Another day

Just another day of misery in Darfur

100 years defying gravity

With 2007 marking 100 years since the invention of the brassiere, it would seem that boob obsession is alive, robust, and more pervasive than ever.

You've probably read the many horror stories surrounding the history of the bra and lingerie in general - when corsets were so tight women regularly fainted, failed to keep their food down, and even suffered the occasional pierced liver, courtesy of their own ribs. While it hasn't always been fun, the changing silhouette has continually been tightly driven by fashion trends.

And 100 years later, we women are still struggling to have the perfect bra, with easy and quick unhooking of the back strap, adjustable cup-sizes, straps and colours. I guess the perfect bra would also include a remote control bra to help our boyfriends during a night of passion.

It's safe to speculate that breasts have captivated humankind since its creation.

Let's take a look, shall we?

From innocent looks and less than revealing garments, to the wonderbra, a girl's best mate:

We're obsessed with shape, size, anatomy, feel, looks of our breasts. Men are the main cause, although the majority have no clue of our bra size, no clue how to unhook them in a soft and discreet manner...

We're left with this, most of the times:

Veggie art

Still on the food topic, just have a glance at this - Veggie art! Can't eat them now...

Cooking

Gordon Ramsay is one of England's top chefs and quite exquisite at it too.

I've found some succulent recipes for you to try out, as they are basic, quick and easy.

Lack of time is what most people give as an excuse for not cooking regularly, but with some of these recipes, there's no more of that.

Check them out and let me know how you liked them.

It's raining here, all we think is to stay home and indulge. Go ahead, do it, you have my permission! Then, only after taking advantage of them, only then, go to the gym :)

Bichinho in a flower

Isn't this a cool photo?

Chocolate pleasures

Ah, and I had a delicious chocolate tart for dessert.

As I told you, it's raining...

Cinammon rolls

Bah, kept raining all day, as we know rain is caused by holidays and weekends. Not clouds or high pressure. NO!

So took parents and Bichinho to Ikea to compensate...ended up buying some shoes at the mall we went to after, but that's irrelevant for this post. Got a huge traffic jam on the way back, due to the rain and don't know what else.

Going to watch a DVD, drink some tea and eat a cinnamon roll we got from Ikea's food court...hmmm. The best of a rainy day is that you can indulge on sweet things and not go to the gym! Gotta dash!

Holidays/Vacaciones/Férias

Ahhh, public holiday tomorrow in Portugal and me in Spain enjoying it :)

(note, Ali is singing Edith Piaf now.... keeps talking about the film and singing at the same time...I think it's time to go home, mate!)

As I was saying, tomorrow I have a day off and don't know what to do with it, you get so used to work than when you have some time off you kinda get nervous and cannot keep focus, either you want to do lots or nothing...

My thinking about holidays is making me strained and nervous, as I see time fly by and no plans to fill in those precious beautiful days of joy - can you feel the anguish here? I feel like going everywhere and insist with everyone to give me tips and company. Is this sad? Hmmm, actually sounds like it! But it fills me with hope of having a great time, whatever that will be.

Can I ask you too? Nice places to spend 2 weeks of pleasure. (I'm really missing your comments, guys, you suddenly all disappeared and I'm left here all by myself, writing to my poor and sad self. Now, that's sad!).

In any case, and in the meantime, if you like Isabel Allende, read this article about her returning to Chile.

Portishead - glory box

Just listening to a wonderful song I caught in the luso corner in here: http://itsstillourpleasure.blogspot.com/. It's really one of those memorable lyrics and it makes you wanna sit back, close your eyes and relax...and think of 'a reason to love you'. Thanks for reminding us of some good music :)

Book Day

Today it's the World Book Day.

In choosing April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO drew inspiration from a Catalan tradition. On this day in Catalonia, numerous book fairs and street festivals are held and customers are offered a rose with every book they buy. By celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.

In Madrid, this day is celebrated with special events and bookstores are opened up till 12.00 am and offer 10%.

I might go and see Paul Auster's daughter reciting...

Life of Pi

Just finished reading one of the best books I ever read: Life of Pi, by courtesy of Nelson who lent me the book of which I knew the cover well, from my times in Prague. Then, I knew it was a special book, by the attention it received on bookstores. But I found it only in Czech and forgot about it. But the image of the kid sharing a lifeboat with a tiger stayed. Last time we went to Nelson’s house and I saw that cover, I knew it was my time.

