the photos are: Around the world in 2011

2012-01-08T14:13:00.006+08:00

11,768kilometers7,313miles8trips6countries

Countries Visited

Phuket, Thailand, February 2011.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 2011.

Pulau Rawa, Malaysia, April 2011.

Panyee floating village, Thailand, June 2011.

Halong Bay, Vietnam, June 2011.

Macau, China, July 2011.

Hong Kong, China, July 2011.

Angkor Wat Temples, Siem Reap, Cambodia, October 2011.

Pulau Tioman, Malaysia, October 2011.

Phnon Penh, Cambodia, November 2011.

Not to mention all the small trips to Malaysia (just across the border) and a very short one more to Phnom Penh in December (no photos). A good year, taking into consideration the pitiful number of holiday days i had!

2012 is still up in the air as a lot will depend on how the husband's leg recovers. If all goes well, apart from the big summer trip we have planned, we'd like to fit Japan, China and Indonesia. If all goes really well, maybe even New Zealand for Christmas and New Years. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that i have more holiday days now than i had in the past two years so i'm itching to make the most of it!

Today, my Tune is:

2012-01-08T13:58:00.000+08:00

Blind Melon: Tones Of Home

I Do.

2012-01-07T18:40:00.004+08:00

I carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

I carry your heart with me by Cummings.

Today, the photo is:

2012-01-07T18:38:00.000+08:00

Pulau, Tioman, Malaysia, October 2011.

Today, my iTune is (if there ever was one, this is it):

2012-01-07T18:29:00.000+08:00

Florence and the Machine: Cosmic Love

Unsurprisingly

2012-01-01T21:03:00.003+08:00

This year is a no resolutions year. It is instead a kick back and relax year in anticipation of all the good things that will and may happen (e.g. a very definite 'will': SING-UK-ROM-PT-USA-SING. Can't wait!).

Today, the photo is:

2012-01-01T20:57:00.000+08:00

Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia, October 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2012-01-01T20:49:00.000+08:00

Snow Patrol: The planets bend Between us

Almost there

2011-12-28T21:53:00.001+08:00

Really, just a wee bit more.

Other than this, simply enjoying Xmas, the last days of this year and before a few key parts of my life change, and nursing his broken leg.

All's good (and the broken leg is getting better).

Today, the photo is:

2011-12-28T21:50:00.000+08:00

Pulau Tioman, Malaysia, October 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-12-28T21:44:00.003+08:00

The Black Keys: Everlasting light

Today, my iTune is:

2011-08-13T16:58:00.002+08:00

Thom Yorke: Hearing Damage

Este canto vai continuar um pouco quieto. Não me consigo dividir mais do que já me divido (e nenhuma das divisões está a funcionar a 100%).

The cat and the Moon

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000+08:00

The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion,
A new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The sacred moon overhead
Has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.

W. B. Yeats

Today, the photo is:

2011-08-01T10:53:00.000+08:00

Macau, July 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-08-01T10:46:00.000+08:00

Band of Horses: The Funeral

Today, the photo is:

2011-07-29T23:06:00.002+08:00

Macau, July 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-07-29T22:50:00.000+08:00

The Black Keys: Too Afraid To Love You

Hong Kong: the fast one

2011-07-25T15:30:00.002+08:00

I think i know what it feels like being a Singaporean now. After being here for one and a half years, stepping into A city is a little bit of a shock.I mean, Hong Kong is what you get when you open a can of coke you just shook miles an hour. Dense as in London and NY and probably as busy, the never sleeps type just like NY. Only that it's way more compact, with gazillions of buildings, one on top of the other! People rush, cars rush, there are sirens polluting the ears every once in a while. Do you have any idea how many times i heard this sound since i got to Singapore? About 2 times!

We went to this restaurant called Lin Heung Tea House, in Wellington Street, which is recommended by many. Typical food among typical people, so they say. We got there and it was absolutely crammed. We hesitated to stay but decided to be Asian-like and walked around to try to get a table as soon as someone got up. All the tables were full but almost all had people standing next to them waiting for their turn. It still bugs me, culturally speaking, to see people doing this as i would hate to have people hovering over me, eyeing me and willing me to finish eating up! However, be a Roman if in Rome and all that, we camped a meter or so from this table trying to look as less intrusive as possible. One of the old guys sitting down pitied us and told us he would give us two chairs in 10 minutes so we happily waited! Less than a minute after that, one of the ladies working at the till, not far away from where we stood, shouted 'Go find table' at us and i swear that sentence implied both a command as in "Go find a table NOW" and exasperation as in "You haven't found a table YET?". We sheepishly replied that we tried but that none were available! The nice old guy came to our rescue again and clarified the situation but... this is Hong Kong - you get this feeling that people have very little patience and just keep moving on, forward always. They can come across as rude but it's not out of rudeness, i guess. People are simply in a hurry and words come out exactly the same way.

One day, all we got, and i loved it. I like the relaxed vibe one gets from living in Singapore but i miss the lively vibe one gets in places like London and NY. I miss it, dearly. The change, the novelty, the energy that you can only get from places where there are so many different people, so many different things happening, ending and starting again.

A definite must go back city.

Today, the photos are (Hong Kong):

2011-07-25T14:58:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong, July 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-07-25T14:17:00.002+08:00

Bombay Bicycle Club: How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep

The other Portugal

2011-07-25T00:37:00.003+08:00

I feel a little bit guilty, i have to admit. Macau surely deserves more than having Portugal or Portuguese added to every single sentence that comes out of my mouth ever since i got back, or even when i was there. It's obviously not part of Portugal anymore, something that may be misunderstood after listening to me talk about it, and it's also itself - Macau. Having said that, and despite the guilt, the truth is that it is a little bit of Portugal away from the real deal. Maybe it's a bit more, for me, than what it actually is, because it offers a constant, something so completely familiar, in this part of the world where everything is so different.

