Tint's meanderings

Grateful

2010-10-29T21:39:00.001-02:00

We're in daylight savings now, so I get to see the sun rise at a stop. Usually I'm in transit. Still fairly dark when I leave home though. It was only after I saved the photo to my pc that I noticed the rainbow... faint, but it's there. I have no idea if it was really there or if it was caused somehow by my camera. I like it though.

So much to be grateful for today. Tat had a much better paper-chase experience today - more thanks go out to strangers reaching out. On that note, if you ever want to show random kindness towards a stranger, just know that it is never wasted. It can make all the difference!

My bus disappeared into the early morning semi-dark, so I settled into a stroll thinking I had at least 20 minutes to wait for the next one. Just then, the next bus came. Either the previous one was very late or this one was very early. I flagged the bus from a good distance away. The driver saw me, pulled up at the opposite corner and waited!! What and angel. And... the bus had scads of seating!

Cute... just passed a bridal dressmaking shop - a tortoiseshell and white cat is in the window watching the passing traffic.

There was a girl reading a book (translated) on the metro - Christiane F. - a book about a 14 year old girl who was caught up in a life of drugs and prostitution (true story). It came as recommended reading and viewing - there's a movie too - when I was a teen. I can't think of a more depressing book to start a day with.

The Christiane book girl has nodded off and is falling over onto the woman next to her. On the other side sits a girl trying very hard to look like she isn't crying. I hope her day gets better.

~ ~ ~

At the bank building, outside, there is a beautiful old tree with branches that go on forever. Under it was a group of youngsters, their backpacks up against the wall. They were having a really good time. A cloud of smoke hovered over them as they puffed away on the bong. One played guitar off to the side. A few were passing around bottles of booze. The security looked uncomfortable, but did nothing about it. My student and I discussed conspiracy theories and voting (not too much difference between the two).

Afterwards, I went to the shopping centre near my next student. It's already done up for Christmas!! And the Christmas shops are open! I wandered around there for about half an hour only to be called... my student cancelled... again. She thought changing her times back to her old times would help with cancellations. Uh huh. It helped, all right. So I mooched off home. My evening student has changed his time for Saturday morning. There go the weekends.

C'est la vie... and another week ends...

Technorati Tags: sunrise,youth,life,transport,people

Wednesday Waffle

2010-10-27T11:53:00.001-02:00

The week sort of spun out of control again. I had a whole heap of random publishable (and some very unpublishable) thoughts to write down.

I'm having a week of far too many cancellations again. Now I remember... that was another reason I was unreasonably excited about working for an establishment. Cancellations aren't all bad though. Sometimes they allow me to tour the city in bumpy buses giving me time to muse about life in general and why I'm hungry an hour after lunch.

Bureaucracy sucks. I am fast learning that there isn't a country in the world that doesn't take delight in crumpling you up in a ball of paperwork and tossing you around. Much like this...

I was looking for this photo when I saw that Multiply had my last year's NaNo photo as having been uploaded in 2007. Craziness!

I took a chance and asked a random person on FB a couple of weeks ago if they knew anyone who would have a photo or could take a photo of the monument in Ficksburg. This guy is my great (x a few) grandfather, the one the town is named after. Being a small town in the Free State, there is very little information out here beyond the annual cherry festival and all things cherry. The family's farm there was... yep, you guessed it... a cherry farm. It's a beautiful part of the world that appears to be dominated by the prevalence of cherries and winter frost.

Lo and behold, one lady came through for me! The monument is in front of Ficksburg's really quaint city hall. What's more is that she said she'd go back and photograph the text detail for me. I think I love her. Now she's found an elderly gentleman who has the history of the town and its people on computer and may even be eager to share the information. I'm in genie heaven!

With grateful thanks to Susan K!
I may yet be able to map this family's winding path into the past.

Oh, Jurgis just came back from the village... mail day! Weeee!!! From the one place where us poor Seffies are welcome. And here I had just been watching the video of Tat dancing with her very sweet Leprechaun and no, she won't thank me for uploading the video, so it will stay safely tucked away on my pc : )

Technorati Tags: bureaucracy,ficksburg,paperwork,postcard

LOL

2010-10-23T21:53:00.001-02:00

Yep... LOL "Laugh out Loud"

Just in case you needed more convincing... this is about laughing - out loud...

Bad photo, but who cares?
When the World Cup was on the go, I read something about a journalist who landed in South Africa. He said what struck him the most was the laughter he heard at the airport, obviously something he wasn't accustomed to. South Africans are a peculiar lot, but one thing we do is laugh and usually out loud. I think it's because we're usually to be found out of doors, so conversations get spoken loudly across braais (bbq's) and laughter is something practised at the same volume.

Yes, we are loud, I think, but most of all, we know how to laugh, especially at ourselves and when something is funny, we aren't shy to let the world know. Yes, yes, our laughter may be quite loud and rumbustious, but that's us.

Laughter is contagious. I saw a little booklet the other day and one of the notes in it said: "A felicidade é contagiosa: cerque-se de rostos felizes." Happiness is contagious: surround yourself with happy faces.

Sometimes, I forget to laugh. I forget that laughter feels good. A good belly laugh heals so much ill. It occurred to me that we don't hear much laughter here at all, loud or soft. They smile, they chuckle, and laugh softly. It isn't that laugh that forces itself up from deep in your belly, stretching your mouth and face, squeezing your eyes shut and letting the tears roll. Ah... to laugh is good!

What makes you belly laugh?

Technorati Tags: laughing,lol,happiness

Ups and downs of life

2010-10-18T10:05:00.001-02:00

So… it’s Monday and the week definitely has to pick up from here. Poor Monday gets incredibly bad rap as it is.

I woke up in the early hours to a thud. Jurgis had gotten up, decided to check something on my pc and knocked my stand with the webcam over. I still don’t know if it’s damaged. I’ll check it out later once the day starts improving.

The sound of gentle rain woke me up later. That was worth a smile. I lay listening to it for a while, then was slapped by the sound of our UPS’ beeping. Gah… power failure! It lasted for 2 hours and now our internet won’t start up. Thing is, if our internet doesn’t work, we’re without a phone too, as our phone is through our net service. We could call them, but they make you hold for ages and we’d have to call with cell phones. On our regular phone, last time we called, it turned out to be less than cheap.

