Added a few more photos...

Florianópolis Dec. 2006

This photo is so cool it deserves its own blog post.

Barra da Lagoa, Lagoa da Conceição

I've updated the photo album with pictures from our boating trip. Yesterday we took dad's inflatable to Barra da Lagoa and boated our way up the river to Lagoa da Conceição (the big lake in the middle of the island of Santa Catarina, where most of the city of Florianópolis is located). This lake is a very popular site for windsurfing and kitesurfing, too.

Florianópolis rules.

Florianópolis so far

An image means more than a thousand words, so I will let this
album speak for itself (pictures were taken today).

(see updated album on next post)

I made it to Campinas alright.. after a long and painful all-night bus journey. Gosh, how relieved am I to be here!
Packing made me realize how sick and tired I am of moving and living out of a suitcase.. I find relief in the fact that, starting now, each move gets me closer to the end of my nomad life (well at least for a few years).
I am heading to my dad's tomorrow, to spend a couple of weeks, enjoy the beach and say goodbye before heading back to the U.S. in January. Will post soon from sunny Florianópolis!!

PD: P, I haven't heard the entire Ben Kweller album yet, but would love to

So Long, Seven Lakes

> HIT THE PLAY BUTTON <

"I just can't sit still,
In this small town,
There's nothin more here I hit the ceiling,
So in the morning I'll hit the highway.
Oh, I just can't stay

I gotta move,
While the streets ahead are sunny
Fall in love with some honey.
Oh mama, I gotta move..."

Histerically funny .GIF

Dedicated to all my grant/paper/thesis writting friends:

You saw it here first!!!

I just mentioned Harold McGee's new column on the NYT... and when I logged into Blogger Beta today, I realized I wasn't the only one. On Blogger Beta homepage there's BloggerBuzz, where the developers of Blogger post whatever they feel like. Their latest post is exactly about Harold McGee and his blog - which I had no idea existed. News for Curious Cooks is (sure enough) packed with interesting stuff to read, especially for us scientists who also like food (and who doesn't like food?).

The molecular nature of stickiness

This guy's book is on my list of books to read, now he is debuting an occasional column in the NYT, called the Curious Cook:

When Science Sniffs Around the Kitchen

Help needed from fellow blog geeks:

Does anyone know how to:
a) post a song to your blog;
b) add a built-in player to your blog?

Either one will do... I don't have much time to go net-digging this week. Your input is appreciated!

Trancoso, BA

Forgive my long silence: I have been back to 7L since Monday, but have been swamped with work all week! Next week IS MY LAST in 7L, and I have a lot of things to wrap up at work. Gosh, I can hardly believe I am leaving...

So while I am wrapping up around here I don't think I'll be posting much, but in the meantime, I want to share a photo with you all. This is just a little sample of the place where I was (click on the photo!):

This magical place is called Trancoso and is in the state of Bahia (I added it to the map, check it out). There, I spent the best week of the year of 2006, with a VERY special someone (!!!!). This is all for now, but there is more to come... in the meantime, suffice to say I am as happy as a clam :)

I am gone until the 27th

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of Rodrigo Santoro! :)

Rodrigo Santoro

:: girly post alert! :: girly post alert! ::

I am allowing myself to write a very futile post for a change, but I am sure my girlfriends will appreciate it. This morning I read the following news on the local newspaper: "Santoro ranks higher than Brad Pitt among People's The Sexiest Men Alive". George Clooney ranked #1, of course; Santoro was #12 (totally unfair I should add. C'mon - who thinks Leonardo DiCaprio is sexy? ugh). If you don't know who Rodrigo Santoro is, you will probably recall seeing him (shirtless!) in Love Actually. He is now in Lost (not that I care, I don't like the show). To me, simply put, he's the most perfect men alive. The number one on my laminated list (insert deep sigh here).
Girls, it gets better! Looking for a cute picture of Santoro online I came across this website.... check it out when no one else is around! To give you an idea, photos of countless fantastic men are organized as: 'best of', 'barefoot', 'all hands', 'bespectacled', and so on. As an added bonus, I've found awesome pictures of Gerard Butler, who follows Santoro on the laminated list (but far far behind). And of Kiefer Sutherland - if only the website would also play his voice (insert another deep sigh here).

Is it really hot in here, or it is just me??

Note to readers: this post will only make it out there if this temptative comfortable position I found for typing proves to be good enough.

Interesting:
We plant scientists are maybe not as creative but definitely not as freaky as fruit fly scientists:
'Sonic Hedgehog' sounded funny, at first

Disturbing:
I was randomly browsing blogs (something I very rarely do) and came across a white power, anti-Semitic blog hosted by someone at U.K. Quite scary for a pacific, South American, Jewish descending girl like me.

Funny and instructive:
I also came across this very cute blog called Adopt a Microbe, check it out.

Creepy:
Last night I went to the local Centro Espírita, and when I left, a dude who was also at the meeting approached me as I was walking home. After small-talking a bit he asked me if I had a boyfriend, to really throw him off I said I have a fiancee. Dude asked me to send a message to my fiancee - with all due respect (!!! those were his words), he is a very lucky guy. WTF?? I am wearing a neck brace!
Anyway: my dear fiancee, wherever you are, please know you are apparently a very lucky guy, I'll be even luckier if I ever find you.
This morning as I was waiting in line at the grocery store, the guy waiting next to me said "I bet you were fighting with your boyfriend and hurt your neck"; to that I replied "if I was fighting with my boyfriend he'd be the one with the neck brace"; to what he replied "I meant you hurt your neck when trying to hit him! Well, you deserved it". WTF???
As if the pain wasn't enough...

Careful what you wish for!

It might have been all this talk of getting older when really I am still such a little baby, life decided to teach me a lesson...??

As of yesterday morning I can't move my neck. The pain was such that I had to go home at lunchtime. I started taking some heavy drugs (painkiller + muscle relaxing stuff) that made me very drowsy and didn't really help much with the pain. Came into work today but I am still in total pain. My dad told me to take an anti-inflammatory, put warm pads and immobilize the neck as much as possible.