It's impossible to not notice all the signs, starting at the arrivals at the airport and down to the street names, written in three languages - Portuguese, Cantonese and English, often simply in Portuguese and Cantonese. Not written like in Nando's, clearly Portuguese but managed by anyone but, who sort of feel obligated to write the desserts' names in Portuguese because it's... well, cool, but who don't really care about how to spell it. We're talking about correct Portuguese here, this beautiful language that has traveled the world and back and that conveys emotion like nothing else. The shock was so happily intense that even the husband noticed i started speaking in Portuguese immediately. And jumping around. And shrieking. Too funnily sad...

It's also impossible not to notice the pedras da calçada. I literally had to pull my hands apart to stop myself from photographing every single new pattern i encountered. It's something that is so quintessentially Portuguese one cannot help but feel Lisbon's floor underneath the shoes, even if there are 11001 kms between these two cities.

The most important goal of this trip, i'm afraid to say, was to eat home food - that comforting dish that makes you stupidly happy and close to who you are or where/ who you want to be then and there. I knew Macau had various Portuguese restaurants and i wanted to try as many as i could. I am living in Asia, i eat Asian food daily, i was craving my food. The other, less important goal, was to enter, for the first time, in a casino. All the rest, the sightseeing, would be crammed between these two goals.

As far as the food is concerned, my very, very sore tummy is here to prove that the goal was truly achieved (my tummy is an idiot for being sore). The galão tasted the same but more importantly, i asked for a galão claro, starting the request with a "i don't know if you'll get what i mean but i'd like a galão with more milk and less coffee, less strong". To my surprise, the lady, Asian, immediately said "you want a galão claro, right?". Saying that i was almost in tears would be an understatement! How sad is that, after years and years of trying to get people to understand i simple want more milk and less bloody coffee, and that, yes, i'll pay for the frigging thing that you so unflexibly are afraid to change despite having the ingredients' quantities ever so slightly changed, i will only ever get this request across in places which are Portuguese?! How hard can this concept be?!!!

Anyway, galão claro, the joy! And salgados, sandes e pão de Deus e pão de leite mistos, queijo fresco, pregos, salada de polvo e de bacalhau, bitoque, carne de porco à Alentejana, frango assado, bacalhau à braz, leite creme, maçã cozida em vinho Porto, serradura, água Luso, Super Bock, Sumol e Compal. Served in places where Portuguese language, Portugal's photos and Portuguese artifacts rule. Happy days, indeed.

As far as the casinos are concerned, i don't get them. At all. It's obviously rooted in some strong prejudice against gambling i definitely have but, aside from that, i don't get the fun that many claim to be associated with them. Playing games? Sure, that's great fun. Playing games and betting money while the odds are most definitely against you? No, not for me. Yet, these places are open 24 hours and almost always full. Full of people losing money (we saw a guy losing around SGD$ 150.000.00 in a couple of minutes), young and old, right and left. Macau is the mecca of gambling in SEA so you get people flying over just to gamble, often leaving bankrupt. I was once told that all the hotels' windows were sealed shut so that people were prevented from committing suicide. Food for thought.

It's a strange little place, Macau. Obviously Portuguese in many ways but totally Chinese in others. You can still hear people speaking in Portuguese, mostly Portuguese but also a few Asians, but although all the streets have Portuguese names, taxi drivers will have no idea what you're saying if you give them these. We had this driver asking me to say the the Portuguese name in English. I started laughing at the absurdity of the situation - a Portuguese actually pronouncing the street name correctly having to use an accent... in Portuguese. I tried it with an English accent the second time and he got it! Other than that, they almost always needed the Cantonese version.

It's a place with hills, pedras da calçada and many churches, narrow streets and wet clothes that hang outside more like in Europe and less the way they hang in Asia. If you look around, ignoring people and concentrating on objects, there are times when it's easy to feel like you're back where you've started, Pátria Mãe. However, people make a place and Macau is clearly distinct from the place that colonised it for so many centuries. There are other languages and other rituals around. For the time being, they exist in harmony so you see us visiting their temples and them eating at our restaurants - much like temples. A place can have the best of both worlds, after all.

Today, the photos are (Macau):

2011-07-24T12:05:00.000+08:00

Macau, July 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-07-23T18:50:00.000+08:00

Keane: Somewhere only we know

Fact nr 'Permanent'

2011-07-20T22:28:00.001+08:00

We, the Portuguese, are phenomenal. Now, really. We can't be anything short of that when our language and our food are the way they are. Phenomenal. We wee on you, all of you.

That's all i have to say.

P.s. Post with pixies of Macau and Hong Kong later.

Dictatorship-ness nr &^%^&*7%^&555^6776%4

2011-07-11T19:41:00.001+08:00

Can a law preventing parents from calling dumb names to their children be enforced? Or, in the name of free will and speech, can a vaccine imposing some much needed insight be created (and then make it mandatory - to hell with the free crap)?

What's wrong with some people?!

Today, the photo is:

2011-07-11T19:32:00.002+08:00

Hanoi, Vietnam, June 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-07-11T19:28:00.002+08:00

Florence And The Machine: Heavy In Your Arms

Tickets bought! I can't quite believe we're going to see one of the most amazing actors in action!

2011-07-05T09:56:00.001+08:00

Today, the photo is:

2011-07-05T09:52:00.000+08:00

Hanoi, Vietnam, June 2011.

Today, my iTune is (always revisited)

2011-07-05T09:48:00.000+08:00

Pearl Jam: Black

An ode to dads

2011-07-03T22:38:00.000+08:00

The following reads like such an honest and emotional account of what being a new dad is (from a blog i love and have been following for ages):

(...)

2. "Time alone with the baby was surprisingly profound."

Even though I felt so lost overall, I was surprised by how spending time alone with Toby felt natural and surprisingly not scary. I remember the very first night we had Toby at home. Joanna was in bed, and I had four hours alone with him. He was sleeping in the bassinet next to me, and started to stir. I realized that he had never heard music before and that I got to pick out the first song he'd ever hear. I felt like I had a hand in shaping his destiny. Choosing a song on iTunes suddenly felt profound! I decided on "Penny Lane" by The Beatles. It was bright and optimistic, like the first day of spring. It was a magical moment.