I texted my student for this morning to confirm her class - her times were due to change. Just got the reply. She had told the agent I get work through that she was stopping classes as something had changed with her work. Thanks for letting me know, folks! No one told me. It was thanks to a gut feeling that I texted her. I was dressed and ready to go to meet her.

Yes, she did say it was due to changes in her work, but it’s so, so hard not to take it personally. I’ll never know if it was me. One thing about Brazilians is that they’re polite to a fault (ok, polite in some ways, such as not being able to say ‘no’). Any excuse will do as long as they don’t have to tell you to your face that something is wrong. My head is telling me that it’s bull. My heart is asking far too many questions. Ah well.

As I said, the morning can only get better, right? On the bright side, losing a student means my schedule is clearing for better students or for the course to enter that school… the one with all the super benefits. Yeah! That’s it. Now to convince my self-esteem that all is well.

Technorati Tags: work,power failure,internet,monday

Accidental flying

2010-08-19T23:35:00.000-03:00

I take three buses to my first student. Every now and again, the bus drivers run an intensive testing period to see if the passengers are awake.

In short... I hurt... all over.

I was tucked into the window seat just in front of the conductor. The driver had filled up with kangaroo juice and was testing his brakes and steering system to the limit. In peak hour traffic, that takes some doing.

I reached into my bag to get my bus card out just as the driver grew wings to take the last S-bend before my stop.

Now I'm not gravity-challenged and I'm definitely no feather-weight. It takes a lot to part me with gravity. When I sit, I'm firmly planted. Not this time. As he took the corner, I sailed across, out of my seat, across the neighbouring seat, and into the aisle, landing in a heap on the opposite side of the the bus against the other seats. Gravity remembered me... with a vengeance! As I said, I hurt *hobbles off into the sunset... make that 'sunrise'*

This picture makes me very, very grateful that I wear pants to work!

Great way to start the day!

I tend to stop and talk to the animals along my way and passing dog walkers are easy game. One dog came up to sniff and I patted him and chatted to him. His owner launched into an account of how she's going to complain about the bank she was just at because they wouldn't let her dog (slightly bigger than a fox terrier) in even though he's her 'bengala'. Now 'bengala' is a walking stick. How on earth can a dog on a soft leather leash be a walking stick for someone, who, incidentally, was walking just fine. I suggested, hesitantly, that perhaps if she carried a document saying he is exempt from the usual rules banning animals in banks, she may avoid problems in future. Apparently she has a document and they refused to acknowledge it. Now I'm an ardent defender of the sick, the lame and the helpless, but I couldn't help thinking this time that I wasn't very surprised that they raised an eyebrow at her claim.

Eh.... what a week it's been. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday. I'll go in, teach, then pay the rent and get my butt home to unwind.

Technorati Tags: bengala,bus,accident

Photos in my mind

2010-08-13T21:08:00.000-03:00

*A note to those who're new to my blog...
My blogs are written on paper while I'm out teaching,
in the 'dead' time between students or on the bus...
just in case you find it doesn't make much sense*

Oh look! Today's Friday the 13th! So far, it's promising to be peachy in spite of my horrorscope promising doom 'n gloom. I think I'll actually take a lottery ticket today. In fairness, the lottery place should be empty barring a few other souls as odd as me.

It's Friday! : )

An old black man got on the bus - his most notable features were his work-worn hands. I looked up at his creased brown skin and my thoughts went back to old Joe. Joe was part of the landscape of my childhood, a short man, his face a map of ebony wrinkles. I'm not sure what his actual job was, but I remember him mostly on his knees alongside my gran as they lovingly tended pansies, dahlias and roses.

He was a quiet man. The only time I remember him actually saying something was when, during some controversial political upheaval in the country ~ "Ek's 'n kaffir. Ek sal altyd 'n kaffir wees." (Translates to "I'm a kaffir and will always be a kaffir") He wasn't being humble or downtrodden when he said that. He said it with an odd pride. I actually think that he had found the equality everyone else was crying for kneeling in the dirt next to a white woman, tending the flower beds they both loved. I was taught to respect him and who could do otherwise? I think he was old before time began.

Another short man from my past comes to mind, Oom de Vos. I can picture him clearly. Actually, I can smell him clearly too. He carried a musty old-man smell about him that made me imagine him carrying mothballs in the pockets of his equally old black suit that he probably dug out especially for these visits. I wish I knew more about him though. He'd known my gran for many, many years. Apparently, he had been a manager on the family farm. He always spoke to my gran with warm deference. I suspect that he could have filled in a lot of the gaps I have in the family history. I'd look his family up, but, sadly, De Vos is a fairly common name in South Africa and I know absolutely nothing else about him. For the lack of photos, I wish I were an artist. I'd paint a picture. The memories are crystal clear.

A young girl, a student, got onto the bus and stood next to my seat. I offered to hold her bags, but she put them on the floor at her feet. She did, however, allow me to hold her book, a thick tome on Clinical Anatomy. Have you ever held a book and wished you could just absorb all the information in it through the covers... osmosis-style? I did. I wonder if she'd have thought me odd or presumptuous if I'd started flipping through the book.

Technorati Tags: joe,13,devos,memories

Raw umber

2010-08-10T18:35:00.000-03:00

Not my photo - photographer unknown

One of my most treasured childhood possessions was my box of Crayola crayons. As I sit here, I can feel the textured paper clinging to the silky-smooth wax. My box of crayons was always perfectly arranged in colour order. I loved the colours, but, I think, more than the colours, I loved their names. Aquamarine, Indian Red, Prussian Blue, Forest Green, Raw Sienna, Brick Red... names that fire the imagination. So many of my colour references today are from Crayola. Raw umber and burnt orange were my favourites. I loved the way the names rolled off my tongue.

Now I'm no shopaholic. In fact, I don't like shopping, especially when it's for myself. Where I'm sitting, though, is a shop boasting a cardigan in a perfectly exquisite burnt orange. Good thing that it's about four sizes too small for me.

I finally managed to finish my Worcestershire sauce book today. That is, after the smell dissipated enough for me to be able to carry it with me onto public buses and into classes.