An old lady, the hunchback of Seven Lakes... no, it's me!!!

Airport frenzy and puppy hair

Back from the weekend in Campinas, all I can say is I was glad to make it there at all. Air controllers in Brazil decided to show just how much control they actually have - and in sort of a 'strike', they significantly lowered the number of airplanes controlled by each person simultaneously, this way causing the biggest mess in history of Brazilian aviation during the last national holiday.
Strictly following the Murphy's laws that rule my life, I was caught in the middle of this mess. Last Thursday (Dia de Finados) I got up at 6:30am to get to the airport by 8am and catch a 9:15am flight to Campinas. My flight ended up leaving at 6pm, i.e. a total of 10 hours at the airport - and I should consider myself lucky, since there was people waiting for the same flight who had been at the airport since Wednesday afternoon.
It sounds worse than it actually was - after 2 hours waiting in line to check-in, in the morning I sat around, worked on a manuscript, and got to know a bunch of people waiting for the same flight. The airline sponsored our lunch, and a bunch of us spent many hours at the airport restaurant, chatting over beers. That's when the phone calls started - mom, dad, friends wanting to know if I was alright. "Sure I am alright, just sitting around! I don't understand why you're worrying so much."
They were worried because the TV started to show images of airports where the police had to come in and help control the situation, where airline booths had been invaded, aircrafts taken over by angry passengers... oh boy. From the restaurant at the top floor of the Confins airport, we had not a clue - so we decided to head back to the gates and see what was shaking.
Indeed things were a little crazy... and after some passengers who had a few extra beers making a scene at our gate, the airline managed to fly us with only a 10-hour delay.
The situation is now under control thanks to an emergency plan, but we are far from finding a solution. Flight controllers are overworked and underpaid - and so are we, but they are called controllers for a reason.

Back to 7L, I went to get a much-needed hair cut and decided to try a celebrated, L'Oreal-chique hairdresser. Indeed he did a great job on my hair, with the exception of completely ignoring that I asked him to keep it long. No big deal considering it took me only 5 years to let my hair grow long.... but so they say, short hair suits older women better, so I am getting acquainted with my soon-to-be, over-30 looks.

Much Posting About Nothing

OK... I have nothing really to talk about, but I couldn't just leave without saying a word! I'm going to Campinas, will be back blogging Monday. So let's see... Brazil by Lyza is now a permanent blog feature... it's still hot as Hell here... flight controllers are on strike and I foresee many hours of airport chaos ahead of me. Lab folks finally tested the competent cells and concluded they were at 10e4... guess I should even feel proud that I got two white colonies after all. I'm the cloning wizard! Which reminds me, I saw another lizard today, this one had yellow stripes and it was pretty, but it did kinda scare me since I almost stepped on it. Both Almodóvar and Wenders have new movies that are never going to make it to 7L, and I am tempted to try more downloads using BitTorrent. On second thought, season 3 of 24 is only at 20%...
Gotta run... have a great weekend everyone!!!

WAKE UP, sleepyheads!!!

Readers from Ithaca are sure to appreciate Cham's latest cartoon :)

President Squid is on the NYT

In 2nd Term, Brazil's Leader Has Agenda Topped by Ethics

Peter Pan Syndrome - Part II

Last night I was chatting with E over a beer and he mentioned "hey, did you hear that 'So and So' from the gym broke up... she was really devastated last week". Me: "heck, I didn't even know they used to date!" (Note before I go on: it's hard for me to interact with new people at the gym... perhaps because I have my iPod on 100% of the time - or else I feel naked - and, at least according to E, I look too serious and unapproachable)
Well, 'So and So' did date, and for like 5 years. Mrs 'So' is a really nice gal who I actually know, at least superficially, and Mr 'So' is a guy who managed to break the iPod barrier a few times to chat with me. He seemed like a nice guy, and a few weeks back he kinda sorta asked me out, luckily I had no interest whatsoever and turned him down.

... no comments

(now folks, please don't take me as one of those bitchy feminists, but stop asking what compelled me to write the Peter Pan Syndrome post, ok?)

(untitled)

I had some ideas for posts but it's too freaking hot to think. My brain cells are melting so here's me mumbling random thoughts about this weekend.

Sat morning: I saw a little baby bird fall from its nest on the roof and saved it from being eaten by a kitten at the backyard. Lunchtime: both days were as previously described here. Afternoon: manicure, pedicure... things to make girl happy. At the salon I heard there was a huge storm in the morning, my street even flooded but I slept right through it (oh... yes!) - happiest moment of the day. Sat night: house was a zoo - main wildlife attraction: a pair of 9-year old boys. Spent the evening apartment-hunting at Cornell listings. When I get day-dreamy, I get to thinking which nice car I am going to buy when I start my new postdoc job.
I am counting seven mosquito bites on my left thigh... Don't you hate when Gmail asks "send this message without a subject?"
My download of season 3 of 24 is going real slow, plus when it was about 5% it started again from zero for no reason, crap. I am feeling bad that season 2 is going to end so I didn't watch a single episode. Today I ate the last piece of the 2 bars of dark chocolate I brought from São Paulo, fancy chocolate - the type you can't find in 7L.

Found out I need to go to Campinas to pick up my passport, left it there for renewal. Nice excuse for the sum of money I am spending to fly down again this coming weekend. It is (yet another) long holiday, so leave Thurs come back Mon: with passport, 300 bucks poorer, but great! - get to spend holiday with mom.

This afternoon went to the voting ballots even though I can't vote in 7L, voting is mandatory in Brazil so I had to justify my absence. Got a ride with Claudia to go into work and start some cultures for miniprep - got like 4 white colonies out of 9 transformations, inoculated some blue-ish colonies out of sheer despair to clone. The lab folks finally agree the competent cells are crap.

Sun eve: went out for beers with Elisson - wanted to go to the movies just to be in an air-conditioned room for 2 hours, but the movie was crap - so beer instead. Now bed, alarm rings tomorrow at 6:30am to start a short week thank God!

I saw a giant lizard!