(...)

One holiday? Seriously?!

2011-07-03T17:12:00.007+08:00

I think i really needed (need) another holiday to recover from the one we just had. I can't quite put my finger on what makes me think that but my body tells me so. It's not that we engaged in all sorts of activities that were tiring but i guess five flights in less than two weeks, lying by the beach (under rain or sunshine), eating and playing cards until the wee hours of every morning do that to you!

In all honesty the weather let us down badly during the beach part of our holiday. The husband and I know exactly how the sea looks like during non monsoon season, i.e. light blue and totally clear, and it was definitely not what our friends got to see, i.e. choppy waves and murky water. In fact, the sea appeared to be taken out of the north Atlantic during winter. Actually, i think Portugal has better 'sea days' during winter than the coast in Thailand has during the monsoon. Or maybe we simply had too many high expectations! We did get some sunny days which was great, enough to turn some into bright red lobsters. I, on the other hand, managed to escape without losing too much skin - a first for me and a reminder that i am, really, in SEA and not at all that white anymore. In sharp contrast with my younger days, i am starting to get worried about how unwhite i am...

Phuket is a waste of an island, too busy and not at all that beautiful, especially for people who are coming from far away. It's an ok getaway for people like us (this was our second time there) who are close by but not a good representation of what a great SEA beach can be if you're flying for more than 9 hours. I can't comment on Ko Phi Phi because we didn't manage to go there, mainly because of the weather and the sea conditions. West Railay beach in Krabi, on the other hand, particularly Tham Phra Nang (which you can access from the East side of Railay), is too many notches above (it continues to be my favourite beach, murky an all)! The place also continues to be very laid back and more for couples and/or groups of couples. There is not much to do here apart from sunbathing, climbing (you can also call it attempting suicide... which we did... again!) and eating, although a few nice bars have opened since the last time we were there 8 years ago (pre tsunami).

We only had less than a day in Bangkok before we flew to Vietnam but it felt more like a truly developed city this time around. It's still an incredibly busy city but the traffic doesn't seem to want to kill you anymore! We wanted to watch a ping pong show but the reviews we read and friends' testimonials were enough for us to decide against it - the hassle over the money they try to get from you at the end of it is not worth watching girls shooting stuff out of their bits! We did go to the red light district (we missed it the first time around!) but the experience (a live show with semi naked girls on stage with numbers on so they could be picked up by customers) was almost void of any feelings. I feel like i'm ought to provide a big discourse on the evils of the sex trade but i can't. Part of it obviously has to do with my own opinions about the trade but also because the experience left us all feeling a little bit indifferent.

Talking about indifferent though, eating fried bugs most definitely did not make me feel indifferent. To be honest i was a little bit disappointed with myself. I was all up for it - hell yeah, i'm going to eat some bugs - until i had the actual bugs on my hands. And bleurrrghhh! They were fried to an inch of their existence so they actually did not taste like much at all but looking at them made my feel really queasy. This planet better get a better control of the food crisis because i don't want to have to eat them!

Vietnam. What can i say about it? I think it's fast becoming my favourite country in SEA. It's naturally beautiful, people are truly nice and the food is a-ma-zing! I loved HCMC last year and i fell in love with Hanoi, a chaotic city of wheels (the traffic does seem to want to kill you), people and lovely balconies. We only had less than two days in Hanoi so i'm already planning my next trip there, it's simply too nice to not enjoy it thoroughly.

We went to Ha Long Bay, a very easy bus trip from Hanoi, with a tour operator called Phoenix Cruise (highly recommendable). Our room in the boat was nicer than all the hotels we stayed in and the tour programme provided enough entertainment and relaxing time in a balanced way. The scenery is superb and i can only imagine how much more beautiful it can be when it's empty of boats and people. Having said that, being surrounded by boats all the time didn't put a damp on things. The place was so pretty and the boats fit so nicely into the background that having people around (from all over the world) meant we had great fun (thanks to the American girl who, to encourage me, held my hand while jumping off the boat into the jellyfish infested water! The husband stayed in the water to prove a point - he wasn't being stung by any :))

Going back to the much needed holiday after the holiday. I wanted to have more time to describe how nice SEA is and how nice it was to see our friends. I don't get tired of marveling at the fact that travel has the potential to make us all better people, to help us understand who we are and what we would like to be.

However, life catches up with life and the thesis doesn't wait, work doesn't either. I do, however, have a little something that i am extremely happy about and that it was made possible not only because of this holiday but mainly because of having great people in my life i wouldn't otherwise have if i didn't travel in the first place. A great (and most lovely) friend of mine invited me to write a travel article for a Portuguese magazine. It's available online for Público subscribers and it's also in printed form (the magazine, Fugas, came out yesterday).

Thank you, thank you!

Now, off to work and in two weeks time Macau!

Today, the photos are:

2011-07-03T15:47:00.001+08:00

Panyee floating village, Thailand

Panyee floating village, Panyee FC pitch, as can be seen in this fabulous commercial, one of the cutest with children!

Railay beach, Krabi, Thailand

Phang-Nga, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Thailand & Vietnam, June 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-07-03T14:40:00.000+08:00

Sia: My Love

Are we back already? :(

2011-06-26T23:33:00.002+08:00

The only thing on my mind. A couple of hours more and see you again in two weeks!

2011-06-12T14:53:00.000+08:00

Singapore, June 2011.

"(...)On the same note, the first and last thought i'll have (aside from the '*&5^% i need to go to work/ work tomorrow' one) every single day of this week will be 'Thailand and Vietnam'".

2011-06-11T07:29:00.002+08:00

Are we there yet?

Randoms nr 8^3*&%4%886%$%^%

2011-06-05T10:05:00.000+08:00

Whatever the outcome of today's elections is, what i wish is that the Portuguese, old and young, but especially young, grow up to be daring and confident while caring and tolerant. There is nothing worse than to not admit one's mistakes and, on top of that, defend them, thus perpetuating them. Step up people (no, this is not only about the elections).
I'm on holiday mode which is a bad thing as my holiday will only start in 1 week and i need to survive another week at work. Other than this (very - at the moment - sad thought), our friends are landing in a few hours. Happiness is, indeed, this!
On the same note, the first and last thought i'll have (aside from the '*&5^% i need to go to work/ work tomorrow' one) every single day of this week will be 'Thailand and Vietnam'.

