Lagoa's Xmas Tree

One of my favorite things in December is to rent a paddle boat and go see Lagoa's floating xmas tree from very very close! I It's been a city tradition for over 10 years, and they always come up with something different. Last year they had pictures of Brazil's famous landscapes. This year is pretty traditional xmas colors, lights and decorations and I LOVE it! I pass by it everyday since it's right by my house and I can't get enough :)

the nut cracker!

Cooking grandma's nut cake - 2 of my favorite things :))

I have to say Vivi has a natural talent for the kitchen and she was amazing with the mixer!

It turned out perfect, just like hers, and tasting like childhood Xmas!

xmas shopping

PRESS PLAY É preciso saber viver - Roberto Carlos

Victória is so enthusiatic about the blog! She is often posing for feet pics. We were on the mall this week and she was the one who found this lovely floor at a store! So cute :)

Later on we watched a coral singing a song I LOVE, that says something like "you need to know how to live / if there is a rock on your way, you can remove it..." and Vivi actually knew the lyrics!

This song is by Roberto Carlos, called "The King" here in Brasil. He is a very famous song writer and singer and he is been a huge success since the 60's, with him romantic songs. Every year the TV has a Xmas special with him.

Lillies :)

got ink done today! :D still buuuurns...

PRESS PLAY Lilly - Pink Martini

...actually I recycled an old tattoo I had there for 15 years, and it really wasn't me anymore... now it literally is! And I LOVE it!

Victória and Valentina's party!

December is for sure an emotional month for me. It's my mom's and grandma's birthday, and they are both not here anymore to celebrate with us, but it's also Victória and Valentina's birthday, and that is guaranteed fun!

Our friend Barbara had to rescue little Lara from the ball pool, I took a ride on a seahorse, girls had fun playing with the table decoration and were literally climbing walls! The one looking at the camera is Julia, Vivi's best friend, in her princess costume. Victória didn't bother to look, she was too concentrated playing with the Barbies (which by the way I LOVE) and when I told her I wanted a picture for my blog she just gave me her dirty foot! :P

My sister now loves to put her feet on my pics, and Barbara wanted to show off her red sole hills :) Too bad they are not Louboutins!

Happy birthday girls!

tiny dancer

PRESS PLAY História de uma gata - Vanessa da Mata

Last weekend it was Victoria's first ballet presentation :)) She was in three choreographies, and she played an Angel, Little Red Riding Hood and a Cat! It was soooo cool to see her dance one of my favorite childhood songs!

My sister was travelling for work, so I did the backstage preparation - make up, hair, costumes... she really wanted my red lipstick, and it I had a hard time convincing her it wouldn't look good with the angel outfit! These girls today are impossible! :D

setting up the xmas tree :)

I LOVE Christmas! Always have, since I was a kid, and I guess it's because of my grandma's great parties, with all my cousins, delicious food and her inimitable Santa Claus song when it was time to open the gifts :)) A tear wants to come down, just for thinking about it...

Also December is the month of many birthdays in my family - my grandma, my aunt, my mom, and now my two nieces! - and it is definitely the time to celebrate. I have to say it's not been easy, since mom and grandma recently passed away, but I do try to keep the spirit alive.

One thing that my tree can't miss is my grandma's traditional Christmas card! The other things my xmas will always have are all the loving memories, the wonderful taste, since I got her hand for cooking, and the love and the joy, because I will always believe in Santa and in magic, and in miracles :)

Lagoa

PRESS PLAY Cidade Maravilhosa - Caetano Veloso

I'm a carioca da gema (born and raised in Rio, daughter of cariocas) and I can't stop being amazed by this city's views. They still make me breathless, after 32 years! :))

This is Lagoa, right by my house, seen from Clube Piraque. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid, but I haven't been there in years. It was like a time travel for me; I could almost see my mom by the lake, helping me feed the little fish that jump for bread crumbs...

Portuguese has a word with no translation for any other language - it's saudade. I guess it was not only the view that got me breathless that day... :')

yogi feet

PRESS PLAY Across the Universe - Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe Soundtrack

About a month ago I decided to change my life completely. I ended relationships that didn't bring me anything positive, bad habits, and made decisions that will rule my life in times to come. One of them is to practice Yoga, something that's been on my path for a while, but that I now chose to fully embrace. Not only the physical part of it, but the philosophy, the meditation, the attitude towards others and myself.

I have to say that I never felt better :) It took me a lot of inner work, the courage to look inside of me and really pick on my wounds so I could finally start the healing process. The outside attacks are still coming, but now I vibrate higher, and they can't really affect my spirit. I truly hope that everyone chooses the light path, as I did. All I have inside of me is love. As The Beatles used to sing, nothing is gonna change my world :)

Baba Nam Kevalam!

Halloween

Tinker Bell, Cabare girl, the Oscar and Bernie, the dead guy from Weekend at Bernie's :)

beautiful Parque Lage's floors

This last weekend I met my friend Carolyn for breakfast at Parque Lage. Besides the place being amazing, food is great and the atmosphere is delicious. You can choose to sit on the floor or tables, and once you're done with your meal there is a lot of nature to be explored. I simply LOVE it! :)

PS: Carolyn complained about a pair of new shoes and what it did to her poor feet, and she kept calling them zombie feet :) Boo! Happy Halloween!

old friend, new friend

PRESS PLAY The Juggler - Jah Path

Nice afternoon at Ipanema beach near Arpoador, in front of the very beautiful Fasano, a hotel designed by Philip Stark (one of my favorite contemporary designers :) ).