Yesterday I had another close encounter with an amazing creature of the Brazilian Cerrado , the lagarto teiú (lagarto = lizard). I was walking from lab to office (which are in separate buildings), minding my own business, and he was right there, crossing the yard in his 'lizardy' awkward steps.
So pretty! This guy was easily 3-feet long! Of course I didn't have my camera on me (just like I didn't have it on the day I was almost run over by a crowd of monkeys at this same place). But I've found a bunch of pictures of this lizard online (the name in English is Black and White Tegu).

Duh!!

In case you've tried to access the map bellow... I had forgotten to change the settings and the map was set to 'private', so no one could access it. You should be able to see it now... my apologies...

Brazil by Lyza

This is something I've been meaning to do since I started the blog!
I have been writing about locations, different places where I have been, but knowing that a lot of my friends can't really place them in a map. I wanted everyone to know where these places really are... so finally I've put together a little map, it's called Brazil by Lyza and it's hosted by Community Walk.
I have placed on the map all the different cities where I've been since I arrived in Brazil, and that I've mentioned in the blog over the past several months. I've also built paths between the different places to give an idea of the distances traveled (yes, Brazil is pretty large!).

This is a typical Google Map, where you can zoom in/out, change to satellite view and everything else. I plan to turn the map into a permanent blog feature in the near future. Hope y'all enjoy a little taste of Brazilian geography ;)

It seems Jorge Cham has been reading my blog

I have been criticized for spending too much time on the Internet... well here's why! So thank you, my blog readers (all four of you!) :)

Portuguese rules!!!

From the NYT: At Long Last, a Neglected Language Is Put on a Pedestal

Today was Formula 1 Sunday

I confess - I didn't resist. I had for a long time lost my interest in Formula 1 and didn't follow any of the last two seasons. But being Brazilian, and being in Brazil at the time of a race like the one we had today, I once again surrendered to this national passion, second only to soccer. When I was in São Paulo last week, where the race was to take place, I was astonished to see the words 'O Duelo Final' (A Final Duel) overlaid on 15ft high billboards, with the heads of Alonso and Schumacher, spread all over town.

Yes, Formula 1 is a big Brazilian passion and I grew up seeing my brothers wake up early on Sunday mornings to watch the races, no matter how late they had partied the night before. It was fun to be there, although I would usually fall back asleep after the best part: the starting lap.

And just so it happens that the Interlagos race is the one that closes the championship. And that it was Michael Schumacher's last race before retiring from being the best F1 racer in history. And that Felipe Massa had the pole position and it's been 13 years since a Brazilian won a race at home, when the late Ayrton Senna won in 1993. It was all over the news and it was the number one subject at bar tables across the country (giving presidential elections a rest, even though we are a week away from the second round).

All of that seemed like enough reason to just get over it and watch the race - and I am glad I did. Felipe Massa won the race gracefully. I confess I got a little emotional watching the crowds go wild. I even confess I was cheering for Schumacher, after he blew a tire and had to stop, coming back at the last position. He worked his way up to 4th position, and it was spectacular. So yes, I did cheer for him although he is not exactly a nice guy. Personal issues aside, I admired his ability to find the right moment to end his racing career. Only a wise man knows when it's the right time to let go of a passion, of something he is really good at, and move on to new projects.

I wrapped up my 'sporty' afternoon watching my soccer team play on TV for the Campeonato Brasileiro. We are doing well this year and still hold a change to make it to Libertadores da América. It sure does feel good to be back home in days like this... :)

(a lilttle irony I could not keep myself from mentioning... for those who think sporty people don't 'waste time' on the Internet, I found out Felipe Massa has a blog, a really cool one, in the Ferrari website)

The Peter Pan Syndrome

As we left campus to catch a bite of lunch, Zack stopped at a pastel green building the locals call Guacamole Memorial. It's a private dorm, the largest in the student ghetto. He glanced at his watch. "D’you mind if we turn in here first, Professor? I forgot something."

"Would you like me to wait outside?"

"No, you can come in."

All in all I wished I hadn't; faculty could hardly be more conspicuous in a place like this. Besides, it was co-ed, and as we passed girls in various stages of dress, I felt as though I were visiting a house of questionable repute. Zack noticed my uneasiness and laughed.

"After a while you get used to it, Professor S."

"I don't see how."

A few paces further was his door. Turning the key, he said "C'mon in. Don't step on the skateboard. I'll be just a sec."

My eyes scanned the room. On the bed was a water gun version of an AK-47 assault rifle; next to it, a pile of comic books. On the desk perched a PlayStation console. From the ceiling hung a model of a Star Wars craft – I think it was the Millennium Falcon. On the floor, a business textbook was opened to the section on Bayesian analysis; alongside it, a copy of Horton Hears a Who was opened to the section where Horton is vindicated. A couple of limp mylar balloons were attached by laces to a pair of sour athletic shoes. Zack thrust his arm into a pile of clothes, thrashed around, and pulled out a leather wallet. "That's lucky," he said. "I was worried that the washing machine might have hurt it. Let's go."

By prearrangement, we headed for the Edge of Night. He ordered a fried egg sandwich, I called for my usual Reuben. No sooner had we given thanks than he got down to business.

"The reason I invited you to lunch, Professor Smith, is that I wanted to ask your opinion about something."

"Go ahead."

"What's wrong with me?"

I studied him across the table. "What makes you think there's something wrong with you?"

"Lots of things. For one, next semester I graduate, and I've gotta start looking for jobs."

"Do you call that bad?"

"It is if you didn't need an Ph.D."

"But, Zack, if you didn't need one —"

"Then why am I getting one? That's just it: I don't know."

"I see."

"Here's another thing. There's this girl, Julie. I think you know her."

"I've seen you with her. Nice girl."

"Well, I'm crazy in love with her. And she says she loves me too."

"Do you call that bad?"

"It is if I don't want to marry her."

"Don't you?"

"I do and I don't."

"Why?"

"That's just it: I don't know that either." He ran both hands through his hair. "I'll never find anyone like her. I can see myself growing old with her. If I don't act soon I'll lose her forever. But I keep telling myself that I can't."