Today, the photos are:

2011-06-05T09:35:00.000+08:00

Lisbon, Portugal, March 2008.

Today and in the future, what are you made of Portugal?

Today, my iTune is:

2011-06-05T09:21:00.000+08:00

Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here

PANIC

2011-05-31T17:37:00.002+08:00

I've clicked on the Customise Design button in the Template section. I thought i could put in all the HTML changes i had but i couldn't find where to put them. The code is all crazy, the layout section is limited and how the hell can you include extra categories in your sidebar? It can obviously be done but i broke into a sweat! I need to play with the new layout tools before deciding whether or not to join the equivalent to the 21st century in the universe of blogs.

Never again in a whim. I swear. Meu rico blog!

Randoms nr !"£$567*&^54£%^7

2011-05-31T13:13:00.001+08:00

As it stands cow's milk is a no no. I've reintroduced nightshades, corn, soy, gluten, egg and dairy. My stomach could cope with it all, even dairy, apart from cow's dairy. It was so clearly bad for me that it took my body less than 2 hours to struggle after i ate a few spoons of yogurt. Cow's cheese didn't affect my stomach as such but gave me an immediate migraine which, thankfully, disappeared in less than 24hrs. In compensation, i can eat haloumi cheese without fear of tummy or head upsets. There was a reason after all for loving goat's cheese so much! I can totally justify it now :) I still can't really eat sugar although i'm allowed 1 spoon of honey with my oats. I also need to increase my protein intake as i need to address the fact that my hair is still falling too much. However, i need to slowly teach my stomach how to tolerate it as i become instantly full after eating a small steak. Food, i'm almost there but not yet. Once i'm there, all i feel (at least now) i want to cook is stuff like cherry and cardamom custard (i am really, really craving sugar!).
I'm pretty much packed for the holidays, underwear included! Never mind that we'll only fly in about two weeks time but our friends are going to be here in less than 1 week and i can't wait! We're also seeing a good friend tonight who's coming all the way from London on a business trip although his wife, a dear friend of mine, and the lovely baby Amy could not join him. Bitter sweet, indeed, and another tough reminder of how much i'm missing out when it comes to seeing a little one, who i adore, grow up.
I've got to stop checking the canon rumors website as a new 5D Mark III or a new 7D will surely not materialise due to the sheer will in my heart...

Today, the photo is:

2011-05-31T12:42:00.000+08:00

Sugar cane, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, August 2010.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-05-31T12:34:00.000+08:00

Tori Amos: Hey Jupiter

Fear not, girlie nr ^%^&6%$£5^&

2011-05-29T15:39:00.001+08:00

I spent my entire adolescence being afraid of makeup. It's not that i didn't think i could learn how to apply it but i thought my eyes, being extremely deep set, and my problem prone skin were simply not makeup friendly. Thus any confidence i had in looking good with makeup was squashed away because i always thought it would look too much like a 'made face' intended to disguise the one i had. It's sad to realise that it was well into my late 20s and early 30s that i became much more comfortable not only with makeup in general but also with the essence of it.

Now, two red lipsticks later, a bunch of blushes and a better grip on a black Kohl, i'm happy browsing makeup sites with the intention of actually attempting to emulate certain looks. In fact, i can spend quite a long time (ouch... the thesis) perusing sites like M.A.C.'s which has some really interesting tutorials (aside from the million videos you can get on YouTube and/or blogs) given by their makeup pros (this, this, this and this are basic yet helpful). The next step is to use some daring eye colour such as these M.A.C.'s amazing ones:

Today, the photo is:

2011-05-29T14:32:00.001+08:00

The licence is ready! Singapore, May 2011.

The feeling of dread associated to seeing our loved ones engaging in more dangerous than usual activities has utterly surprised me. Now if only i could create a bubble wrapped motorbike and convince him to ride it, my emotional world would be way more stable...

Today, my iTune is:

2011-05-29T14:17:00.002+08:00

Glorie: Highrise

I'm so uncoordinated

2011-05-27T22:09:00.006+08:00

That i obviously had to do something completely dumb to myself during bikram. I never knew what hamstrings were until some days ago (actually i did but i was in primary school and did something equally dumb during gymnastics. Too dumb to tell you about...). It HURTS!!!

Note to self: When doing the Dandayamana/ Bibhaktapada/ Paschimottanasana posture (Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose) i shall not lose my balance and subsequently unlock my knees while still attempting to touch the floor with my head. If i do, shooting pain will follow and i shall walk like a duck for days (and then definitely not be very good at bikram at all). It doesn't look pretty.

Today, my REAL iTune is:

2011-05-27T21:58:00.000+08:00

A collaboration between a good friend in Singapore and a few of her friends scattered around the globe, i.e. my friends are so much better than yours nr *&65$£45*&^%$%6&!

Today, my iTune is:

2011-05-27T21:55:00.001+08:00

Sixpence None The Richer: There She Goes

Ashen face?

2011-05-25T10:44:00.002+08:00

Can we cancel all natural disasters for a while? Please ash, go away, pretty please. I want my friends to come to Singapore. World economies and myself will be thankful.

Hip Hip Hurray!

2011-05-23T14:10:00.000+08:00

Birthday tickets booked for Macau!!! My mouth is already watering thinking of pastéis de bacalhau, caldo verde, sardinhas grelhadas and the Macanese dish of galinha africana.

P.s. Reality: Back to the thesis now :(

Today, the photo is:

2011-05-23T14:03:00.000+08:00

Penang, Malaysia, December 2010.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-05-23T13:55:00.000+08:00

The Rolling Stones: Wild Horses

Só porque sim

2011-05-22T19:26:00.002+08:00

Porque é pertinente. Tipo ao nível de segurança de estado ou coisa parecida.