Last night I had only a few (around 20) pages left to finish it, so I stayed up and by the time I’ve finished it I couldn’t sleep thinking about it. It’s one of those books that don’t leave you immune.

I’m not going to reveal the story, but it’s a very human account of survival and hope. And always with a lightness that obliges you to stay reading until your eyes beg for rest. It explores religion (the protagonist believes in 3 religions, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism) and spirituality (the writer uses animals to illustrate morals and human characteristics). It challenges you to believe the story(ies). You must take a stand after reading it, as it becomes in the end a matter of faith.
Life of Pi won the 2002 Man Pulitzer award. READ IT!

The Gift - Music

It was full house at the old theatre. The Gift left Madrid’s audience dancing and singing and smiling. It was a cool show, the epicentre being when they sang Music, I was surprised as they all knew the lyrics and made sure the band realised that… There’s no escape now, we are condemned to sing the bloody chorus till the end of our days, it’s just so sticky: “I'm doing it for music, I'm doing it for love, I'm doing it for everyone around me…”

PoP! Goes My Heart

From the new film with Hugh Grant... Don't they look just like a mix of Duran Duran and Wham?? hahahaha How corny!

The Gift in Madrid

We're going to see these guy's at a mytical place in Madrid called Joy Eslava. It should be a cool gig.

They're trying to launch themselves here in Spain, in a more official way than they are already (one of their most famous songs is played on the Spanish equivalent of Emergency Room on tv...)

Barcelona visit

Going to Barcelona, uselessly tonight, coming back tomorrow. Client visit, but as we are in Spain, a dinner is on the book as well as some sight seeing and tapas eating.
So, in effect, the visit is tomorrow, but it doesn't matter, it's always good to have a routine break and sleep in a nice hotel, like this one.

HERÓIS DO MAR-SÓ GOSTO DE TI (tv 1985)

Lembram-se meus queridos?
Era assim que soava há 20 anos atrás.
Memórias, memórias...

America's Cup

Ahoy!

Tomorrow starts at Valencia one of the most lucrative sport events in the world, and one of the poshest. Also, the oldest continuous trophy in sports. It started in 1851, with Americans winning for a straight 132 years (25 editions) until Australia took the Cup in 1983. The Cup is so called because of the first yacht to win the trophy, the America.

This will be the first time in over 150 years that the America's Cup has been held in Europe.

Here are some curious facts about this year's edition:

* 60,000 bottles of Moet & Chandon were taken to Valencia. The official Cup's champagne will be opened by the winners of each regatta, but also on all the ceremonies organised by the Louis Vuitton Cup;

* 1,000.000 m2 is the surface the Port of the Cup, the largest and most modern infrastructure ever to be built for a nautical competition;

* 1,000 boats will coming in and out of the port each day of regatta;

* 33 TV cameras will follow the regattas from helicopters, catamarans, speed boats and even aboard the competing boats. Furthermore, there will be 6 cameras on each boat during the finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup and America´s Cup;

* 18 kg of weight and 110 cm height - these are the measures of the cup, the oldest sports trophy in the world.

The way it works is quite refined and difficult to grasp, but in other words, the regattas for classification have been happening since 2004, eliminating candidates - to keep public interest high between matches before the 2007 America's Cup championship, the Louis Vuitton Acts were created with 13 regattas, called "Acts".

The Louis Vuitton Cup is composed of the regattas' rounds in order to establish at the end, a competitor for the last America's Cup winner, the Alinghi from Switzerland (ironic winner, from a land with no sea!).

The America's Cup per se is that event, the competition between these yachts, representing their yacht's clubs. The cup is to be passed on to the yacht's clubs and is still the original trophy.

All this takes place starting tomorrow to June 12 (Louis Vuitton Cup - challenger selection series). The 2007 America's Cup match will take place between June 23 and July 7.

Everyone is ready, on their positions, just waiting for the right wind blow and strike of luck. These are the teams.

Team name Nationality

Defender:Alinghi Switzerland

BMW Oracle Racing United States

+39 Challenge Italy

Team Shosholoza South Africa

Emirates Team New Zealand New Zealand

Luna Rossa Challenge Italy

Areva Challenge France

Victory Challenge Sweden

Desafío Español 2007 Spain

Mascalzone Latino-CapitaliaTeam Italy

United Internet Team Germany Germany

China Team China

Good luck, sailors!