"Do you feel that you're not good enough for her?"

"Of course I'm not good enough for her — nobody could be. But that's not it."

"What is it, then?"

"I don't know! I must be crazy... do you think I'm crazy?"

"I wouldn't say crazy."

"What would you say? That I can't handle responsibility?"

I pulled at my beard and considered him. "I happen to know your advisor, Zack. He has nothing but good to say about your thesis. And last year, when you ran the Speakers Program for the Student Council, I heard that you were the best chairman they'd ever had. So it isn't that you can't handle responsibility..."

He was silent.

"I think you're just afraid to grow up."

"I'm terrified to grow up," he blurted. "Lots of my friends are too. Some of them even more than me. Except they don't know it, or else they think that's normal. Why are so many people like that?"

"A better question would be 'Why are you like that?'"

"I don't know. I guess I think I'll make a mess of things."

He changed the subject.

"Were people of your age afraid of growing up?"

"Lots of people my age still haven't grown up," I said.

"Has it always been that way?"

"I'd say 'No.' Historically, some people have been afraid of growing up, but most have looked forward to it. Prolonged adolescence is an invention of modern times."

"How recent?"

"1950s or 60s, I'd say."

"Isn't that your generation?"

"Yes, we have a lot to answer for."

"What made it different from the generations that came before?"

"Lots of things."

"Like what?"

"Too many to list them all."

"Then list some of them."

I sighed. "Too much free time. Too few responsibilities. Too much disposable income. Enormous high schools in which teens imitated each other instead of grown-ups. Mass higher education for people who weren't really interested in it. Separation of the generations as families moved around. Loss of traditions. Rise of 'experts'. Decline of faith. Resulting loss of perspective. With that, an increasing inability to set distant goals for life. That's just for starters."

"What do you mean, 'just for starters'?"

"I mean there's a lot more."

"What?"

"The sexual revolution. And with it, the collapse of the ancient tacit covenant among all women. You see, once young women stopped holding out for marriage, their bargaining power was undercut. As my grandmother used to say, 'Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?'"

"Like most of us do."

"Right. But the next part of the story concerns you particularly."

"How do you mean?"

"The increase on divorce rates. This had all sorts of bad effects. A child idealizes his parents. If they couldn't stay married, he thinks, then how could he? He may even blame himself for the divorce. And so he expects to make a mess of things, as adults always do."

"Worse yet, a lot of divorce means that a lot of kids grow up without dads. If a boy's father deserts his mother, the very idea of fatherhood is diminished in his eyes. That's a catastrophe, and I don't just mean that he's sad about it. To a small boy, his father is more than his father — he's his vision of his future, his portrait of adult manhood. If that vision is discredited, then growing up itself is discredited."

The stricken look on Zack's face continued to deepen.

"This sense of disillusionment spreads through the —"

"Please stop, Professor."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just need to stop listening for a minute."

We finished our sandwiches. I asked for an espresso. Zack signalled for a refill on his soft drink. He set it down, took a long breath, then exhaled.

We looked at each other.

"So how does a guy —"

"A man, Zack. You're 28."

"I don't feel like one."

"But you are one."

"Then how does — a man — of 28 — start growing up?"

"In order to grow up, you've got to start acting like a grown-up. It's the same with every trait of character. To become courageous, you practice the actions of courageous people. To become frank and open-hearted, you practice the actions of frank and open-hearted people. Whatever you do consistently, for good or ill, you become."

His brow furrowed. "That sounds circular."

"Think about it."

For a long time Zack looked at me goggle-eyed. Then he collected himself, folded his arms, and smirked.

"So you say. But if I'm supposed to do that, then what's Julie supposed to do?"

I wasn't about to be sidetracked.

"Well, Zack," I said, "she can hold you to it."

(modified from original by J. Budziszewski)

I don't want this post to cause trouble, as I sense that not everyone will agree with it. But I was never afraid to be controvertial and I am not about to become. I didn't write this text, and I agree that some of it is overrated, but I like its central message.
How many Zacks do you know? Girls, how many guys (ops - men) like Zack have you dated... how many of them listened to sermons like this from how many Professors... and how have them turned out?

There's a lot of change in society, and as with any change, good as well as bad things come with it. To be a woman caught between the waves of this change is a tough spot to be. There's no denying that.

Also, I got an interesting perspective from a recent article on the NYT entitled To Be Married Means to Be Outnumbered. I recommend reading it.

Let me guess...

Greg's next blog post will be about Poker.

Calvin

Calvin is my 12-year old cat who lives with mom. She's been taking care of him since I left for college!

Holiday weekend in Campinas, SP

Spent the rest of my holiday weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) visiting with my mom in Campinas. That's me and mom shopping at my favorite street fair in downtown Campinas, like in the good old UNICAMP days. One of the guys who sells silver jewelry even recognized me... amazing, considering it's been over 6 years :)
My cousin Dani spent the weekend with us. That's the three of us having lunch at this really nice little restaurant, Spice, starving after too many hours of shopping at the street market.

Chillin' at a local bar...

.... and on Monday back to my usual daily routine at Sete Lagoas.

Credits

And that does is for my holiday Thursday. Many thanks to my (best and maybe only in Seven Lakes) friend Elisson for being my tour guide for the day. I had a lovely time (so y'all don't think that all I do is complain about this place!).

Night view of Sete Lagoas from Serra de Santa Helena (from inside the car). 

At Serra de Santa Helena there is a spot where people go rappelling. We were watching from the top. There were a bunch of people up there watching, not so many rappelling. When we got there, there was this young girl getting ready to start, it was her first time and she was freaking out. It was pretty funny - Elisson got all nervous and dizzy just by looking at it and refused to get close to the edge. I enjoy hanging out at high elevations... I looked down at this girl and she seemed to be having a blast. The instructor asked if we wanted to try. For a moment it looked like fun, something I could maybe enjoy. On second thought... I love my life way too much to want to see it hanging from a rope - literally. So thanks, but no thanks. 

