Nothing new...

Would you be surprised if I told you that as of now it's 37c outside? Now means 10.30 pm! Nightime!

Interview tomorrow, wish me luck. And this time I really hope I go for something appropriate! Last time was a bit of a let down!

Paradise

Why is it that when you're finally having fun the holidays are over?

We went for our semi-weekend to the fantastic hillside villages. They are authentic and old. And made with the local stone, schist. And well blended into the local forests, which means that only a good eye can catch their glimpse on those hills. Look:

This village is a dream come true for old and typical house lovers, as they are protected, meaning any restoration has to obbey to this style. And there's no one living in them during the week which means they only come to life mostly at weekends. This is a sea of tranquility and you can listen to the stream flowing down below and the birds...It's simply adorable and our friends did the best thing buying a 3 storey house which they'll have to remodel to confortable living conditions. We couldn't be more envious of their choice. It really is a different reality up there...

And this is my gang...

Lumplings

Today is my advertising day...

Still in Prague, and since the weather is a bit more harsh in winter than in Spain, I used to have plenty of free time after work. And I had a handfull of ideas to go with it. I'm quite creative and love to awake my imagination with handmade stuff, like pillow covers, little toys and the like. I've done a few things and while searching through the internet looking for ideas and people with the same liking for handycrafts, I've found Amy's page which I love. She does these amazing cuddle toys.

Tango here is just one of the thousands of Lumplings Amy creates. They are adorable and they represent what I love - recycling old stuff and giving it a new life. In this case, Amy uses plenty of old sweaters and materials.

I've recycled old shallow drawers into trays, cans and glass milk bottles into vases, old skirts into shoe bags... I'm all in favour of transforming, almost like Lavoisier used to say: "In Nature nothing dies, everything is transformed"... I'll only change in Ana's world instead of nature :)

The best soaps in the world

While rummaging through my old stuff here at Mom & Dad's home, got to pick a wrapped lavender sopa from Claus Porto, a local brand that over the years has been getting a unrivalled reputation of being unparalel in quality. This is what I've found out about it - of course I'm bringing this soap with me, as it's still unopened. I already went to Corte Ingles to get another luxury soap to take with me...

This is what I've found out through their partner in New York:

The oldest and most prestigious soap making factory in Porto, Portugal, CLAUS PORTO was founded in 1887 by two world renowned chemists: Ferdinand Claus and Georges Schwedder. Together they created the base for what was to become one of the most important soap making factories ever. Hindered by the advent of the WWI, the two German founders were forced to leave Portugal forever and sold the company to one of its executives, Achilles de Brito. Under his expertise and guidance the company flourished and became renowned throughout Europe as the best soap making factory in the world. Soon after, famous fragrance and fashion houses in France, England and Spain came to Porto to have all of their soaps made by CLAUS PORTO, renamed ACH BRITO after its then current owner. The factory today is still family owned and run by the great grandson of Achilles de Brito. At this 117 year old company, the family continues with the great soap making traditions that were a matter of honor for the original founders.

Other companies use modern automated methods, and lower quality ingredients for one simple reason: to make more product in a less expensive fashion, or, quite simply, modern technology has left the human out of the equation. At CLAUS PORTO / ACH BRITO it is exactly the opposite. The time - honored tradition of milling seven times (milling refers to the process of "mixing" the soap; the more times that the soap elements are passed through the mill, the more air bubbles are forced out of the mix and the more the fragrance is evenly distributed) has remained to this day the secret of the success of the CLAUS PORTO line. Milling seven times renders a dense, hard soap that is fragrant down to the very last bit, doesn't needlessly split or crack and gives a rich creamy lather. All of the soaps are naturally air - dried (as opposed to hot air machines which dry other soaps on the outside, leaving them soft and gooey on the inside and eventually causing them to crack and melt down to ugly blobs after being used) on racks for two to three weeks, ensuring an even, consistent bar. These luxurious and creamy bars are made with coconut oil and enriched with 2% shea butter to moisturize, protect, and replenish the skin's natural protein complexes. The highest quality fragrances from the south of France are used to create the exotic, lingering scents that have made these soaps so famous. The final soap product, and more importantly the base ingredients (many soap producers cannot make this claim) are never tested on animals. As this soap is completely natural and 100% bio-degradable, it is environmentally friendly.

In addition to the finest ingredients available, all of the graphics and packaging used are authentic and original and are chosen from the archives of CLAUS PORTO / ACH BRITO. In many cases, the actual papers (no longer available) have been skillfully reproduced using the exact same paper stock, embossing techniques and screen printing methods from decades ago. If you notice slight discrepancies in soap shape or size, or a partial obliteration of the stamp in certain places, this is your absolute assurance that each and every soap that comes from the factory of Ach Brito, is formed, pressed, and molded by hand; keeping traditions alive as well as employing members of the same families for generations. They wouldn't dream of making soap any other way.

Ah, and of course, Holywood stars are fans...From Scarlet to Nicolas Cage, to Oprah...

Try and see if you can get a soap bar, you'll love it. After all, it was a firm created to provide aristocrats on those glorious days...

Talasnal village - paradise?

After much thinking, we decided not to travel for 7 hours and leave Algarve for another time, when I come back with precisely more of that - time. I'd have to come back to Porto on Thursday, as my friends invited me to spend the weekend here and since I'm returning to Madrid on Sunday midday, I could only go from Friday to Saturday. They adjusted themselves to my conditions and we are going Friday afternoon. The place is awesome, it's a very old and traditional village on a mountain top with houses still preserved, standing on their original xist and wooden walls.

My friend bought a house there with his girlfriend and they are simply thrilled to have such an amazing place to escape to. The village is deserted, except for the weekends, when the narrow streets are liven up with people who have their weekend houses over there. Around we will swim in some natural swimming pools and walk all the way there, as this village has no "normal" road. And since our cars aren't jeeps, we must hike over there. Can't wait! Check out the views.

