Missing

She misses the bygone days
when they were together
sharing, feeling, loving
singing, cooking, dreaming
in real life...

Time has passed and then
more and more time...
She just has the memories
and all the feelings envolved with

The picture is SAUDADE, from Almeida Júnior.

Porto de Leixões

I went to the nearest Museum from my house, in São Paulo, yesterday afternoon. And I would like to share 2 pictures with you. The first painting is the Museum Pinacoteca do Estado and the second one is "Porto de Leixões" by Mario Navarro da Costa, a portuguese writer from 1900. Anyway, the second paiting is really inspiring and relaxing for me. I hope you enjoy it. Have a nice Sunday!

São Paulo at night

Hi friends, just a postcard from the most important avenue in São Paulo.

The kiss

The kiss

A kiss warms a cold night
But the kiss warms the soul
A true long kiss
a unique kiss for a miss

Each kiss is a kiss,
But there is THE KISS
Why not kiss? Kiss now
Go ... go and kiss

But it must be The Kiss
That one in the middle of night on bed
from the partner, as a gift

Or another one in the middle of a talking
as a surprise from the partner
Again as a gift
Not a kiss, but the kiss

The kiss spreads that sensation
that we are big and bigger
Above all, we know we are beloved
Good for heart,
necessary for life,
Perfect for health

The kiss

Ascension

I apologize to all friends for lack of time to write here. I was looking for a nice picture for us, a picture in which I could think over and write here. Then I would like to show this famous painting from Salvador Dali. It is "The Ascension". We always want ascension in our lives. It can be a better job, better relantionship, anything we want. Nevertheless, when we pursue our objectives with determination and pacience we find out new "other abilities" that were hidden into us. We are more than we think we are. We are more than people think we are. Ascension is not the end, it is part of our journey in one or many aspects in this incredible magical life. Have a nice week, friends.

Chained to the bed, a real story

Lying on an old bed made of iron, Elaine was almost in tears, on the verge of screaming, in despair. She and her partner-to-be, Clocou, were in a typical cheap tiny bedroom in a motel in São Paulo city. Different from The United States, motels, usually situated next to the motorways, are used by lovers who rent a bedrom for four hours to "have fun". Red cotton sheets, mirrors on the roof and on three walls, smell of eucalyptus coming from the sauna in the bathroom, clothes everywhere, a dim red light next to the double sized bed. Suddenly Elaine shouted after looking her reflection in the mirror on the roof, as if she had woken up and smelt the coffee. That was reality, not a fantasie. She hadn´t any control of the situation. Just her short boyfriend. Fantasies have a price as everything in life! Elaine should now that. Anyway, he (now ex-partner to be) was smilling to her. She had had a phantasy in which her partner chained her to the "love bed" due to the fact that she wanted to be controlled by him. After telling him, a month ago, he accepted gladly the challenge buying the chains and making her fantasies come true. So, after listening to her shout, he was puzzled. "What had happened?" he thought, "It was her wish!". Nevertheless, when Elaine got chained, she thought that he would take her and the bed to the river and throw them there. "How, on earth, could you imagine that a 5,09 ft man could remove you and the double-sized bed to a river using a motorbike?" I asked Elaine, this week, when she told me. In fact, she really imagined, at that time, that he could do that. Maybe, Freud or Lacan´s theories could explain "her imagination".I have already read that we have phantasies as a play of a imagination.Besides, we don´t want to make true all our phantasies.Anyway, fantasies are good for our imagination, when we write, when we create anything we want.However, we should be careful to make them true.

More Tarsila do Amaral for everybody!