Trash the house!

The 'let's trash the house party' invitation was obedientely taken by the more than 200 guests.

This was a party invitation posted on the internet by a 17-year old girl who took advantage of her parents absence to have fun. Little did she knew that the family house was to be left in shambles and her parents had to land in temporary accomodation until the house is professionally cleaned and put back together. Read it here.

It had to be Portuguese...

In London, a restaurant was fined after fiery sausage explodes at the table. The flaming chorizo looked appetising until the waiter decided to top up the sausage dish with a dash more rum — then it exploded at a packed table.

It could be funny, had it not left a woman with horrible burns all over her face and hands.

These chorizos, a bit too hot, perhaps?

New seat belt reduces 45% of accidents

Now that traffic accidents are the talk of the day (here in Spain, last week alone there were 104 deaths on the road), there's a new seat belt that men think will do the trick.

Hotelsurfing

I'll offer you something different, for those of you not adventurous enough to enter the couchsurfing world (post below), and for those who like an hotel not only to drop your bags and leave. This is in Madrid, but I’ll try to find more for other capitals, as I like to be useful to you guys. Read it up and make it real, they sure look worth the stay.

Couchsurfing

A different (and very cheap) way of globetrotting is using the increasingly common advantage of staying at strange people’s houses, whilst visiting their town. These are people who offer their houses to travellers for the sake of the company.
Although it seems nuts for people letting their houses to strangers, this hospitality network is growing and you can virtually travel the whole world couchsurfing. Interested? Check it out here.

Cancer

At last some good news amidst all the bad news papers print every single day:

“A set of genes that can make cancer cells 1,000 times more sensitive to chemotherapy has been identified by scientists promising a new way of treating tumours with fewer side-effects.
Although chemotherapy can be highly effective, it is generally toxic to the rest of the body as well as to cancer cells, causing serious side-effects. These include nausea and vomiting, hair loss, liver and kidney problems and sometimes permanent damage to fast-growing cells, such as those in the reproductive system. This has led scientists to seek ways of refining drugs so that they home in on cancer cells, leaving healthy tissue intact, and of reducing the doses at which they can be effective.” Read more on The Independent.

Hello!

Hello people, long time no see....


Here's a photo of Sandra's b'day last week.

This Friday we must say bye to Mada for a month (envy, envy!) and Sunday we must congratulate Paulo with karaoke (photos will be needed and a whole lot of drinking!)

Meanwhile it keeps raining, my parents are visiting here, so bad news. Their planned long walks are put aside for the moment. My Dad brought a very thick Tom Wolf book and sodukus puzzles, so he's busy. My Mum is watching telly and getting to know all the Spanish gossip. Bless!

Happy Easter...

...with many chocolate eggs and cakes and sweet things.

Wish me a good trip!

Thievery Corporation -Lebanese Blonde

This might be one of my top ten ever... Perfect for this rainy weather, very sexy.

Bla bla

The weather is crap, and I'm not talking about it for lack of subject. It matters indeed to know how's it going to be in the next few days, as holidays are just round the corner. It has rained on and off and it will stay like this till wednesday, exactly the day I'll drive to Portugal, so the forecast better be good!

Bichinho is all dirty, the front window is already showing usage of the wipers. The gas price has raised, just in time for the holidays, when They know we will need it! I'm also waiting for my insurance to tell me it's all right for me to go and change the license plate for free (on the other guy's expense) so that Bichinho looks perfect again, the vain thing!

Went to the movies last week and loved the film: Blood Diamond. I'm not a Dicaprio fan, but the truth is that the boy is getting damn good! He's quite convincing, looks included. The story makes you shiver, as it's what happens in Africa everyday without our knowledge. The more conscious you get about it, the more interesting the film becomes. It's a portrayed reality which was long due. The photography director is a Portuguese acclaimed guy who studied Art History and Archeology at Sorbonne. Eduardo Serra is his name and you may have seen it in the credits of "Girl with a Pearl Earring". (And yes, my patriotic vein shows once again...if we don't praise ourselves, who will? Nobody knows us, la la la...)