Isto de escrever uma tese (conteúdo e forma) sem uma caixa, ou duas, de sortido (bolos miniatura) é uma merdinha pegada, daquelas nojentas e injustas. Os estudos comigo só funcionam com palmieres, queijadinhas, natas, bolos de feijão e afins. Acho que, dieta ou não, pagava a viagem de ida e volta a alguém que me trouxesse uma caixa até Singapura.

Aliás, não acho. Tenho a certeza. Juro.

P.s. Isto não contraria o facto de que, normalmente, não como doces. Significa somente que estou num universo paralelo quando tenho de estudar.

Randoms nr %^&8909*&^%4

2011-05-22T12:55:00.001+08:00

I think i have a better understanding of what it is to be anorexic. Without assuming this statement to be completely accurate, going through a diet, imposed by own will or by a doctor's advice, can significantly change the way one looks at food and her/himself. I mean, i've always known that eating bread daily is not entirely healthy for you nor for your waist, and the same goes for fried food. However, i used to eat quite a lot of bread and had my share of fried food (samosas, roti prata, fried rice/ noodles, fries, etc) in a diet that was, more often than not, balanced-ish. Hence, guilt was never something i associated with food. Fast forward almost a month of forced diet later to impose much needed relief on my poor stomach, and i can honestly say that when i had to introduce gluten all i felt, apart from being so completely excited about eating bread again, was immediately fatter and somewhat guilty. The same goes for anything that is laced with sugar. I rarely crave sugary foods but this diet included no sugar at all save for the natural sugar occurring in fruit. I started craving sugar like mad in the last few weeks and, fortunately, i was allowed to have a sweet/ chocolate now and then. Only to feel completely full and slightly disgusted after. Did i lose weight with this diet? My scales say not that much (not significantly at least) but this was not the point of the diet anyway. Those around me say that i have but i think what happened is that i am no longer bloated all the time, something i can confirm every time i'm at bikram and see myself in the mirror. Taking the obvious benefits of going through this diet, all i can say now is that i'm slightly worried about this new relationship i have with food as guilt is definitely not the feeling i want to have while i'm eating.
I've been designated the photographer of a friends' growing baby belly, yay! Super excited and afraid at the same time. Here's to hoping she'll still be my friend after she sees the results.
I guess i can safely say that the world is not going to end on May the 21st (time differences and all). The positive thing taken out of this complete and utter pile of c**p is that, hopefully, the insanity that often goes hand in hand with religious fanaticism will be highlighted and, subsequently, so will the need to elevate reason to its rightful place - above stupidity. While we are at this, it will hopefully bring home the right to comment and/ or criticise people and/or governments (especially those who commit crimes against humanity), independently of the ideals and/or religion they subscribe to. How sad is that, no matter how wrong or right Von Trier's remarks were, he feels the need to say "I understand these issues are a no-go area" when discussing Hitler and the state of Israel? There should be no such thing as 'a no-go area', certainly not one that is apparently justified by a perceived inherent antisemitism associated to any criticism of Israel, including its existence. Such knee jerk reactions simply undermine the complexity and seriousness of this horrendous conflict which is, above all, religiously rooted.

De Singapura para Berlim

2011-05-22T11:09:00.000+08:00

Chegou o envelope maravilha! Já há alguns dias mas esta estimada blogger não tem vida na world wide web durante a semana (hum, tem mas é passiva) para colocar aqui a prova.

Enfim, chegou! As minhas colegas (depois de uma tentativa falhada de o enviar para casa, teve mesmo de ser para o trabalho) ficaram super impressionadas e um bocado verdinhas. Diz-se por lá, naqueles consultórios cobertos de brinquedos e de bolhas de sabão (e outros mais líquidos mas isto estraga o tom bonito e rosa deste post), que tenho as melhores amigas do mundo e eu pergunto-me se algum dia houve dúvidas acerca disto... coisa parva, claro que não.

Berlin's girlie package, Singapore, May 2011.

Inferno Cheio, não sei se sabes mas isto é para repetir, sim?!

Today, my iTune is:

2011-05-22T10:31:00.000+08:00

Donnie & Joe Emerson: Baby

The internet is a great place nr £$%6789*&^54%^7it5r

2011-05-15T13:00:00.002+08:00

An incredibly interesting project about how we react to the way others dress and, subsequently, how we dress ourselves. It touches on something deeper related to what we perceive safe and sexy to be, and how that may be connected to how vulnerable and/or powerful we feel. Unsurprisingly, it's really interesting to see how all these concepts are affected by cultural and socio-economic factors.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

P.s. I would so rather do something like this... (breathe in and out)
P.s.2. Taken from Inferno Cheio.

Today, the photos are:

2011-05-15T12:46:00.001+08:00

Singapore, May 2011.

The IOU project continues. Yesterday, my blue dress made of a wide patterned strong blue hue woven by Suguna S. (India) and sewn by José António Soares at Mundicorte (Portugal) made me ridiculously proud. It's unique and, best of all, it's guilt free.

2011-05-15T12:32:00.002+08:00

Alton Ellis: You've Made Me (So) Very Happy

How beautiful are these?

2011-05-09T10:47:00.000+08:00

Good things that make the world a better place for everyone.

Today, the video is:

2011-05-09T10:14:00.000+08:00

The very exciting IOU project again! I can't wait for it to be launched. This video was shot in a Portuguese factory (which can only be a good thing! Please can we have many more of them?) and shows some of the fabulous fabrics they are using, all traceable back to their source, enabling a greater respect and care for our resources, both human and nature.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-05-09T10:09:00.000+08:00

Kate Nash: Foundations

Election day: On being forced to vote around here

2011-05-07T17:30:00.001+08:00

It's a pity that tolerance, or simply the eradication of a xenophobic and racist mentality, can't possibly be enforced as well.