I met with Darrieux, an old friend I haven't spoken in ages and she brought her friend Cynthia, who instantly became my new friend. It was nice to realize that friendship doesn't necessarily fade away with time if you have things in common, and that making a new friend is very natural when you share he same interests.

It was time for recycling anyways... I read the other day that we must get rid of what does not fit us anymore and leave an empty space for the new to arrive. So, welcome new reality! It was about time!

kind of blue

PRESS PLAY All blues - Miles Davis

...and today I've got the blues...

Valentina got her first pedicure :)

She's got red toes...

...and I got my first professional camera :D I guess both of us are growing up!

I've been wanting it for a looooooong time... I just LOVE the shallow depth of field! Blurry backgrounds are the best; the focus is only on the picture's subject.

Life should have more blurry backgrounds, so we could really focus only on the important things :)

Carioca do Brasil

PRESS PLAY Ela é carioca - Tom Jobim

This is 'Carioca do Brasil' (carioca is a person who is born in Rio de Janeiro), one of the cows from the Cow Parade that happened at Rio in 2007. It was created by Gilson Martins, a very interesting bag designer, who uses the Brazilian flag a lot in his creations. After the parade, he bought his own cow on the action and donated it to the city :) It stays in Ipanema, almost in the corner of Praça Nossa Senhora da Paz. You can't miss it! Thank you, Gilson!

PS: I really really really LOVE cows! I have many miniatures, from all over the word! I would love to have bought one of the cows from the parade, but I unfortunately I don't have any space for it...

Gaya

Introducing the newest family member - Gaya - a 7 years old Siamese who needed a home :)

Apparently her former owner had a baby and wanted to get rid of the cat. I don't understand these kind of people... but anyways, the bright side (cuz everything has one!) is that now we are a very happy bigger family and I'm completely in love with her!

...and I'd say she is pretty happy too... :) Doesn't she look cool just sitting 'n' relaxing in her new bed?

PS: In ancient Indian history, Gaya is the city where Buddha got enlightenment. Hum... Maybe that's a sign...

I keep roller skating

PRESS PLAY Cheek to cheek - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

This weekend the weather finally gave me a break, and I got a perfect day to go skate - cloudy and not raining! I went to the Lagoa skating rink with Valentina and Billy.

It didn't take long until I was skating like I used to 20 years ago :)) Billy loved going with us for a ride, felling the wind on his face... he is too cute! What about his glows-in-the-dark ghost t-shirt? :D And I LOVE the view of the place, with the Christ and everything! Yes, skating like this, I'm in heaven...

In love!

I used to roller skate a lot when I was a teenager, and I loved it! I've been wanting to do it again for a while, and since life is short I finally bought a pair of skates! I still didn't have the chance to go out for a real ride, but I've been doing OK at home... hehe. I already fell, of course, but it didn't even hurt... :")

I'm dying to skate in Lagoa, but it keeps raining! Sometime this week I'll do it. Oh, and I got a free lesson with the skates. Although my body seems to remember what to do more than I do (just like riding a bike, you never forget!), it will be good to learn a few tricks ;)

I LOVE going to the dentist!

PRESS PLAY Freddie Freeloader - Miles Davis

Yes, it's true! I've known him since I was 6 (he was 7), he is really funny and a very good dentist. Besides, he loves jazz like me, and there is always some good music playing there. He is in a jazz band and everything!

What makes it really more fun lately is that he uses nitrous oxide, the happy gas, as part of the anesthetics. You feel great all the time, as if you are getting drunk, but with no hang over! Seriously, why don't all dentists have this thing?! I always look forward for me next appointment!

test driving Carol's new bike in a sunny afternoon in Ipanema...

the last walk

PRESS PLAY Décollage - Les Balayeurs du Desert

This is my longest post so far; lots of pictures, long video, the history of a lifetime. This is me saying goodbye to the apartment that was home for me and my family for 26 years. I grew up in this place. I remember when I moved here I used to get lost in the hall because it was so much bigger than our former place... but it's ok, I was only 6, and everything looks bigger that it really is. My sister and I used to roller blade in the living room and everything... good times :)

We had a dog named Pepita, a parrot that I don't remember the name, a few black birds that used to walk around on my dad's shoulders and eat breakfast from his mouth, one of those cute white mice, a turtle, a crazy cat we had to get rid of and I think that was it. Pretty much we had a zoo...

I've lived there most of my life. I left a few times, came back, and 3 years ago I moved out for good, but this place was still my house in my heart. My mom lived there all this time, my dad left 10 years ago when they divorced and my sister moved in with her family when I moved out this last time, to watch for my mom, who was not so well... great memories, horrible memories, LOTS of memories.

You can't believe how much stuff you can find in a place where a family lived for all these years. I saw things I didn't even know exist anymore. I had to get rid of lots of things, some with pleasure, some with pain. I brought a bit of everything back home, so I can make them part of my history now. Recycle. Transform. Reborn.

Somehow saying goodbye to this house was saying goodbye to my mom once again. She left this world on September 21, last year. Although we have been taking care of her stuff this last year, most of it was still there, and the room itself held a strong memory of her. Now I will have no where in this physical world to be that reminds me of her like this; only my heart and mind. In a way that is sad, in another that is liberating.

I learned that our memories are very adjustable to what we wish life had been, and I'm definitely going to use that in my favor, and keep only amazing loving memories of this past that is now more than ever behind, and some well learned lessons that made me the woman I am today. I'm sure my mom would be proud.

Good bye sweet home :')