Love Holding Love

PRESS PLAY Brazil - Wah

One of my favorite places in Rio is Ilha Grande. There are no cars, very few houses/hotels and people. It's all about the nature, and what nature! Cristal clear water, breathtaking beaches all around, pure pure air. It's all about bikini and Havaianas.

I got back together with Felipe after some very needed time apart, and lots of transformations. We've been there a couple of years ago, and choose this place to start over fresh :) Couldn't have been better.

PS: the name of the CD that has this song is "Love Holding Love" :)) very appropriate!

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!

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

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!

I love LEGO!

PRESS PLAY Take Ten - Paul Desmond

I saw this miniature on my friend's lovely blog called Lovely69 and I couldn't resist it... so I ordered it online! Isn't internet great? Pretty much everything is just a few clicks away!

In the other hand, this project took 16 years (!) to be completed and it took me about half an hour to put the 208 pieces together.

...I guess although modern (or post modern?) times are great, some things will never change... :)

PS: Since Adam Reed Tucker built this mini Guggenheim to celebrate Frank Lloyd Wright and the museum's 50th anniversary, I choose Take Ten as a soundtrack, the song Paul Desmond wrote a couple of years after Take Five (one of my favorites). It's a wonderful version of his original creation, which was the first jazz single to sell more than 1 million copies back in 1961, and became the most famous Dave Brubeck Quartet song.

I won't settle for anything less than butterflies

one of my favorite songs... PRESS PLAY Time of your life - Green Day

The Butterfly Effect is the "notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory; small variations of the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system", according to Wikipedia. The expression refers to the title of a paper written by Edward Lorenz in 1972 entitled "Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?"

Hum... so, should a butterfly be worried everytime it flies?

I'm happy the chaos in my life brought me to where I am now...

...and butterflies in my stomach keep flapping their wings and beginning unpredicted events :)

Girl from Ipanema's feet :))

PRESS PLAY The Boy from Ipanema - Ella Fitzgerald

One of my favorite things is to go to the beach in Ipanema, specially not in the summer, when I can only go like after 3pm... too freakin' hot here.

And I LOVE the "Two Brother's Mountain", at the end of Leblon (Ipanema and Leblon are physically one beach, just the name changes around Post 11). It is specially beautiful when you take a bike ride along the beach.

Mate Leão in a huge silver gallon and Biscoito Globo are mandatory. I count on Marcelo to get the best Mate in Ipanema. Sorvete Itália is always a good alternative.

Home Sweet Home

PRESS PLAY My Favorite Things - John Coltrane

One of my favorite things is to just hang out home with my cats, cook, listen to music, watch movies, read magazines, surf on the web, take care of the house... :)