Panoramic of Sete Lagoas

I spent my Thursday (October 12th is a religious holiday in Brazil) going around town a bit with my friend Elisson, before heading to the airport. We drove up to Serra de Santa Helena (a bunch of hills just outside town), where you can get a pretty good view of the city. It was one of those sticky, hot and humid summer days (even though summer is officially 2 months away). This panoramic I put together using a really cool freeware called Autostitch (tks to Dirceu for the tip!).
If you look really closely, you can see 3 out of the seven lakes.

Origin of the word 'blog' and much more

(alternative title: filling in the blanks while I don't have this weekend's photos to post yet, since my computer SD card reader stopped working and I didn't bring the cable)

Check out this post, it's pretty amusing. Personally, I had never stopped to think about the word 'blog', but now that he's mentioned... it is a pretty ugly word indeed. And its derivations are even worse. But... of the several aspects of this worldwide social fever, the name would be the least likely to make me stop and wonder why.

BTW - Rough Type, the blog where this was posted, is supposed to be interesting for people into IT.

I am back, and IT SUCKS.

Blogging is sooooooo dangerous

I came into work today fiercely decided not to do any work after midday - it was hard but I resisted bravely. With all this time and energy to spend, I started browsing around the universe of blogs and blogging tools. VERY dangerous business! Won't be so hard to kill an afternoon of work after entering this new and exciting world.

Among the many things I came across there was feedmap, which links blogs and maps. This way people can see who's blogging nearby (geographically, I mean). I thought it was a neat idea and decided to submit my blog... but turns out that the city of Sete Lagoas is not in their map, so I could not list myself as a blogger from Sete Lagoas - I would have to choose a random city nearby. That pissed me off so I decided not to engage in 'geo-blogging' for the time being, at least I move to somewhere worth mapping.

I also came across this blog called Geek and Poke - found it browsing the blogs of note at Blogger, although this blog has now moved to Typepad. It's all cartoons and they are just super funny (trust me on this one, this guy deserve a medal for making me laugh out loud TODAY of all days).

Ok, happy blogging everyone, I am off to my very-much-deserved long weekend and will be back on Monday.

This isn't exactly why we do science, but still is pretty cool

I bet mostly everyone has heard about the no-sneeze kitties (ie, cats that don't cause allergies to most people allergic to normal cats).
That people have been investing on research of questionable ethic value is no news. I mean no offense to the poor cat lovers who can't have a kitty because of allergies, but let's be honest, there are way too many more urgent problems in this world that deserve our hard work and research funds.
But this is not why I am mentioning the kitties. I read a recent article about them on the news and learned this very interesting fact: the company that was engineering the allergen-free cats had chosen to silence the gene that makes the protein most allergenic to humans (FelD1). But while they were at it, they discovered a natural mutant, which made a far less allergenic version of the protein! Even better, the mutation was dominant. That's called freakin' LUCK. Why doesn't that happen in my research??
End of story - they were able to obtain no-sneeze kitties through breeding, no transgenics necessary, and skipped the whole licensing issue.
A no-sneeze kitty runs for U$4,000, and of course, they are neutered before delivery. I think it's wrong to charge that much money for a kitty when the making of it involves no technology at all. I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that the mutant gene surely must have been patented. I certainly would not like to see my 4grand-kitty being run over by a car, and I'm sad to think that most of these poor little expensive kitties will end up being indoors-only. But I am sure they will lick their butts just the same.

Jack Johnson for everyone

What a pleasant surprise it was to find that Jack Johnson released a new album. I saw it on iTunes today while browsing for something else and did not blink twice before downloading it - and after listening to all the songs, I am so happy I did! This isn't just another JJ album, it's the soundtrack of the movie Curious George. I would never have thought, but now that it's done, it seems so obvious that JJ was the perfect candidate for creating the soundtrack of a children's movie!
It's so cute, it even brings a downloadable coloring book. But really, this is an album for everyone. Some songs sound very much like children movie's soundtrack, others not so much, and I think there's a good balance so anyone will enjoy it. What's best is that all the songs have that upbeat, relaxed feeling to it that only JJ knows how to put into a song. It's like a whole album of Banana Pancakes, but better. Thank you JJ for making me feel good on this gloomy Sunday afternoon, if I had kids I'd play your album to them, but in the meantime I'll listen to it myself and dream on, because:
Who’s to say what’s impossible
Well they forgot this world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything...

New blog features!!!!

Let's lighten up a bit... check out the new features!!!
There's lots of new stuff on the right side of the blog:

1. now you can read the latest comics strips from Piled Higher and Deeper, a must-have for anyone who is (or has been) a Grad student, right here in the blog.

2. Greg now has a blog of his own!!!!! Things I've Learned is just getting started and it looks very cool. You can check Greg's latest post under the "Things Greg Learned" tab.

3. My Picasa web albums are now directly linked and listed in the blog - check out "Lyza's Photo Gallery".

Obs: this all happened because I am slowly overcoming my Internet ignorance and learned about RSS feeds :)

The second crash: the media

It is becoming an interesting exercise to follow up on the aircrash news reports from both the international and Brazilian media. This morning I read an article on a respectable newspaper from São Paulo, as well as an article from the NYT. I'd recommend everyone to read both articles and draw your own conclusions, but unfortunately a lot of people won't be able to read the local news in Portuguese.

In a general analysis, the Brazilian article describes several circumstantial evidences that suggest that the American jet pilots screwed up. It also mentions the hypothesis that the jet pilots turned off the transponder on purpose so they could test the newly-purchased aircraft without the control of the towers. But in no way the article has an accusational tone to it. The NYT article reads: "Newspapers and television reports are rife with suggestions that the two pilots of the business jet caused the crash (...)"
Now the Brazilian article refers to the jet pilots turning off the transponder as a fact. It does not even mention the possibility that it was an equipment failure. The title of the NYT article is: "Equipment on Plane in Brazil Collision May Have Been Faulty". Interesting, eh?
It is clear to me that each article is biased by what they would like to believe (more so in the case of the Brazilian news) and by they would like the public to believe (more so in the case of the U.S. news).
It is very interesting to note that the NYT article fails to report that the transponder of the jet was turned back on immediately after the crash, which makes the possibility of equipment failure a little harder to believe.