The other day, while waiting at a taxi stand, i saw this poor helper lugging bags and heavy prams out of this taxi, while her m'am (i hate, hate this) and another family member happily went with the kiddies inside the mall, only to be shouted at by the taxi driver who suddenly remembered he did not give the change to the family. When the poor soul attempted to walk back to collect the change, she was shouted at again to go and get her m'am. But of course, because why would one trust helpers with money if they all steal?! Never mind that the family was already inside and she was carrying stuff twice her weight, the poor helper had to go back and get the family member. It's a disgrace, a complete and utter disgrace.

I think it's unrealistic to expect the opposition to win (who are we kidding here?!) but the fact that there is a more vocal opposition nowadays is a good sign. Leaps and bounds would be necessary but baby steps are better than nothing.

Today, the photo is:

2011-05-07T17:15:00.000+08:00

Angkor Wat temples, Siem Reap, Cambodia, October 2010.

Today, my iTune is (revisited, always):

2011-05-07T17:07:00.001+08:00

Cyndi Lauper: True Colors

Today, the photos are:

2011-05-03T09:46:00.001+08:00

Rawa Island, Malaysia, May 2011.

We're surrounded by little secrets such as Rawa island. A short car and ferry trip away (2hrs) on the east coast of Malaysia, it's quiet, with great snorkeling available and fantastic food (i could only eat a very limited selection (and still got sick) but the girls said it was delicious). There is one resort with a few bungalows for the ones who crave a bit of comfort and one with simple rooms for the backpacker type .

I keep forgetting just how nice it is to go away on short weekend trips, even if they are really short like this 2 days, one night hen party! Woke up at around 4am on Saturday, went to work, came back in the afternoon, gave supervision through skype, wrote a report until 3am Sunday, left for trip at 5am, arrived in Rawa mid-morning, stayed at the beach sleeping, chatting way, swimming and snorkeling (some of us got attacked by a tiger fish (correction: Triggerfish)! Vicious creatures...), ate, partied the night away, woke up on Sunday to rain so no beach but some more great chatting (Osama, thanks for providing great conversation topics albeit depressing ones), lunch and back to Singapore in the afternoon (both Malaysian and Singaporean passport control at the causeway take ages!). I'm dead, but a happy dead.

Today, my iTune is (revisited, always):

2011-05-03T09:03:00.002+08:00

Fleetwood Mac: Landslide

And what about forgetfulness?

2011-04-25T21:50:00.000+08:00

Apparently today is the celebration of Portugal's Carnation Revolution and i almost forgot about it. I was probably too stunned by the fact the husband is eating away some of my highly tasteless snacks, also apparently with great enthusiasm. I'm not too sure about which event shocks me the most though...

Apparently everyone and the cat has featured this

2011-04-25T16:56:00.000+08:00

But it's important enough to join in: The IOU Project.

The evil of travel magazines

2011-04-25T10:53:00.003+08:00

It's not that i need an excuse to want to travel more, i really don't need any, but reading these magazines makes my heart positively ache! I need to be way stricter with my travel fund which basically means i need to put more money into it.

The issue i am having in SEA is that the magazines you have around here, such as DestinAsia and Escape which are specialised in this area (SEA), are ususally catered for the wealthy and have their fair share of extremely expensive accommodation and pictures of asian-esque girls in bikinis all over their pages. I don't care for the girls but i do care for the silly aspect of 'face' around here, i.e. let me put an inflated price and you'll pay it so that you can show you can (and you'll starve for it). I don't think i've seen a hotel advertised that costs less than US $100 (Escape tends to be better than DestinAsia by a little). Maybe i'm a cheapskate but i'm happy to pay substantially less for a room that it's clean and central, mainly because they do exist.

I miss magazines such as Wonderlust and Lonely Planet as they provide amazingly beautiful writing, photographs to die for, and are not pretentious when it comes to prices. However, they cost ridiculous amounts of money here (either Borders is having a field day or the government is with their taxes) and often have only one piece or two about places around SEA. I lost count of the times i go online and look at the subscription rates, and i feel so tempted to just get them but... it would be just for the sake of loving them. This is a good enough reason in my book but it will be much more compelling once i have a fixed place where i can store them rather than dragging them around over 5 continents. Maybe i can only hope all the magazines start having online subscriptions! Not the same as actually flicking through the pages of one but much kinder to the environment.

Anyway, the evil (the ones described above are just nuisances). Escape had a short feature on some of India's southern cities, such as Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, and now i'm day dreaming to the point of writing this rather than working on my thesis (as if i need any excuses). So yes, i need to increase my travel fund and start working on the husband (who is India-allergic almost). If the husband continues to have anaphylactic attacks every time i mention the word India then please, volunteers, come forward (my friends here will be sick and tired of me this week!). I'm getting itchy feet!

Today, the photo is:

2011-04-25T10:24:00.000+08:00

Fatehpur Sikri, India, December 2009.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-04-25T10:12:00.002+08:00

Matthew Cooper: Some Days Are Better Than Others

Today, the photos are (tied to the randoms)

2011-04-22T19:03:00.005+08:00

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 2011.

Cambodian Jade, April 2011.

The new diet, Singapore, April 2011.

Hazelnut & peanut butter spread on brown rice cakes, Singapore, April 2011.