If you could have one super power, what would you want? I would love the ability to heal or comfort with just a touch - where words are superfluous and reasoning an unnecessary extra. On the other hand... the ability to teleport would have been very useful today *sigh*

Technorati Tags: crayons,crayola,colour,book,super power

Sunshine

2010-08-09T18:27:00.000-03:00

Heart smiles...

A note from someone close....

" I hope you have a sunny day today! : ) "

And a picture attached...

Photo from the Lithuanian online newspaper, Irytas.lt

I pass the wish on...

Ok, our skies look much like this right now (with added pollution) and it's about to rain, but I can dream...

Technorati Tags: sunny,sunflower,happy,love

I believe

2010-08-06T23:28:00.000-03:00

Art by Sara Broski. I loved her work! Very whimsical.
Do click on the image to see more.

Reincarnation is a belief that seems to fly in the face of creation, but then, according to many, so does the whole evolution and dinosaurs belief. There are so many varying beliefs founded on man's desire to know why, when and how. Does it really matter? This blog isn't on religious belief, though it is a topic I enjoy discussing on occasion. Note that I said 'discussing', not ranting, postulating, temper-tantruming or throwing rotten eggs over. What my beliefs are, are not the point here, though I'm inclined to say, "Who really knows?" In short, I believe it is all possible. Yes, every single last bit of it and I think that the sooner people look at each other with a desire to understand the beliefs of others, we'll find that to be true.

But... this is about reincarnation and possibly a little evolution, possibly a dinosaur or two... and yes, creation. I'm not sure why I chose these words beyond that they seem to be appropriate to my thoughts.

As I see it, we've all been reincarnated in one form or another. We're all evolving, ever-changing, growing. We came into this life as a lump of (rather cute) clay, each one of us with unique moulding properties, ready to be formed or moulded. Those who've worked with clay will know there are some clays which mould far easier than others, some which are prone to cracking and others which hold up rather well under adverse conditions.

As we go through life, we all encounter change. Usually, it's an evolution or growth period. Circumstances force us to adapt and adapt we do. The human spirit is remarkably strong, usually far stronger than we think it is while going through those rough times.

Ah... then there are times when life simply whips the carpet out of under our feet and we crash. A phoenix-like rebirth is the only option open. We scrape together the ashes and pieces of our soul and drag ourselves up again - some times better than others.

There are also times we choose to reincarnate ourselves. This is what I was thinking about today. For myself, I'm at a point where I'm once again evaluating where I am and what I can do to better myself. There are so many things I want to change that it's more of a reincarnation, rather than an evolution. I like the fact that a reincarnation seems quicker than an evolution too.

So... reincarnate, I will, assuming I can persuade the dinosaurs of my old belief systems, experiences and perceptions not to stomp all over my attempts.

Technorati Tags: evolution,belief,reincarnation

A sense of style

2010-08-06T23:20:00.000-03:00

Have you ever left home in your slippers? Or at least dreamt that you have? Or worn sandals when going out into the snow? ; )

My dress for teaching leans towards the casual with just enough 'smart' to be presentable for corporate students. Yesterday, for example, I had the balls-in-the-bathtub student and a mess of teens. Dress: jeans, t-shirt, hiking boots. As day-to-day comfort wear goes, that is 'it'. Around lunch time, I stepped in at the shopping centre in the area - in the heart of the Jewish quarter. I spent my time there wondering, as I often do, if money makes one lose all sense of style - as though I have so much style myself =Þ Naturally, there were bunches of well-dressed dames, but some real oddballs too.

This morning, I decided to 'glamorise'. I hauled out my red throw, did the full 'war paint' routine and even dug through my jewellery box! Yes! Full red-carpet glamour. Ok, not quite, but, for me, it's a total departure from what has become my norm.

I left home feeling all dressed up... until I got to the bus stop and chanced to look down. Yep. Rough 'n tough hiking boots! I packed up laughing. My bus stop companion gave me a kind of quizzical grin, not knowing what could possibly be so amusing during a dark, early morning wait for the bus. Every now and again, throughout the day, my thoughts would go to my feet - which, in fairness, are far more comfortable than they have any right to be when 'dressed up' - and the mirth bubbles up again.

The photo, by the way, is of Tat's old boots. Mine aren't nearly as worn, so I could get away with it under my pants.

Looking at the news this morning and reading about how the fire brigade somewhere in northern USA is offering to hose down the cattle in the extreme heat, it's weird to see the thick blanket of snow not to far south of us here in Brazil. My world today is peppered with huddled Brazilian popsicles.

From one of our local news sites

Technorati Tags: dress up,work,shoes,snow,boots

Adventure in transit

2010-08-04T23:09:00.000-03:00

What will I do for blog fodder the day I become 'normal' and get a car?

I was surprised and "Omg! How exciting!" pleased when I scored a seat on the bus this morning - right alongside the driver. It's reserved-for-old-fogies seating, but at 6am, they're not in transit anywhere. Turns out, that's where all the action is. There I was, minding my own business, watching street and car lights going by (I couldn't read, as the driver had the lights off) to the tune of some mellow Enya.

I got myself free entertainment. The bus had stopped. A lanky youth ran up and looked inside. It seemed that he decided it was the wrong bus. He walked along the curb and banged on the bus where the bus conductor sat. I figured it was just a 'greeting'. They often do that if they know the driver or conductor and it's usually followed by animated chatting and laughing. But... In a split second, the conductor and driver were both out of their seats and pounding down the road after the guy, brandishing 2 foot long, thick sticks. This was a true blue, "What the heck?!" moment. The chase carried itself across 6 lanes and ended as the guy rounded a corner.

The driver and conductor swaggered back to the bus with a "we got him good" attitude. Back on the bus, they talked and laughed between themselves after stowing their sticks. Unfortunately, they spoke in the incomprehensible North Eastern accent, so I remained clueless. One thing was sure, they were prepared. This was no random event.

I then switched over to the metro, which went calmer, though not without its own interest. We'd gone a couple of stops when everyone was ordered off the metro. I had my earphones in, so I missed the announcement. It seems to be my day for being clueless. We all crowded sheeplike into the next metro and went on our merry way.