Facts or no facts, it is at least unsettling to realize just how much the sources of information can influence our opinion. If we extend this from the aircrash to the elections, war on Iraq and etc, it gets pretty darn scary.

Some thoughts on the aircrash

There are no words to describe the feeling of grief, sadness and shock that surrounds the recent airplane disaster of the last weekend. Maybe because it happened close to home, I really feel the grief, sadness and shock. I also have been following closely the news on the search and rescue mission and the developments on the investigations regarding the circumstances of the accident.
The passengers of the small jet involved in the collision were Americans, flying back to the U.S. after purchasing the jet here in Brazil. Joe Sharkey was one of the passengers, and is a reporter - he published this article on yesterday's NY Times: Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living

I read the article and was very moved by it. To me it was no more than an honest and sad account on a scary, near-death experience, which became even more exasperating afterwards when the jet passengers learned that the passengers of the Boeing had a different fate. I was surprised to read on a local newspaper today that many Brazilians posted on the NYT blog criticizing Sharkey's article. These posts from Brazilian readers mostly criticize that Sharkey referred to the pilots of the jet as heroes. "You guys saved our lives", he mentions quoting one of the passengers.

The most recent investigations indicate that the jet was flying at the wrong altitude. This and some other details suggest that there was a mistake from the part of the jet pilots. In spite of these news, I want to say that I disagree with the people that criticized Sharkey's article. Needless to say, the author didn't know about this when he wrote the article. And even if it turns out that the pilots' recklessness caused the accident, the feeling of the passengers, described by Sharkey in the article would still be genuine. I don't think he was in any way disrespectful to the families of the ones that died in the crash, as someone suggested in the NYT blog.

All of this made me wonder about how we all are bound to make mistakes. But when I make a mistake at work, sure a lot of money can be wasted, but no one dies (well, maybe some plants or bacteria). The responsibility in having such a kind of job must be overwhelming. It certainly makes you become extra-super-mega careful - you're not allowed to 'slack' at work, like everyone one of us certainly does every once in a while. So here's my question: does the fact that you are as careful as possible make you mistake-free? Can all the training, experience and responsibility create a human being invulnerable to error? I'm afraid I don't believe in that possibility... so I think that, rather than starting a witch hunt, let's wait to find out what really happened.

Having said that...

Another article on today's news shows indication that the American pilots of the Legacy jet might have actually screwed up badly. There are a lot of questions unanswered, for example: why was the jet flying with the transponder turned off (radar equipment that allows the plane to be seen and is integrated with the anti-collision system). Why did the jet not reply to the air traffic controllers that were trying to reach them before the crash? Why were they flying 1,000 feet above the flight plan altitude?

There is a suspicion that the pilots turned off the radar equipment temporarily to perform unauthorized maneuvers to save time and/or gas. The investigation now will involve the Federal Police and there is a possibility that the jet pilots will face criminal charges, if the suspicions are confirmed.

It is worth mentioning that the U.S. news is NOT reporting on any of these new findings. I am curious to see how the American and international media will handle the situation in case the pilots face criminal charges in Brazil.

Last but not least, the search teams are still working on finding the remains of the 155 people that died on the crash. The remains are scattered around a radius of over a mile (it seems very likely that the plane collapsed while still in the air. The latest hypothesis is that the jet wing cut the belly of the Boeing like a knife, so probably everything that was inside was sucked out). It is a truly horrifying thought (and I feel uncomfortable writing about it, but I think that people should know, since it is not reaching the news. I hope no one thinks that my blog is disrespectful, like Sharkey's article).

The mugging

The story will sound a bit old for a lot of people who I've been in touch with, but I think it's still worth posting about it. This happened the evening before my trip to São Paulo (Sept 5th), but I haven't had the chance to write about it yet.

Things were pretty hectic since I was just about to leave town for 2 weeks, so I took my cell phone with me to the gym (something I never bother to do). The place where I workout is like 100 meters from the apartment where I was living: down 2 blocks, across a plaza and you're there! I left the gym around 9pm, stopped at Claudia's (just across the street from the gym), and was crossing the plaza on my way home when I decided to return mom's phone call. BIG mistake... two young dudes were walking towards me, one pushing a bike. When they got close, the one with the bike dropped it right in front of me to block the way, went around and grabbed me around my neck from behind (fun, fun, fun!). He said "stay calm, I don't want to hurt you, I only want the cell phone". "Dude, it's all yours".

Later I heard that others have also been mugged at that same plaza, even during daylight. This is one strong reason why I haven't felt adventurous enough to walk around with my camera and take pictures of the city to post here (keep using your imagination, the new tree that the birds are killing looks just like the other one from the website).

I also heard that some people ask the robber to keep the SIM card, so at least you don't loose your address book and stuff. Man! I was so scared, that thought didn't even cross my mind. And then I broke the world speed record running home to call my mom, because I thought she heard the whole thing - but fortunately she had not.

Attention Public Radio fans!

Thanks sooooooooo much for this tip, G!!!!
My newest favorite website is definitely PublicRadioFan.com - never miss your favorite radio show ever again! This website lists public radio stations and their online live schedule. Take 'This American Life'. Chances are, pretty much anytime you log in, you'll find a station broadcasting it life somewhere. YEY!

The interesting thing happens when they mess up the schedule - I was looking for a station broadcasting 'Fresh Air' just now, but I ended up enjoying 'Calling All Vets'. Learn more about dogs than you've ever wished for... :)

Don't you feel like sometimes everything just SUCKS??

