Copying is not theft ;o)

Hello everyone,

I must start this post by revealing something important: I copied (!) this video from a beloved friend of mine who lives in Amsterdam. He posted the link at Orkut, I checked it out and fell in love with it right away! It´s incredibly cute, I simply loved it!!! :-)

Nel, as copying is not theft and I assumed you wouldn´t be mad at me for showing the video here, I dedicate today´s post to you and I also thank you for always presenting these interesting things to me!

All that´s left to say is: I miss you badly in Brazil!!! Should I copy you and head to Amsterdam in order to live there??? hehe 

Please send my love to Kell! :-x

XOXOXO

Music, the French language, architecture and... Paris!

It is nice and warm in Paris now. Women are wearing their fashionable dresses, colored skirts, men are walking around in shorts, T-shirts, wearing sunglasses, kids are playing with their toys in one of those amazingly beautiful parks, gardens... Tourists are enjoying the sunshine, everyone is probably sitting near a fountain, having an ice-cream... The sun is a real blessing, isn´t it?
And here we are, facing the coldness... a little bit of rain, sometimes... opening our windows and seeing a grey sky. At this very moment, I am wearing velvet pants, a blouse, a jacket, a scarf, boots and I only took my gloves off in order to write this post. Gee!!! :o{
I´ve decided to imagine myself there today (for the whole day!) - in Paris... I strongly believe that, in past lives, I was a Parisian girl. And that would explain the love and passion I feel about their language, city, cafés in every corner, parks and gardens, wine, art & architecture in the air...
Thus (=so), I would like to feed my soul today with a special post which combines music, one of my passions (sung by the elegant and talented singer Carla Bruni), the French language that fascinates me so much, architecture and the beauty of Paris. I´m giving myself a treat, aren´t I? ;o)
If you know Paris, you certainly know and understand why I feel "homesick" today. I mean, the Parisian version of me related to past lives feels really homesick today... :oP
Bisous et au revoir, tout le monde! :ox

Please, repeat it: IMpolite.

Dear students/people who like English/friends... A minute of your attention to end this story once and for all. Seriously. :-{

I don´t know why so many people make this sort of mistake. I truly don´t get it... I imagine there must have been a time when teachers didn´t correct their students and the students kept saying this adjective incorrectly over and over again. :-(

The moment of truth, readers: the antonym of ´polite´ is IMpolite. 

Again, let´s fix this IMmediately because it´s IMportant: IMMMMMMMpolite. With IM-. 

It´s IMpossible to use another prefix with this word. I´m not IMpatient at all, as all of you know, but this is something that really gets on my nerves... :,-(

A tip: if you´re in doubt, don´t say **polite (well, you know...). Don´t go wrong - just say "rude". 

And the problem is solved! :oD

PS: To stare AT sb/sth = to look at sb/sth with fixed eyes.

Identifying myself with Calvin today...

There are some days in life when we have the impression we are complete angels because we don´t play up at all. We do everything accordingly and there are zero complaints to be accounted in terms of behavior. We are what people could easily call us "a model person". :-)

On the other hand, there also days when we behave like total brats... We want to have a little extra fun, we feel like being up to some mischief...

I guess today is one of those days that I strongly believe Calvin and I could be great friends! hehe

No further comments. :oP

XOXOXO

Source: "There´s treasure everywhere", a Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson

Pregnancy

I woke up this morning with a text message from a beloved friend of mine saying that her baby (yes, we are talking about a princess, not a prince...) had been born the night before.

After reading her message, I was jumping for joy and I tried to imagine her happiness too. If I was so excited about the news, she would be walking on air!!!

I had two instant sensations: I felt like a mother for a fraction of seconds. And it felt sublime, noble... Then, I clicked I am not one (at least not yet), and that made me want a baby right away! hehe Funny, funny thing when you receive this kind of announcement when you are partially awake, partially asleep. :oP

As she is one of my best friends (a sister to me!), I followed her pregnancy closely. Every nausea, the scans she had, her doctor´s appointments, her wish to have a normal delivery instead of a Caesarian, her belly just getting bigger and bigger as time went by, her tiredness when we were near the delivery date...

And here I am with so many thoughts in mind. Trying to figure out what this whole thing is... It is probably something similar to being born again. Restarting your life. Or seeing your life being changed forever. Or none of the above.