I met my student who flapped a little at the 'dangers of public transport', only to be caught up by his own words when sirens bore down on us. There was a convoy of police cars and a van transporting criminals. The 'brownies' (that's what the traffic guys are called here due to their brown uniforms) shooed us out of the way. What on earth possessed them to think that transporting criminals through São Paulo's peak hour traffic was a good idea?? Apparently they 'avoid' traffic jams because of the risk of being blocked off deliberately (pre-organised), thus allowing the prisoners to escape.

~ ~ ~

Does anyone else also find their heart stopping when an ambulance passes by? I find myself hurting for the drama those people are facing.

What makes a pubescent kid go a few metres out of his way to kick a pigeon? Does it give him an otherwise missing sense of power?

I'm now off to bed. It was an exhausting day. Tomorrow will be even longer. I leave home at 6am and return at 6pm. In that time, I will take 7 buses in total and a metro. What adventures await, I wonder? My afternoon will end with 3 teen boys whom I've been warned will try to take advantage. Great. What an exciting prospect!

Technorati Tags: traffic,transport,bus

Dreams

2010-08-02T23:02:00.000-03:00

I woke up on the tail end of a fascinating dream. As some of you may know, I've been very interested in alternative healing for many, many years now. My interest started with herbs, then moved on to reflexology. Reflexology is the stimulating of points in the hands or feet, which correspond to areas in the body. The body is broken up in to energy meridians, so the energy runs from a point in the body to the organ you are treating.

I believe that our bodies are remarkable machines, where everything is tied in, all running like smooth cogs, interlinked. I believe in the healing therapies I've studied because I started out as the ultimate sceptic. Everything I use is what I've tried on myself and found it to work.

I have studied reflexology and herbalism over the years. As you know, I don't go to the doctor unless the situation is dire. My latest visit to the doctor let me to blood tests that showed that I was normal in every way and the couple that were 'out of synch' were so logical and something I can work on on my own. In fact, something I need to work on (you only need to see a photo of me to know what that is).

Since I started on this 'journey', I have studied EFT, TAT, acupressure and hypnotherapy. Studying, for me, has involved reading everything I can on the subject, doing research and taking every course I have access to. Last week, I did the exam to certify as a hypnotherapist. I passed and got my bit of paper. Thing is, like all the other qualifications I have, this one is a low level qualification, but it did give me knowledge and I can use that with myself and anyone else who trusts me enough. It sounds pat, but the more I learn, the more I find out I don't know and want to learn more.

~ ~ ~

Back to my dream. I don't remember the lead up, other than that it involved a mess of transport typical of my working life, but I ended up in a hospital clinic setup. The place was very old. The furnishings were solid, very thick wood, painted in yellowing enamel paint that had obviously taken years of abuse, but was clean. With every aspect of the dream, the word 'ancient' comes to mind. There was a mess with documents I needed, again, typical of my life here. I never seem to have the right papers. Jurgis eventually arrived with the final paper I needed after a frantic call.

I was shown through to the doctor. He stood behind an old desk, in the style of the front desks. Behind him was a circular area with floor-to-ceiling shelves, every inch of which contained little brown bottles. I looked at the bottles and could visualise their contents. The contained liquids with samples in them. I was intrigued and, to me, it was strangely beautiful. I stood looking at them and wanted to write a poem about those bottles.

The doctor eventually sent me through for the actual blood test. As I walked into the next area, another doctor or technician was standing there holding a chart and pointing to where he was going to take the sample. He was a good few feet away, but I could clearly see the chart. It was a meridian chart with the liver meridian highlighted in a bright orange-red. This is strange because, with all my studying, I have a vague sense of the acupressure/acupuncture meridians, but struggled to memorize them, but in my dream, I knew that meridian very well and recognised it immediately.

I woke up at the point where I was standing rooted to the ground realising that the doctor was planning to stick a needle into my liver at the point under the ribs in the image here. I think anyone would wake up at that thought ; )

~ ~ ~

Back to reality.

Last week, I was doing a lot of EFT and hypnosis on the subject of my health and my work, aka financial situation. One of the EFT masters suggested focussing on a point that needs working on (EFT uses acupressure points). I kept thinking that I don't know which point needs more work and how am I supposed to know anyway? I have my answers. Research into the liver meridian was the penny drop I needed. I had a few 'wow' moments this morning. So that's what it was?!

My morning didn't end there. I got two emails where the one agent I get work from had asked my old students (one who'd cancelled) if they want to return to class. The responses were that they loved the classes with me, but couldn't right now and would in the near future. Hey... a compliment! I'll take that!

More was to come though. The same agent, who's an English teacher himself with excellent English, has asked me to teach his three kids, each kid in his/her own class. Wow. I was dumbstruck. This teacher is a good teacher in his own right. He used to run a school. His old students rave about his classes and he wants ME to teach his kids?! A compliment indeed. I'll take that too! : )

All in all, the week is starting well with fascinating things to think about, follow up on and filled with hope. I like that.

Technorati Tags: accupressure,energy,dream,work,eft,meridian,health

Random thoughts

2010-08-01T22:27:00.000-03:00

I think I'm going to start a Random thought blog, a little bit like Kippy's Whim blogs, except that mine will probably make less sense. But then again, my mind's been so random, by the time I open the blog page, it will have moved onto something else. C'est la vie... at least, my 'vie'.

Found via Google (click image to go to the blog page):

Matt: "at the top of the tribune tower yelling down at people"
Kara: "on top of the world, looking down"
Matt: "because we live on a globe, wherever you are, you are on top of the world."

I like that!

Yes, I have been missing. Life has been a little... challenging. No wait. The activities in my head have been a little challenging.

I love the new Google image search! Well, it's new for me. Apparently Tat doesn't have it.

I really badly want to sew... and do something crafty. Sewing takes time (and space) and I have little of either, so crafty is next. I tried 'simple' a knotting 'project' and got lost on step 2 *sigh* I hauled out the crochet hook and thread... got two rows in and got equally lost.

I feel like a Jill of all trades. I just completed another course. I do courses in all manner of things that, though I use them for myself, do little to further my life plans. I'm one of those 'knowledgeable in many things, but properly qualified in none' with scads of grim life experience, but no papers to prove it (or very few anyway). But then... if learning makes me a better person, all is good : )

I have a long list of goals. Some easier to get to than others. Funny how the more challenging ones end up at the top of the list.

I discovered why I wasn't sleeping well, aside from the cat making me move around her all night. The bed needs a miracle makeover or a dump. I vote 'dump'. Maybe one day.