The volunteering in Cambodia was fantastic. To tell you the truth i felt like a proper Speech and Language Therapist, something i haven't felt in a while. It's sad that the business model in Singapore dictates the priorities of the centers that employ SLTs, which basically means we tend to be fully booked without much time for precious admin work (including casenote writing and contacting other professionals) and crucial clinical work other than direct therapy (training, face to face collaborative work). Basically, money comes ahead of ethical and evidence based practice. It felt great to share knowledge and guide parents through all the strategies that can be used to help develop and facilitate communication skills. The parents were superb, on the ball, inquisitive and insightful. We saw the kiddies with their parents on the last day so that we could run through the strategies and they were all super cute. I can't wait to go back for a follow up session and hopefully some school training (at times i miss being a SLT in London so, so much...)! There are not many pixies as we were totally dead. We didn't get any sleep due to the silly flight schedules which meant we had to stay 6 hrs overnight in KL, and we had training everyday throughout the three days we stayed there. Other than a quick stroll around the central market where i bought a beautiful jade bracelet (and had a great chat with the husband of one of my friends about the importance of supporting the local economy versus the ethical issues involved in buying fake brands), none of us got to see much (we were happy to spend the few free hours we had with my friend's 4 month old boy instead!).
I said my first foul mouth curse in public yesterday when this stupid rude woman stepped on my foot with her high heels and didn't apologise for it. Yes, i know the train was full but an apology is the way to go. You didn't want to oblige? Then you're a f***ing b**ch. I now have a big blood spot that hurts!
I'm going through the elimination diet as my stomach started playing up really badly in the last month or so. The list of what i can't eat is huge but luckily so is the list of what i can eat. The issue is that i don't necessarily like it (rice or almond milk anyone?) and it's 3x more expensive. So, today, i got things like free- everything pasta, peanut butter and hazelnut spread (not nutella!) which i can use with my brown rice cakes (the excitement has not been lost in writing...). When i am able to eat a bit of sugar again, i think i'll try a homemade nutella type of spread though (i will be able to eat sugar - on repeat mode)(only because almost everything in this world has sugar)(despite that, in all likelihood, i will become diabetic - stupid genes!)(i will be able to eat sugar!)(repeat, repeat, repeat).

Today, my iTune is (always revisited):

2011-04-22T17:43:00.000+08:00

The Verve: Bitter Sweet Symphony

The randoms

2011-04-12T11:00:00.003+08:00

Excel and i never really saw eye to eye. Sometimes i think it might be proper dyscalculia which is causing my immediate gag reflex when it comes to all things number related! Anyways, i just want to reiterate how sad it is to have to spend a full day looking at an excel file...
This weekend i'm going to Phnom Penh, in Cambodia, for the first of many (i hope) voluntary training sessions. We're going to train parents and professionals about the development of communication skills, how to facilitate this development and how to use visual support to enhance children's communication skills. I'm incredibly happy to do this and very grateful to have met some astounding colleagues and friends in the field who are as passionate about this as i am.
My parents are coming to Singapore in October!!! I'm already planning the trips and Beijing seems a definite! Great Wall of China here we come :)
Speaking of parents, the husband speaks Portuguese. I mean, really speaks it! He can now actively understand and participate in a conversation with my parents, which is both hilarious, i.e. gender/ verb conjugation are all over the place and the accent is funny as heck, and endearing, i.e. he knows all the diminutives really well which makes him sound like a 5 year old but my mum loves it (and who am i kidding, me too!). Which reminds me i need to be upset with him because he rarely talks in Romanian and i'm lagging behind :(

Today, the photo is:

2011-04-12T10:44:00.001+08:00

Langkawi, Malaysia, May 2010.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-04-12T10:34:00.000+08:00

Johann Pachelbel: Canon In D Major

Touching beyond words

2011-04-10T12:07:00.001+08:00

I just came across this blog yesterday (from here). Aside from the perfect timing, it is an amazing, beautifully written account of what it is (i can only imagine one of many things) to be a parent of a child who has special needs.

(...) I can't explain that evening. And I suppose it's horrible to say you spent the first night your daughter was born in that state of agony, but I know it was necessary for me to move on to where I am today. And, knowing where I am today and how much I love this soul, how much I know she was meant for me and I am meant for her, knowing the crazy way our souls have intertwined and grown into each other, I can say all this now. It's hard, but it's real, and we all have feelings. We live them, we breathe them, we go through them and soon they dissolve into new feelings. So, here I go.
I cried out that I wanted to leave her and run away. I wanted to take Lainey and my perfect world and this perfect love I had built with my two-year old and our cupcake-baking days and our art projects and our beautiful bond and I wanted to run like hell. I wanted to be pregnant again. I wanted to be pregnant so bad. I wanted it to be the morning she was born again...when I was happy and excited and when I wore the white ruffled skirt and black shirt and put it in the belongings bag knowing joy was to come. I wanted to go back. I wanted to go back. I wanted to go back.
I moaned in pain and through it all, this little breath of heaven needed me. I cried while I nursed her. I cried while I held her. I cried while I pulled my nightgown off just so I could lie her body on my naked skin and pray that I felt a bond. I literally writhed in emotional pain for hours. And Heidi and Katie saw parts of me no one else have seen. My eyes were so swollen, Heidi said I looked like Rocky...like someone beat the hell out of my face and then cut little slits for eyes. It was that bad.
...and then morning came. ...and with it, hope.
There is so much more I could write...and I will...in chapters of our book.
My sister arrived the next day and revolutionized the place with her "I Have a Dream" speech. She told me I swallowed the blue pill. She told me I could never go back. But that I held a key to a door that no one else does. And, with tears in her eyes, she excitedly and passionately told me how lucky I was. She told me that I was chosen and that it is the most special thing in the world. She told me it was going to be just fine. (...)

I've often thought about how quickly that feeling left because we have a perfect, healthy little girl running around that erases all the painful memories of when we thought something might be seriously wrong.
I felt that feeling again last week. And as the pain has slowly disipated, I've realized...I will always be reminded. My Nella, my special little bunny, my beautiful perfect yet unique girl will be my constant reminder in life. That it's not about wood floors. No, life is about love and truly experiencing the beauty we are meant to know.
And so, we came home...happy. In fact, walking out of the hospital with our new baby girl and our proud new big girl, all crowned up, gripping the handle of the carseat with Daddy...it was just how I had imagined it. (...)

Life is, at times, so incredibly hard to live but, often, so much more than what we think it is.

2011-04-10T11:57:00.002+08:00

Angkor Wat temples, Siem Reap, Cambodia, October 2010.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-04-10T11:47:00.002+08:00

Jim Kerr & Martha Wainwright: Promised You a Miracle

Should we get this right?

2011-04-07T07:16:00.000+08:00

Today is one of the most shameful days in Portugal's history in this big world full of wussies puppetering all of us.

Scenes of everyday life nr &6543%^7890(&^%$

2011-04-05T11:30:00.000+08:00

On the outside of my window (piggy!), Singapore wildlife, April 2011.