I reckon I would have to face the situation myself to understand it better. What I know and can assure: it is definitely something special. I remember clearly the bliss (=the state of complete happiness) all over me when I read her lines.

Welcome to life, princess! :oD

"Travel broadens the mind" (Proverb)

I´m the kind of person who always wants to discover new places and explore the world. I could do it every day, I guess. :oD

In my view, it´s the richest experience any human being can have in life. It doesn´t really matter if your destination is a small village, a friendly town or a big city... The coast, the mountains... A short or a long trip...

What really counts is: are YOU ready??? Are you willing to see, hear, taste, touch, respect, absorb, dive into everything that is coming your way? Are you traveling with an open mind/heart?

Traveling (=travelling) is about so many things. It goes far beyond holding your passport and having a stamp on it. It´s so much more than boarding and telling the others you´re visiting a place.

It has to do with getting to know yourself even more (or more than you think you do...), facing a new reality, having enough sensibility to capture a message, living a different day somewhere else, meeting new people and making new friends, perhaps. Speaking a new language, if possible. Finding out the beauty awaiting you... It could be through a beautiful landscape, it could be through something that touched you while you were there.

During the stay, be curious, generous, adventurous, alert. Traveling always adds to life. We come back changed somehow.

I´ll let it happen. See you soon, kids! ;o)

The World Cup :oD

I have never seen so many people wearing green, yellow, blue and white in the city. That includes me (black, one of the colors that simply dominate my wardrobe, has been substituted for something more lively, more vivid!!!).
It is amazing how this fever runs in everyone´s blood and how contagious it is! All Brazilians are contaminated, you can easily notice people´s enthusiasm anywhere you go! In a positive way, of course, I am not criticizing any of us, Brazilians. Surely not.
I personally love the vibes all over, I enjoy seeing the smiley faces, the excitement, all the accessories (earrings, rings, key rings, bandannas, hats, caps, body tattoo stickers, flags, glasses, and the like). I take delight in overhearing the comments people make about soccer, soccer players, scores, predictions for the finals... I also feel happy for Osmar, the guy who owns a newsstand on my street, selling his World Cup products like hotcakes - people are queuing up and Osmar is making a huuuuge profit nowadays! Good for him!
Some friends and I got together in order to watch the game today. So many "Dungas" joined us. A pool to get started, of course: my predicted score was of 3 to 0 (3 x 0)... soooooo close! So, there I was paying attention to the body language that expressed how tense people would become in certain moments... how knowledgeable they would get when analyzing a move, a missed opportunity... People sitting on the edge of their chairs. Some supporters were restless and kept moving around proving that it was too difficult to keep still... Fans shouting, so much noise here, there and everywhere.
But what I like the most is when all of us sense a chance... The Brazilian players approaching the goal... and finally, scoring the expected goal!!! We scream, we jump together, we hug each other energetically!
It is beautiful to see this happening! I can´t wait for the next game!!! Go Brazil, go!!! ;o)
PS: A picture of me: a soccer-crazy! hahaha

Safe sex, don´t forget it. ;-)

Colored, flavored, textured, warming, lubricated or non-lubricated... It doesn´t really matter the one you use. Just make sure you use it. 

If you are trying to find something a little bit different, innovative or even funny, have a look at this imported glow-in-the-dark condom!!! haha 

The unit price of this, hmmm, original product is around R$ 20-25 here in Brazil. 

Protect yourself and the one you love. Protect life. And learn from the ad below:

Happy Valentine´s Day!!!

In the USA and in other places around the world, Valentine´s Day is celebrated on February 14th in the name of St. Valentine. In Brazil, it is celebrated on June 12th, as all lovers know.

I find it funny, interesting or at least curious this thing of loving someone. You know, the explosion of emotions that nobody will ever be able to explain well enough: having butterflies in your stomach, faster heartbeats, feeling anxious, nervous, perhaps insecure, jealous, suuuuuuuuper excited, happy... complete. When you catch yourself thinking about someone... desiring someone... all that...

But I didn´t want anything too romantic or too sweet for today´s post. I actually wanted something naughty, something wicked! :oP

What on Earth could be better than this precious comic strip I have chosen for you? It dates from 1986 and I simply love it!

I wish everyone a lovely Valentine´s Day!!!

Smell a rat???

"Smell a rat" is an idiomatic expression and just by looking at the word "rat" we are able to guess that this informal expression is probably connected to a negative idea... 