In a world of amazing possibilities, it becomes hard, sometimes, to decide which possibilities to go for first.

It's August. The year is almost over. Omg!

I love kids. Honestly, I do! I may want to commit hari-kari on the brats two houses down. They scream all day long... I mean... really scream. I would love to give the parents a reality check. My fear is that one day they'll be screaming for real (as opposed to really screaming) and everyone will ignore it because it's 'normal'. Aside from that, it's just plumb annoying.

We have a big black cat that has taken to visiting and... much to my disgust... spraying. I'll add him to the list of 5000 other cats that have taken to hanging around and have formed the Tujupi Cat Choral. The black cat (aside from his obvious misdemeanour) is beautiful though. He's a pitch black version of Maluco. The same calm "I'm top cat around here" attitude. Now if he didn't spray =/

Some days, just waking up is enough

Random comments welcome...

Technorati Tags: qualify,random,cats,kids,study

Wet World

2010-07-14T20:39:00.000-03:00

I'm early. The world around me is wrapped in scarves and jackets, except for the guy in the denim shorts, no shirt, flip flops and a cap walking down below.

It's raining. As I'm early, I chose to stay on the undercover Metro bridge, watching the raindrops run along the concrete beam and eventually peel themselves off. The flickering fluorescent light turns the world around me into a kind of unearthly early-morning disco.

Somehow, the glistening wet of the side-walk makes the litter stand out starkly. Litter blocks the drains, so the water dams up in the road, turning the paving into a bug-sized, filthy surf.

Pigeons are amazing things. Where do they come from? One lone white pigeon bobs around, finds a soggy crumb and in a split second, twenty others arrive to help decimate the 'feast'.

My hands are cold, but then, my hands are pretty much always cold. They're saying that, a little way south of us, the sentient temperature this morning is -22ºC. I find that hard to believe. Not complaining here though. At least we're finally having a smattering of winter.

Augh. Poor guy. This old man is always there on the curb-side. His lopsided stool stands abandoned off to one side, as he hops around, trying to keep warm. He has a blue shopping trolley holding a polystyrene cooler of orange junk-juice and bottled water. I doubt he'll make too many sales today, if any. Even the coffee-and-cake guy is lacking his usual cluster of clients in the cold and rain.

Ah... time's up. I need to go down and wait for the bright yellow VW.

Technorati Tags: rain,people,cold,thoughts,carandiru,metro

Maleducada

2010-07-13T19:43:00.000-03:00

Yes, the image does say 'Maleducado' and my title has an 'a' on the end. That isn't a spelling error. This title refers to a girl on the bus (the 'a' denotes feminine).

This weekend, I read a blog where someone was describing eating habits in Brazil. One of the things she mentioned was that it's considered rude to eat on the go (they obviously didn't walk the streets of São Paulo or take public transport here). Ok, it's not often you see someone walking and eating. Kudos to them. They have some odd 'rules' for manners here, but then, they probably think the same about some of our manners. That's beside the point.

What gets me here is the use of the word 'maleducado'. It means 'badly educated'. 'Mal' is 'bad' and 'educado' is fairly obvious. Is it really just a matter of education? Really? They honestly believe it is and will argue the toss till they're blue in the face.

On the bus today, there was a girl sitting in the area on the bus reserved for the elderly, infirm, pregnant and those with children too young to stand on their own. At her feet, sitting on the corner of the footrest, looking very uncomfortable, was an elderly woman. Standing alongside was another. I looked down. The woman's feet were swollen and red. The girl sat. I tapped her on the shoulder and, giving her the benefit of the doubt, pointed at the two elderly women who had a right to a seat there. The girl heaved a huge, very visible sigh and started 'packing up'. By 'packing up', I mean she started arranging her earphones and fiddling with her iPod and shuffling her bag around on her lap. I glared at her. She sighed again. 3 Stops later, she was still 'getting her stuff together'. I had to get off. She watched me get off and settled back into her seat. I was aghast and totally disgusted. I'm sorry. That is Not a question of education. I've seen animals care more. Trouble is, I see this all the time. The kicker is that this same girl will look askance at someone who eats their pão de queijo without first wrapping it in a napkin.

Is it really lack of education (they're talking here about the 'education' into manners you get at your mother's knee) to dump huge mountains of rubble and refuse around the only three trees the neighbourhood has? Is it really lack of education to park the whole pavement full, so pedestrians have to walk in the streets? Or lying across two seats on the bus because they know that not a soul will ask them to move. People would rather stand around uncomfortably than ask to pass someone or use a seat. And what about not booking a table at the mall, which stands empty while they decide what to eat, as others are wandering around with a tray of rapidly-cooling food.

I don't think it is lack of education. Not even in the slightest. It's lack of caring or respect for our fellow beings. Sure, education can improve that, but it shouldn't be necessary and heck, so many times I see the so-called educated acting like uncultured buffoons.

It irks me no end that this word almost gives them cause to feel sympathy for the offender. You can hear it in the tone they use when excusing it. "Oh, it's not her fault. She's just not educated." Gah!

Technorati Tags: maleducado,rude,manners

Hubby humour

2010-07-12T20:27:00.000-03:00

Jurgis thought he'd brighten up my day, so I got this in a text file...

Spike Milligan's cheeky look here
reminded me so much of my grandfather!

A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree.
Spike Milligan

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
Spike Milligan
Ooh! I love this one!

And God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light, but the Electricity Board said He would have to wait until Thursday to be connected.
Spike Milligan
That must be Britain... it'd be way longer here.

I have the body of an eighteen year old. I keep it in the fridge.
Spike Milligan

I spent many years laughing at Harry Secombe's singing until somebody told me that it wasn't a joke.
Spike Milligan
I could apply this to a few singers. Don't know who the singer is.

I thought I'd begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine.
Spike Milligan

I'm a hero with coward's legs.
Spike Milligan

I'm not afraid of dying I just don't want to be there when it happens.
Spike Milligan

Is there anything worn under the kilt? No, it's all in perfect working order.
Spike Milligan

It's all in the mind, you know.
Spike Milligan

Money can't buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
Spike Milligan

Money couldn't buy friends, but you got a better class of enemy.
Spike Milligan

My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.
Spike Milligan

Technorati Tags: quotes,funny

Early morning coffee

2010-07-08T19:14:00.000-03:00

After two near-accidents with the bus - what possesses people to try to cut across two lanes in front of a bus at an intersection when the bus is going straight and they want to turn?? - I'm early for this morning's class.