Whoa, jeez... this ain't the way to start a weekend. Here's an inspirational song from the always inspirational (sometimes in a very f*cked up way) Ryan Adams (G, try not to have nightmares about this one):
Wishing everyone a decent weekend (PD: I'll be moving to Claudia's place and will be offline in the evenings for sometime - explain later)


"Afraid Not Scared"

Look at this ocean with everyone drowning
Idiots screaming and everyone sinking in slowly
We're surrounded
In the yellow lights of the city wasted as bodies
In bed with somebody a touch away with nothing to do
We're surrounded
I'm really dying here
I'm really dying here
And I'm afraid, no I'm scared

She started freezing, lungs all collapsing
The momentum is passing, but the moment is eating us whole
We're surrounded
Put the guns in the water, they're turning to vodka
Triggering nothing we're sinking the sea takes the ship
And I'm really dying in here
I'm really dying in here
I'm afraid. I'm afraid. No, I'm scared. No I'm scared.
I'm just scared. Just let me down.

I'm getting really cold and I'm cold and I'm looking at you
You're not moving
I'm getting really cold and I'm cold and I'm looking at you
You're not moving...

...

(blame it on the cold medicine...)

Last night I dreamt I was in Ithaca!!
It was kind of a funny, nonsense dream. I was at CTB to get breakfast, and someone had recommended me the Amora scones because it was Amora season (Amora is a kind of blackberry, delicious, the irony is it only exists in Brazil). I ordered the scone and a Caramel Machiatto (which is a coffee drink that I used to like from Starbucks, except in the dream I was at CTB... go figure).
Anyway, there were more nonsense details to it, but it doesn't matter - the fact is that it felt soooo good!!! :)
(Obs: yes, I think it was grey and snowy outside - so realistic!)

Sorry

Sorry folks, I know I said I was going to post something over the weekend, but... guess I still didn't recover from the week in São Paulo - I was pretty tired all this week. Then on Friday night I went out... there was a FORRÓ band in town!!!!!! :)
Trust me, this was pretty significant, because all they play here is 'sertanejo' - which is Brazilian bad country music... blargh
So, I got home at 5am and that didn't exactly help on getting me back to full speed...
There's so much going on, and there's so much to tell! Will post soon I PROMISE (hear me, Greg? How about YOU post something here, eh??? Did you know you can?)

Back to Seven Lakes

After almost two weeks away for a long holiday weekend and the GCP meeting in São Paulo, I am back to 7L. I have a whole lot of stories to tell, but a whoooole lot of work to do, too!
Hopefully I can post something (plus some photos) over the weekend.

cheers!

Reply to Laura's comment on "Reply to Laura's comment..." post

Laura,
you mentioned the tree covered with birds - there's an interesting fact there.
I don't know the reason why (and no one here was able to explain me so far), but these birds, which are almost like a pest here, cuddle all together on a single tree every evening. The pictures on the random website must be a little old, because the tree you see there actually no longer exists - the birds killed it! So now there is another tree that gets covered just the same way, and it's close to my house (yes, I will photograph it...). It may look nice in a picture but it's actually pretty disgusting - around the tree the ground gets covered by bird crap and the smell is nasty (I'm pretty sure that the bird crap is what killed the other poor tree...)

Reply to Laura's comment on "I am giving this yet another try" post

Hey Laura,
first of all thanks for stopping by! You know, this is pretty much your fault. Basically I decided to resurrect the blog after getting your email saying "how come no more posts???".

Maybe the blog still has a purpose after all - as you said, many people haven't a clue what this place (or the rest of Brazil is like).

To answer your question: yes, the name of the town translates to Seven Lakes and it's got this name because it has 7 lakes. But no, that does not mean windsurfing is possible :(
I have not yet seen all of the 7 lakes. One is in a private area and can't be visited. A few others are just outside town. Some others are in residential areas and have nice parks around them, and are famous local spots for walking, biking and running. I live just two blocks from one of the lakes - Lagoa Paulino. This lake is right on the heart of downtown Sete Lagoas. It makes for a nice view to have lakes around town, but unfortunately some of them (and it's the case of Lagoa Paulino) are extremely polluted and even get a little smelly during the dry season.

I am a shamelessly lazy photographer and still haven't taken a single picture around town (promise to do so sometime soon, after I come back from a couple of weeks away). In the meantime I've found a random webpage with photos of Lagoa Paulino (which, again, is just down the street from my apartment).

Happy Birthday, Dirceu! :)


I was chatting with Dirceu last night, and he said something I think would make a great title for the blog (see Di, I told you I would quote you on this one): "From the Finger Lakes to Seven Lakes"
Yup, that's my story, it'd be funny if it wasn't tragic.

(not so) Useless on a Saturday morning

So seeing that I went to bed at 4:30am and definitely could not hit the gym this morning, I decided to play around with my blog a little bit - in bed with some tea while it's pouring rain out there.

The main change is that I migrated the blog to the new Beta Blogger, which has some really excellent features for bloggers like me, who know shit about HTML. It still has bugs (it is beta after all), but I recommend the switch.

I also learned some cool stuff. Last night I made a bunch of changes to the blog, wrote a new entry, and yet the old page still showed at the URL this morning. I was starting to pull my hair out, when I found out (doing some online reading) that it was simply a cache issue. My computer was showing the old version of the page. Therefore, attention blog and Internet dummies out there: just add a ? (question mark) at the end of the URL and reload the page - this will clear the cache and load the updated version. Wheeeew!!

I gotta say this once again: Google RULES. Here's another awesome trick I learned on this (not so) useless Sat morning: it's all connected!!! Now I can embed an Album from Picasa into a blog post. Simply go to your Picasa album and retrieve an HTML, add it to the post and da-tá!

For example, here is the photo album from my recent trip to Diamantina.

Diamantina, MG (August 2006)

Aug 4, 2006 - 14 Photos

I am giving this yet another try

I was decided to give up on this whole blogging thing since I moved to Sete Lagoas (henceforth to be referred to as Seven Lakes, because it sounds good. It sounds better than it looks). But some folks have been asking me how come I don't post anymore... so on a bored Friday afternoon, I decided to give it another go.

I gave up mostly for one reason: this was originally supposed to be a way of telling my friends (who are far away) what I have been up to during my travels in Brazil. Well, I am done traveling and I have settled (although temporarily) in Seven Lakes and gone back to work. So what is this blog supposed to be about now?