Most people are afraid of rats (terrified, maybe?). Some people aren´t, but they surely don´t think rats are cute... 

So, having this in mind, we can assume that the idiom in question is related to something bad. And it is.

If you smell a rat, you begin to suspect/realize/feel that something wrong or dishonest is happening in a particular situation. It could be that someone is trying to harm you, to deceive you...

Example: If I don´t send my boss the sales report today, he will smell a rat and it will be worse. 

Everyone may think "smell a rat" does not sound nice. Well, I would like to remind you all that in Portuguese we say something much worse, don´t we? ;oP

Have a wonderful week!

XXX

Food for thought :o)

Mauricio de Sousa has good news!

"Monica´s gang" is now available in English and I think it is a good idea to be familiar with their names in order to follow the stories.
A quick introduction:
- Monica: she uses her blue bunny Samson to defend herself when the boys tease her;
- Maggy: the girl with an uncontrollable appetite (she loves watermelons!);
- Smudge (a-ha! Who do you think he is???): he is the one who has aversion to water;
- Jimmy Five: he has trouble pronouncing the R´s.

"Mary and Max": A must-see part of the film (trust me!)

Not many of you have heard about "Mary and Max", I guess... It was written and directed by the Australian Adam Elliot and his film is a mix of animation/comedy/drama.

The plot is a simple tale about two very different people who start a pen-friendship. A pen-friend (=pen-pal) is someone you write letters to and receive letters from, although you may never have met.

Mary is a chubby (=rather fat) and lonely 8 year old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distracted father; Max is a 44 year old Jewish man who lives in New York, overweight, suffers from Asperger´s Syndrome and is subject to anxiety attacks.

This film is a journey that explores friendship, trust and plenty of other issues.

I have chosen my favorite part of it to touch your hearts.

"Long Long Way To Go" (by Phil Collins): sing along!

This song is part of a live show performed in Paris and it is simply beautiful. It is described by Phil Collins as an effective ballad with a personal and political message. Enjoy it!!!

Lyrics:

While I sit here trying to think of things to say / Someone lies bleeding in a field somewhere / So you can see we´ve still got a long long way to go / I´ve seen all I wanna see today

While I sit here trying to move you anyway I can / Someone´s son lies dead in a gutter somewhere / And it would seem we´ve still got a long long way to go / I can´t take it anymore

Turn it off if you want to / Switch it off it will go away / Turn it off if you want to / Switch it off or look away (chorus)

While I sit and we talk and talk and we talk some more / Someone´s loved one´s heart stops beating in a street somewhere / So it would seem we´ve still got a long long way to go, I know / I´ve heard all I wanna hear today

(chorus)

An advertisement that teaches us something...

We are exposed to an endless number of adverts every single day, aren´t we?
Ads are all over (we see them in newspapers, on television, on posters...) and they can be of several types (humorous, informative, shocking, eye-catching, sexy, interesting and so on...).
I have seen this one on the Internet and I liked its clever way of warning people about something important.
It is a very straightforward message: if you drink it, you get to see how your car is going to look like.
The lesson is clear: don´t drink and drive. It is definitely not worth it. ;o)
A bunch of kisses!

Comic books are great fun! :oP

Comic books (or comics) are magazines which contain stories told in pictures. In my opinion, they are also a fantastic way of learning English considering that comic books are affordable, easy to be found, the stories are amusing and you can easily develop your language skills as you go through the pages entertaining yourself!

We all have our favorite characters, so it´s just a question of popping into your nearest newsstand (or newspaper stand) and choosing one that appeals to you!

I picked a special one for today´s post: Calvin and Hobbes!!! It was taken from the book which brings a collection of their wild, playful adventures! The book is called "There´s treasure everywhere", by Bill Watterson (a gift I received from a very dear friend of mine, Carol :oD).

Have fun, then! ;o)

XXX

Tip #1!!! :oD

I have been thinking about what to write today as this is going to be my very first English tip here... It took me a long time to make up my mind and what I really wanted was something optimistic, positive and nice so that it could bring good luck and good vibrations to the blog. ;o)

Hope you like my initial choice!

* a flying start:  

If someone or something gets off to a flying start or makes a flying start, they start very well, very successfully.

Example: The project has got off to a flying start, with over a million dollars raised in the first week.