I stop off at the friendly corner cafe for a cuppa. (The photo here is of a similar cafe and taken long ago, not the one I was at.) It's clean, in a very white-tile-plastic-and-formica way. Coffee here is drunk out of a glass, ready sweetened.... and, boy, is it sweetened?! I've found a way to get mind in a cup and chuckle over the Zero-Cal™ sweetener I use there. The back has an unusual warning, "Zero-cal™, 'marcade fantasia, contem calorias." You don't need Portuguese proficiency to get the gist of that. Talk about misleading labelling!

All eyes are on the TV screen at the one end of the cafe, right above the kitchen hutch. They're interviewing a Brazilian in SA who's trying to sell his tickets to the upcoming matches, so he can go home. I hope the Brazilians still there are at least taking the opportunity to explore the country.

Time to go. As I scratch for coinage for the coffee, I see a woman putting her breakfast on her card. The standard breakfast being coffee and pão na chapa. I don't put small amounts on my card because of the charges to the shop owner, but a cash-free society suddenly seems very appealing. Do I mind that much that my ever move will be traceable?

On a side note, does anyone here know anything about a Schengen visa?

Technorati Tags: schengen,cafe,money

A sequence of events

2010-07-07T17:45:00.000-03:00

Photo taken by Jurgis. The butterfly landed on the soap bubbles as he was doing the dishes. He fished her out and she hung around a while. He then took photos before releasing her into the great outdoors.
I woke up completely and quickly. That, in itself, was unusual. I'm notoriously slow to surface. My first thought was... surely it's 4:30 already? I checked my cell phone, which doubles as an alarm clock - 4:37! I hadn't set the alarm! Strike one. Without an alarm, I'm usually incapable of surfacing on time.

I put the kettle on and turned on the pc. Ack! My internet wouldn't connect. An overwhelmingly sickly smell drew me to the kitchen. The gas had run out (the gas stinks just as the bin empties for some reason) - coffee would be delayed. I shook Jurgis awake. Luckily, he'd asked me to wake him early. He tackled the gas (we keep a spare bin) and internet while I got ready. With coffee and toast going down well, the morning was saved.

The first bus that came along was an inter-municipal (the elusive Santana bus, Tat! *poke*) The smiling lady sharing my stop got on, so I asked the driver if it went my way. Yep, it did. What a ride! Everyone was smiling! I wish I could take this bus every day. It takes a grand tour of the city. The route was different and thus interesting. I wished I had a camera with me.

Because I took a bus instead of the usual metro, I ended up on the other end of Parque do Juventude, a large, concrete and wannabe-grass walking area. It has some funky buildings. I walked past the building and wadya know.... a library! An honest-to-goodness fancy-schmancy library here in São Paulo!! Sadly, it was only opening later, so I couldn't go in. Not sure when I'll get the chance to see it, as it's far from home and my ours are a little crazy.

I walked over to where my student usually meets me. I had nearly reached my spot when a scruffy man walked past. I think he was homeless, but who knows. What was special about him? The big red nose he was sporting! When he caught someone staring, he'd grin. He was having a ball. He left many laughs and smiles in his wake.

I spent the rest of my time there being entertained by an impish (he looked like a little imp) hopelessly drunk man who was dancing and clowning around with a huge grin on his face. He was having a ball!

What was that they say about "Smile and the world smiles with you"? Today, the world seemed to be smiling. It was good : ) I felt as though a load had been taken off my shoulders.

And back to the ordinary world...

Romany was caught grinning in his sleep.

The flash woke him up. He stuck his tongue out.... kinda mid-lick, but too lazy to pull it off properly.

The sun was obviously too good and he dozed right off again.

Technorati Tags: people,feel-good,bus,romany,library,life

Starting over

2010-07-05T16:03:00.000-03:00

I found this article recently and it got me thinking. Actually, it doesn't do much to get me thinking of our dream. A while back, Kippy and Jaime wanted me to talk about my perfect home. Then just recently, someone mentioned being envious of a life of ease. I often say "I'm jealous" and you'll usually find it's relating to a certain way of life... a life we'd love to live again, a truly simple life.

Second Act

"We embark on a career path or a job before we really know ourselves at a very early age, but I think we're still a work in progress and over the course of your life you can stitch together a quilt of what you want to be and who you want to be." Lisa Schwartz

Now, if I were envious of a lifestyle, it's the one this lady has built for herself. That is a dream!

~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~

A couple more videos of people starting over and fulfilling a dream... truly inspirational! I've linked to the videos, so I don't overload this page for those with slow connections:

http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-mandy-aftel-20592908
http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-donald-arthur-20045514

Gypsy (back), Vilkas (left) and Noble (front right), our 3 Muskateers. Gypsy was the older, sensible one, who kept the brats in check. To the left was the raspberry patch - wild and thorny, but a thrill to harvest. Through the gateway behind them was the stand of mulberry trees, kids' paradise, and beyond that, the stream. The dogs were lying under the pretty, but infernal Tibouchina tree - the leaves, when dry, make excellent dye *sigh* It never comes out!

For those new to my list or those who missed the original post, this blog speaks about the life we came from, which is poles apart from the life we're in now. We'll have that again : )

http://tintalasia.multiply.com/journal/item/282/I_remember_Whensday

Last night, Tat and I were chatting. A possible hermitage came up, but she's not the hermit type, being gregarious and all that. We settled on farming with goats, who are pretty cool critters, with Jurgis taken along as slave labour, something he seems to thrive on. Ah... now there's a life, hm?

Technorati Tags: vilkas,gypsy,farm,dream,noble,dogs,tat,lambs

Monday Mobservations

2010-07-05T15:57:00.000-03:00

Ok, the title sounded funky, so I'm using it : ) Only one 'mob'-servation... I live in coffee country. Major league coffee country. The 'cafezinho' here is a way of life. It goes deeper than football. Football is a religion. Coffee is as natural as breathing.