Today, my iTune is (revisited):

2011-04-05T11:25:00.002+08:00

Cinematic Orchestra: To Build A Home (live)

I don't think i will ever be tired of listening to this truly amazing song.

Today, the photos are (the week in a few pictures - 1st)

2011-04-02T23:18:00.000+08:00

Singapore, March/ April 2011.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-04-02T23:08:00.002+08:00

James: Laid

Loving this version!

Para (re)lembrar o amor.

2011-03-29T15:40:00.001+08:00

O Portugal profundo (imortalizado pelas belas fotos da Xuxi), Serra de Montemuro, March 2008.

Scenes of real life nr )97654%^&*(0

2011-03-29T10:01:00.003+08:00

Wildlife in Singapore can be translated by 'do NOT leave your leather goods lying around for more than a few days or they will be EATen'. The solution? Either seal them or air them. Mine are, every so often, on windows and on top of aircon exterior units. The ones above were completely forgotten for a while so they are literally covered in a whitish blanket of fur!

P.s. The plug coming out from one of the bags is from an ikea lamp. I left it there because a bunch of spiders thought it would make a great house for them. As much as i'm not afraid of spiders i think i'll leave this wildlife experience for the husband to enjoy when he comes home tonight...

Today, the photo is:

2011-03-29T09:31:00.000+08:00

A minha terra, Serra de Montemuro, Portugal, 2009.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-03-29T09:25:00.000+08:00

Delord: Inseguirsi

I think this pretty much sums up my fights in this war called thesis. I don't know what it means but it feels pretty frustrating.

Sim, o Guerra Junqueiro já o tinha dito antes.

2011-03-27T19:53:00.007+08:00

Não nos podemos rebaixar a uma ideia, tanto nossa como de outros fora de Portugal, que nos define como sendo um povo que sofre horrores devido a governo atrás de governo que nos mata aos poucos. Porquê?

Porque somos nós que nos matamos aos poucos.

Somos nós que nos importamos somente com o que nos afecta directamente, num comportamento totalmente anti-social, num universo onde o nosso umbigo é a luz.

Somos nós que, como quase todos os mortais deste mundo, queremos mais e mais, muito para além do que é possível. E, simplesmente, muito para além do que é necessário.

Somos nós que vivemos no aqui e no agora, sem considerar o futuro.

Somos nós que achamos que são os outros que nos devem este futuro.

Somos nós que achamos que temos o direito de exigir sem dar de volta.

Somos nós que ainda não percebemos que não existe o dar na 'mesma moeda', que se queremos viver numa sociedade, em primeiro lugar, e numa que é justa, em segundo lugar, temos de dar mais do que recebemos. Que este é o juro que pagamos por estarmos vivos. Que o que recebemos inclui também o bem estar que proporcionamos ao dar, e que este se vende grátis porque não tem preço.

Porque somos nós que elegemos esta cambada de inúteis.

Somos nós que ainda não percebemos que o governo somos nós, que pensa como nós, porque assim é Portugal na sua grande maioria.

Somos nós que, com muita tristeza, perdemos a coragem algures entre o que nos levou a desbravar o desconhecido e o sermos totalmente escravos do que é conhecido. E, infelizmente, estamos carregados de conhecimentos podres em Portugal.

Querem que o governo mude? Temos de mudar. Temos de ser melhores. Mas para sermos melhores temos de ter a coragem de o ser, de refazer o que tem de ser refeito e de desbravar o que ainda não foi feito. Quando recuperarmos esta coragem, temos todos o mesmo poder - nós e o governo. Que se comece esta luta com esta noção: que não podemos continuar a ser vítimas de nós próprios e, que por isso, temos de e podemos lutar.

Today, my iTune is:

2011-03-27T18:54:00.001+08:00

A minha terra, Serra de Montemuro, Portugal, 2009.

O mundo da Lua

Cultural? But of course! Baby, it's 5 FLOORS full of geeky headphones *flaps hands*

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Today, my iTune is:

Quem me viu e quem me vê :)

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Today, the photos are: Around the world in 2011

Countries Visited

Today, my Tune is:

I Do.

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is (if there ever was one, this is it):

Unsurprisingly

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Almost there

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Today, my iTune is:

The cat and the Moon

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Hong Kong: the fast one

Today, the photos are (Hong Kong):

Today, my iTune is:

The other Portugal

Today, the photos are (Macau):

Today, my iTune is:

Fact nr 'Permanent'

Dictatorship-ness nr &^%^&*7%^&555^6776%4

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Tickets bought! I can't quite believe we're going to see one of the most amazing actors in action!

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is (always revisited)

An ode to dads

One holiday? Seriously?!

Today, the photos are:

Today, my iTune is:

Are we back already? :(

The only thing on my mind. A couple of hours more and see you again in two weeks!

"(...)On the same note, the first and last thought i'll have (aside from the '*&5^% i need to go to work/ work tomorrow' one) every single day of this week will be 'Thailand and Vietnam'".

Randoms nr 8^3*&%4%886%$%^%

Today, the photos are:

Today, my iTune is:

*PANIC*

Randoms nr !"£$567*&^54£%^7

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Fear not, girlie nr ^%^&6%$£5^&

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

I'm so uncoordinated

Today, my REAL iTune is:

Today, my iTune is:

Ashen face?

Hip Hip Hurray!

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is:

Só porque sim

Randoms nr %^&8909*&^%4

De Singapura para Berlim

Today, my iTune is:

The internet is a great place nr £$%6789*&^54%^7it5r

Today, the photos are:

How beautiful are these?

Today, the video is:

Today, my iTune is:

Election day: On being forced to vote around here

Today, the photo is:

Today, my iTune is (revisited, always):

Today, the photos are:

Today, my iTune is (revisited, always):

And what about forgetfulness?

Apparently everyone and the cat has featured this

The evil of travel magazines

Cultural? But of course! Baby, it's 5 FLOORS full of geeky headphones flaps hands

PANIC

Scenes of everyday life nr &6543%^7890(&^%$