Although I have written about "hot weather" to post here, after reading many comments, I am convinced that I should write, firstly, more about Tarsila do Amaral, because many people liked the photos posted here, before. Well, if you see Madureira (4th picture) you will notice a kind of "Eifiel Tower" in the middle of a slum area with black people in Rio de Janeiro. Madureira was painted in 1924 when Tarsila came to Brazil in Carnival. This mixing of cultures: she had studied in Paris getting back to Brazil can be understood as a conflict between the two cultures. The mass of colours contrast with the other Tarsila´s paintings where she paints with soft pastels. The theme of A Negra (The black woman, 3rd picture) is connected with Tarsila´s childhood: the slave (the black woman) that feeds the babies, very common at that time in Brazil. So, another part of Tarsila´s biography. We can feel the immobility of the A Negra, her deformation shape, cubism behind the woman, the sad look in her eyes, the Brazilian style. In Antropofagia (2nd picture) there is a matching between Abaporu and A Negra. In Ovo or Urutu (The Egg, first picture) we can feel frightening. However, egg means birthing, something new that comes out. There are so many things to see about Tarsila´s works. Besides, many pictures to gaze at, to enjoy, to keep into ourselves what we have learnt. If someone is interested in Modernism in Brazil (1920`s) read Oswald de Andrade, among other Brazilian authors.

Tarsila do Amaral

I like Tarsila do Amaral´s paintings very much. She took part in Modernism Movement in Brazil, in 20`s. Even today her work is remarkable. Nature and Humanity are together in her work: foot, land, coconut trees in the city, green, sky, cities, more green. In São Paulo we have "few green", just in parks and some neighbourhoods. That is why people are desperate to set out when there is a long holiday. Even a trip to the mountains or to the beach make us over the moon, more well-balanced and self-centred. I notice this in all friends, colleagues and acquaintances. It seems to me that we forget that nature must be part of our lives. Why not more green? Maybe, if we had much more trees in São Paulo city, the rivers wouldn´t overflow after a-forty-minute-rain and there wouldn´t be so much caos at traffic time in summer (almost every day). Green is wanted here, peace of mind, deep relaxation, just green.

sunbathing

Well, I enjoyed my time today sunbathing and reading at club. I am a bit regret because I am completely DARK and some parts "dark red".

But, anyway, 5 days of holidays, why not enjoying a little of much SUN (lol)

Carnival in São Paulo

In Brazil, Carnival is the most exciting relevant annual event which takes place in February or beginning of March. In fact, in Brazil, traditionally, it is celebrated from Saturday until Tuesday, before Ash Wednesday. Its origins are controversial: it is said that the Festival started in Greece, other sources of information say that it started in Portugal where people threw eggs and fair to eachother. Anyway, in 2005, Carnival of Bahia (in the northeast) was considered the biggest “Festival of street” in the world by Guinness Book. While Bahia is famous for “Carnival of street”, in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo there is a big parade in a special closed street, Sambódromo, with a series of flat areas cut out of a hill like wide steps where people watch the event. In the beginning of 20^th Century there were small groups of people in the streets. However, nowadays, there are big well-organized Schools of Samba formed of 5000 people (each School of Samba) that compete eachother to win the first position as the School of Samba which are Big Organizations where participants work for love and dedication.Moreover, they work free of charge, all year, for the joy of one night owing to the fact that the apresentation of each School of Samba takes about 1 hour.Preparations start months before the event. Participants pay for their own special clothes which must be designed and sewed according to the lyric of song of the School of Samba and the central theme, as well. As far as the central themes are concerned, there are many interesting ones such as “Immigration”, “Discovery of Brazil”, “Recycling”. All the decoration of the big cars called Carros Alegóricos, BIG OPEN LORRY, are designed according to the central theme. Moreover, rehearsals start in October when participants are organized, divides in smaller groups to perform samba in Carnival. Although audience have to pay to see the parade, some tickets for special covered rooms called camarotes which are private rooms for 10 or 20 people where you can see the parade comfortably, with food, table, chairs, table, can cost 8.000 Dollars (per night).Anyway, Carnival brings millions of Reais (Real is the coin of Brazil) because of tourism. It was said that about $521 million comes into the city economy.Who never heard about Carnival of Rio de Janeiro? Unfortunately, Carnaval is, sometimes, connected with topics such as beautiful women wearing few clothes. In addition to this, there are special parties in the afternoon for kids in some clubs in the city and special parties in Night Clubs where people can dance samba all night. All in all, São Paulo is quiet and calm tonight. Many people enjoy these days setting off. Beaches are crowded. Nevertheless, city empty, no sound in my usually busy street, marvellous to go to the cinema, to go to the restaurant in. No queues, just PEACE!