Because of the school holidays, the trip I take with my Wednesday student is cut way short. There's a fraction of the amount of traffic on the roads in the early mornings. We stopped at a coffee shop half way. He made an interesting observation. Brazilians don't meet for coffee and friendship or chat. Ever. They may meet for a quick business arrangement, but not otherwise. Friendship and casual chat is reserved for beers and pubs. Coffee is an otherwise solitary affair.

Photo taken years ago not long after we first arrived here with a dinky 1mp camera
I was reminded of this this morning when a friend said she was meeting another friend for coffee. It's one of the things I've lamented for years here, that I can't call up a friend to meet somewhere for coffee or tea. It's just not done.

I've spent the weekend working on a photo for an old client. She always has a real challenge for me, usually involving a super-tiny, badly scanned photo that needs to be printed on a billboard. Ok, not a billboard, but you get the idea. This time, she wants a friend's face put onto a model's body. Friend in question is pale... very pale (and pixelised) and the model is lovely high-resolution with a deep golden tan. The model has flyaway hair *picture fans on the set*. The client wants me to tame the flyaway model hair too. The model in question is on the beach with shrubbery behind her. Eh... yes, a challenge.

When I was leaving for my kidlet, I stood at the bus stop dancing a little on the spot. *disclaimer: This isn't dancing in the normal sense. It is very much just bouncing a little on my feet* I can't stand still at bus stops. A guy on a bicycle came past.... I think he was training for some cycling event by the way he was dressed.... and yelled, "That's right! Keep dancing!" haha! Awesome! Then a truck driver laughed and yelled something too, but he was moving faster, so I lost what he said, but his thumbs up spoke volumes. People tend to stare at me. I'm a freak here. At least I know now that it's not because of my two heads or something.

The kidlet made yet another mask for me. Is she trying to say something? They're all heart masks, in fairness to her.

This weekend, I came down with a boil between my eyes. I was swollen and looked like I'd been given two black eyes. That was Saturday morning. By Saturday night, I was snapping at everything and everyone and really weepy. I'm prone to the dastardly things and they usually get really bad. The last one I had around my eyes ended up with me getting emergency drainage. It was not pretty. My medical status here being what it is, I figured I have to do something drastic on the weekend. I didn't have any nasturtium (a natural antibiotic) on hand, so I made do with plenty of acupressure and EFT. This morning I woke up and it was all gone... totally! Weeeeeeeeeee!! *grins* I don't know if the acupressure did it or the EFT or just sheer, "You're not going to get me this time!" attitude, but it's gone!!! Can you tell I'm happy??

It's a perfect day. The sun is shining just so, the bumble bees were all over the Ipê tree, the kids are playing and making happy playing noises instead of screaming. Life is good.

Technorati Tags: dancing,photo,acupressure,friends,retouch,brazil,herbs,coffee,eft

Adieu Bonjour!

2010-07-02T15:53:00.000-03:00

Art by Bea Douglas. I wanted a surreal image. I think this works and is fairly thematic considering some fools believe the vuvuzela is meant to resemble an elephant's call.
Yeah right!
Fiddling puddlesticks! I was so annoyed yesterday, but so proud of myself. A whole day went by without the use and abuse of strong language ; )

No, the title isn't some skewed attempt at French. I have an excellent firewall that allows nothing past its defences. Heck, it only allows me through if I've been really good and the same goes for all of you =Þ Every day, I get "Do you want Bonjour to access the internet?" Well, I neither need or want the programme Adobe insists on installing. Its main objective in life is to access the net and, deprived of that objective, it just sits there like a dead duck. My research cold me it was safe to uninstall it. Bagged and trashed, I was free of its daily "hello, I'm still here taking up 2 seconds of your day."

Then all dizzy heliotropes broke loose. My pc went belly-up. I restarted my pc, but it wouldn't restart. My empty wallpaper sat staring at me. My keyboard ceased to function. I eventually accessed my files with Jurgis' keyboard and in Safe Mode to do an emergency backup... and formatted.

Somehow, something had gone very wrong *makes a mental note to leave Bonjour in relative peace in future* It wasn't just Bonjour though. At that precise moment, my keyboard cable (thank goodness it was easily resolved) died.

Reinstalling my pc was not quite how I'd planned to spend my day.

~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~

Sometimes life presents little scenes to check if you're awake and paying attention. I was standing in the cluster of humanity, crowded into the cattle-herding gates, waiting fro the next metro at the busy Sé station, idly watching people getting off another line. One man caught my attention. Bopping and jiving to the beat in his headphones, very carefully, I might add, he was a stereotypical big-afro 'out of a 70's movie' black guy - typical, except for the large chocolate cake he was carrying. It looked so surreal. Talk about stereotyping.

On the subject of surreal, it was so weird getting onto the bus this morning to actually find seats! Oh the joys of school holidays combined with world cup fever.

Don't you just love the guys that get onto the underground metro while it is still dark outside with their hoodies pulled up over their ears and dark glasses on? "I'm so bright, I've got to wear shades." Their whole posture, the slouch and pushing baggy hips forward, and bearing screams, "Look at me! I'm cool!"

Then Tweedledee and Tweedledum got on. Some grungy jeans hanging in multiple folds over their trainers, pale, scrawny arms stretching out of yellow sweatshirts, which were worn under the regulation-on-match-day Brazilian team t-shirts. Number 7 and Number 10. Two curly dark heads didn't look at each other or talk, but each move was identical, choreographed deep in their DNA.

Add further oddity to that. I waited 40 minutes for my usually very regular student, but he's vanished. No reply on home, work or cell phone and not a soul seems to even know who he is. We usually meet in a neighbouring department because of the free boardrooms, so I went to his floor, which has recently had all its 200 anonymous open plan desks rearranged. I stood in the sea of desks and called his number, but no phones rang. I checked to make sure it was Friday. Yep. *Chronicles of the invisible student*

I arrived home to the neighbours getting their gathering of friends and family together... each sporting a new vuvuzela *sigh* Then a call from my student, "So sorry! I had no work today (lucky guy) because of the game and I completely forgot about class." Grrr! I don't mind the time off. I do mind that I spent half an hour this morning trying to find something to wear... for nothing!

The cartoon is appropriate today. 'Visinhos' is 'neighbours' and "Esse copa só serve pra encher o saco" roughly translates to "This cup only serves to make one fed up" except that 'encher o saco' has a far more crude interpretation here.