Nightime

After a nice dinner with my friends, we decided to go to the opening party of the Forte of Vila do Conde, exactly the place where I'd been the whole day. The fort is used in the Summer as a cool place to go and have a drink, as it's a club at night and a bar, cinema and restaurant during the day. It's a recycled old monument and I think it's a great way to give it life again, after centuries of only being looked at. This is their web. Our photo will appear there shortly, as will also in this magazine. I'll show them to you when available, as I'm sure it came out well!

B'day diary

On this day, we decided to go and have a nice lunch by the beach. The sun was shining, the wind was also present, but we were determined to go. The above picture was my view, while eating seafood rice and toast with garlic butter. It was gorgeous, the food, the tranquility of the place and my parents' company, which we managed to show on quite a set of funny pictures.

We then had a walk by the beach and the river side and we got sight of a bunch of fish.

There were some fishermen and on the floor this funny box, which I loved.

Mud worm

I'm going now to finish celebrating my b'day with my friends in another restaurant, this one with my name, by the river. See you later, aligator!

Vacances

And, don't forget, I'm on holidays!!! Not for long, unfortunately, but long enough to catch some glance of the ocean, catch up with my beautiful friends and still discover Portugal.

This morning I thought I was going to be left on land, after arriving to the check in desk only to find out that the lady here wasn't supposed to be travelling to the neighbour country with her Spanish ID. No, they insisted on the national ID and I was forced to run home to get it. By taxi. With a xenophobic driver. Speedy. Suspicious. Having to laugh out loud when, arriving at my door step, Mr Opinion suggested that I must come back and eliminate any temptation of staying at home whilst he waits. Having to pay 30€ for a 10 minute ride. That wasn't nice. But we made it, all of us together.

But the weather is crap! The sun is indeed shining, but Oporto style, i.e., not bloody warm enough, because the WIND is freezing any sunny attempt to keep us warm. Welcome to Porto :)

Bad habit

Knowing me, I won't defraud you. I assume my weakness. I admit I have a habit. I confess I can't stop. It's a difficult fault to eradicate. I know I own a few, but my tongue still comes out when glancing a new model on the shopwindow. Don't help me, I can do it myself. This one I must clarify it wasn't my doing. This one was imposed and, as such, couldn't resist the temptation. I didn't say no. I took it, knowing I was feeding my terrible addiction.I must suffer and have it, live with it to remind me of my problematic situation. I must wear it for a season. I must. I owe it to myself :)

Dinner

This was my pre-birthday small dinner with some good friends only. We all loved the restaurant, La Finca de Susana, from the same owners of Bazar. The food is modern fusion and cheap. The chefs, we were told, are students and that

explains why we have a cheaper menu than normal. But the food is really nice and we don't really care if it's a chef's student or a pro cooking - it's great food on a great budget, which is a very difficult equation to find in Madrid. Of course they don't accept reservations, so you must either wait at 8.30 pm at the door and line up or just pop in and wait.

Anyways, we all had a sweet time and we moved on to the Urban Hotel rooftop.

The Urban is a boutique hotel, 5 star luxury paradise in the most traditional downtown area of Madrid. The music was loungy, the atmosphere good enough for enjoying a cocktail, like a Cosmopolitan.

Thanks guys, it was really nice of you!

Swimming and holidays

Swimming pool... Yeap, my swimming pool season will start today - after all 35c outside is already demanding some sort of action, other than lounging motionless on the sofa. And since I'm lucky enough to be part of the small elite group in Madrid who lives in a nice condominium, I might as well use it, no?

Also, I'm also going to buy a nice and small digital camera - well, my parents are, since they've run out of ideas for my b'day gift. Y yo encantada!!!

And in 5 days, I'm off for my short but well deserved holidays!

And...yesterday I've cut a chunk of hair, like 5 cm! What a drama, right??? :)

(Just keeping you posted on my news, since nothing else of interest is recentely happening! Apart from my 2 friends who were sent to Kuwait and to Malaysia and who keep me informed, I have no other news worth mentioning here...)

Prometeus - The Media Revolution

Quite an alarming vision of the future.

Prometeus - The Media Revolution part 2

The new 7 wonders - official choice

The new 7 Wonders are officially chosen (and I voted for 6 of the 7!). I'm sure you already know which sites are the new wonders, but let me refresh your tired memory:

Europride 07

As you can probably gather by the above pictures, Madrid was hot Saturday. Not only in temperature, but also in moods, as it was Europride 07 parade. More than 1.5 million people paraded and watched the 43 allegoric cars on top of which the hottest bodies were on display dancing and smiling. I've never seen so many gorgeous men all together, naked waist up and with matching hot bodies to go with the perfect smile and haircut! I loved them all. In fact, I fell in love with this guy who kept taking pictures of the whole event. He, very unfortunately must have been gay, as he was with other good looking guy and took trillions of pictures of the 5 star torsos that kept coming. He was simply PERFECT, the nicest guy I've seen in ages. Even though knowing he might have been gay, our eyes kept staring - ours, i.e. mine, my sisters and the 1 million people on the parade... What a damn shame!!! Why are gays the nicest boys??? Why do they have the best sculptured bodies? Why do they wear the nicest clothes? It's not fair!

I'll leave you with you some more pics for you to have an approximate idea of the crazy 4 hours we spent in Cibeles yesterday - between dancing the music each car was bringing, getting splashed in water from their turbo water pistols, getting lost in clouds of confetti and feathers and, most of all, getting crazy with the sample gifts they were offering - from condoms to self tanning lotions... Crrraazzyyyy!

Check also this photogalery, very cool photos. And the video.