Technorati Tags: format,student,work,pc

To the left

2010-06-30T15:48:00.000-03:00

By 8am, I had given my phone number incorrectly once and misunderstood 3 times. The day was going well. Everything according to the usual pattern of life.

I sat in the waiting area reciting my mantra... I have plenty of blood. My veins are strong. Uh yes. My veins listened to the squalling brat further along and started getting jittery. I swear I could hear them planning their escape route. I was handed a number. Has anyone ever noticed that the 6 and the 9 are remarkably similar on a white piece of card? That predicament at least provided about 5 minutes of entertainment for my fellow sufferers. The little girl pointed out that they must have it wrong. To her, it was clearly a 6.

I eventually went in. The sweet could-be-anyone's-grandma lady smiled encouragingly. "I can do this," I thought. She tied the rubber band on - thin government issue bands... it snapped. Oh yippee... off to a good start! She tied another one on. I wish her good luck and she gets her weapon of choice out. She says, "Don't worry... it's right here. I can feel it," patting the crook of my arm encouragingly. By this time, my veins are tying themselves in knots trying to get away. I can hear them, "Mummyyyyyy! Where can we hide?"

To be sure, I don't mind needles. I take injections as bravely as the next guy, even usually joking about them, and occasionally, I've even successfully had blood drawn with minimal fuss. She stuck the needle in. A little to the right. No. A little to the left. No. Pull out a little. Let's try deeper. Nope... too deep. Out again. Upper left corner behind the right hand joint. Yep... that's the way it went. I watched her face changing expressions. She was starting to worry that I had no veins. "Ah!" she says, "It's way over on the left hand side!" She nods at me as though to let me know to make a note of that for the next brave soul who foolishly thinks drawing blood is easy. She actually looks like she's discovered the answer to the secrets of life. I'm happy for her. My arm is hurting. Drip, drip, drip. She nudges the uncooperative vein. Drip, drip. *sigh* By the second vial, she had nudged the vein into little squirts instead of drips.

"Does it hurt more coming out or going in?" she asked, as she waited to see if I'd freak as she removed the needle. HUH? She can't be serious. I look at her blankly. I'd say it hurts more going in, wouldn't you? Take it out already!

Hm... the rest of the day should go well now, right? : )

Technorati Tags: blood

Pigs ears and sugary deliciousness

2010-06-27T15:42:00.000-03:00

Here they call them 'palmiers'. Back home, we called them 'pigs ears'. Who cares? They're good! I found a weekly fix. There's a biscuit seller in the street market near my young student on a Wednesday that sells these bits of bliss and they're fresh and crunchy and buttery and sugary. Did I say they're good?

It more than made up for the rest of our eating today. We found some relatively cheap fish. I've been craving fish. Fish is hellaciously expensive here, so we never really get it. We decided a fish braai (bbq for those not in the 'know') would be just the ticket.

Can we say flakey cardboard? Pfewy! It was awful! We stuffed the fish with tomato, onion, herbs, spices, and all things tasty. The filling was nice... the fish... ghastly.

Just so you know, this is what a fish braai is meant to look like:
http://www.myfriendshane.com/fish-braai/
Thank you to Shane for the inspiring blog of what we miss so much.

I'm busy transferring and backing up mountains of data from what feels like centuries ago. There are plenty of "Wow! What on earth was I doing with that?!" moments. Why do I keep it all? I haven't looked at this stuff since the initial backup years 'n years ago. I should, of course, be planning my lessons for the week... and translating ghastlygynea (sic) stuff for tomorrow morning. I need a prepared script... in Portuguese... because my translator is sitting in England and the prospect of taking Jurgis, however capable as a translator, into the gynea's office with me is rather... uh... no... ain't gonna work. Yep... taking myself off for my once-a-decade visit to a lady doc.

I did no Lithuanian study this weekend. Bad. In fact, come to think of it now... I've done very little of anything remotely useful this weekend. Looking at everyone else's blogs, you've all been so busy. Must be the summer weather up there. Here it was just another middling warm day. Winter? Hmph!

Technorati Tags: palmier,doctor,braai,fish

Bits and bobs

2010-06-23T15:38:00.000-03:00

Romany went for a bath this weekend. He came home, thankfully not smelling like a poefte (male of questionable orientation who uses too much Eew de cologne). It's a new pet parlour. They're nice there.

Specs is eating me out of house and home. Yes, I know it's winter, but... ! If she wasn't going on old-woman and definitely spayed, I'd think she was pregnant.

Lithuanian lessons are coming along quite well, all things considering... like the fact that it's a bleeping difficult language. Suddenly I'm finding many people online giving lessons. How nice. Thank you very much ; )

My heart is aching for my friends who are going through so much.

I teach on the road in a canary yellow VW Beetle. How cool is that? And in the process, we solve the world's problems.

My most basic student is finally making some progress with her English. Her kid is struggling at school. She asked me for suggestions. She's taken up my suggestions and is so excited. It's been fascinating to watch.

Sometimes words hurt. Sometimes it's easy to brush them off. Sometimes not. It's a lesson for me.... to watch what I say.

I really, really, really feel like some chocolate cake tonight.

Dry

2010-06-15T15:31:00.000-03:00

Dogs! Argh! We're into day 2 of our regional water cut. The pleasant enough,but extreeeeemly slow chap at the water department said it was due to a burst water mains and water would be restored the same day. That was yesterday.

The air is dry. There are pollution warnings out. This photo is from our local news. The airport is on a 'fly only if necessary' due to the pollution.

This photo is from a different news agency. Apparently admissions to hospital have increased by 70% today due to respiratory issues.

Our water system is here complicated. We run off a cistern on the roof. This is because of the city's frequent water cuts. A storage box of water means that, during a cut, we still have water for a while. That's all good and well, but.... unless we go outside to the yard wash tank, which is fed directly from the street, we have no idea the water has been cut or if it's been restored.

Enter dog.

The son of a second-hand sea sausage used the standing space in front of the water tank as his personal WC! Let it be known that I leave home by torch light - It was dark when I checked the status of our water supply!

Apparently, I will have plenty of luck today, especially since I couldn't wash it off.

Does this look like the face of evil terrorism??

Technorati Tags: pollution,romany,cistern,water