I suppose I could write about my new experiences in the new town/job, but it's not my intention to bore anyone to death. Therefore this blog is left without a subject (note that the 'description' line that comes just bellow the blog title is empty).

For what it's worth, the blog remains true to its title, because I do indeed still feel like a stranger (perhaps more than ever).

PD: for those less informed, Sete Lagoas (or Seven Lakes) is a small town, central to the State of Minas Gerais. I've got a temporary post-doc position at Embrapa Maize and Sorghum (God, is it my punishment to go from one Federal facility to another?). I'll post something about the town...

caffeine, alcohol, nicotine

Yeah... that's pretty much what I felt like this past week.

Eu me sinto um estrangeiro

Translation: I feel like a stranger, like a foreigner. At first this title was a reference to my feelings of displacement as I returned to Brazil after more than 5 years. But it suits me well - new people that I meet frequently ask me where I am from, but they usually expect a short answer... I have no homeland. I am a citizen of the world, I will go where life takes me. But deep inside my heart will always be green, yellow, blue and white.

Bring it on!

Brazil x Japan:













If even HK is rooting for Brazil, Japan doesn't stand a chance.

Something touristy II

Sunset in Canasvieiras

Something touristy I

This is sort of a panoramic view of Florianópolis. The city is mostly an island, with a large lake in it. I took this picture from the top of a hill; you can see the lake (Lagoa da Conceição, windsurfing paradise!) and the ocean in the background. It is a breathtaking view.

It reminded me a bit of the island of Oahu (Hawaii). I remember driving from one side to another of Oahu (from Honolulu to Kailua beach) and going over a hill where it was usually cloudy and even raining, even though it was sunny on both sides. To go from Canasvieiras (North of the island) to the lake, I also had to drive across the hill (from where the pictures were taken).

Brazil 1 x 0 Croatia

Yes, I admit - we all expected more. But to me, that is many times the problem with Brazil when it comes to soccer: everyone here thinks we're already in the finals, and that the boys did no more than their obligation to win the first game, and that they should have scored more goals. We are spoiled! Don't get me wrong, I don't know BS about soccer, but I do know a lot about high expectations...
Since my arrival back in late March they've been talking about the World Cup in the news. It bothered me. As we got closer to the Cup, it got worse - all we care about is soccer!!?? What about politics, violence, elections, poverty... this unconditional blind love for soccer used to bother me then, and still bothered me now. But when the games begin... there's no use trying to resist - it's contagious!! World Cup is a lot of fun, and Brazil is the second best place on Earth to enjoy it. Better than this, only if I was walking the streets in Germany and being part of that amazing cultural mix.
Nothing like being in Brazil during the World Cup, especially being Brazilian, I'll tell you that.

This is me watching the game with "the girls".

And... we're back

Sorry folks, I know this was a hell of a lull in my posts. But I don't feel bad, as most of my friends heard the news about my dad one way or another. Anyway, thank GOD his surgery was a success and he is safe and sound.
We were in Porto Alegre for a little over 10 days, and have been back in Florianópolis for a little over a week. Dad is taking it easy... he can't drive nor make any big effort for 60 days. He takes easy walks and spends most of the time relaxing. He still feels pain.

Needless to say, the time spent in POA was a wee bit stresfull. Hospitals can be really depressive, especially for extended periods of time. We were really glad to be back in FLN.

So far I've built this blog around my observations... in other words, it has been more about places than about me. What the Hell.. truth is I've been in a shit hole for a while now, freakin' depressed, and this is why I haven't posted ever since we came back from POA. Don't worry, I am not going to turn this blog into my public crying sholder. I may be geeky, but I am not to the point of feeling comfortable with sharing my emotions with every Internet nerd that might come across this blog somehow. Not sure how, after all I didn't list my blog on purpose, so that only those who have the address can easily find it, but still I am not taking chances.

Point is, I am back and everything is fine, keep an eye out for new posts soon.

PD: how's the new look?

WISH US LUCK

Folks,

me, dad and his wife are leaving tomorrow morning, heading down South to Porto Alegre (6 or so hours away). My dad's heart surgery will be performed there. It is a much larger city than Florianópolis, with excellent doctors and hospitals. The surgery will happen on Tuesday morning, and we will probably be back to Florianópolis a week after that. I probably won't be posting anything, as I probably will have no connection, plus I will be mostly at the hospital with him. Wish us luck, and talk soon.

Kinda stressed,
Lyza


This is the street where my dad lives, in Canasvieiras (a neighborhood of Florianópolis).

It is blue on the bottom...


Guess it is a nice place to heal your heart.

I did it !!!!!!!

This past weekend I took a short trip to Rio de Janeiro, RJ. My twin nephews from Stamford, CT were in town to be baptized. I am Olek's Godmother.

Here I am performing my first official Godmother task.

I lived in Rio from 1984 to 1994, basically my school years. The original plan was to drive from Florianópolis with my dad, but he could not travel, poor thing. So I had to fly. The weekend was to be short but it would have been enough to enjoy the company of my family, if it wasn't for a damn virus... There is a big surge of a strong strain of Rotavirus going on in South / Southeast Brazil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotavirus). When I arrived in Rio, my bro had been sick and both boys has the symptoms. Saturday night (luckily, after the ceremony and celebration) I started to feel sick... by 5:30am Sunday, my mom was helping me up from the bathroom floor, where I was sitting semiconscious. Mother's Day was spoiled, and I missed a great encounter, a rare chance to meet up with my best friend from school, who I haven't seen in 6 years.

Monday May 8th 2006

Dear friends,

I come to you once more defeated for not being able to keep this blog updated. Well, maybe I am not a computer geek after all? No, this time I have a strong reason. I can't really put my mind into anything of little importance... my dad's health is the issue. He was at the hospital for a couple of days for a few exams, now he's home, but he's scheduled to have heart surgery. Bypass.

I have a bunch of draft posts and pictures, I'll put them out there without much writing (it's more a distraction to me than anything else).

Hope all is well, I miss my friends and I miss Spring in Ithaca!

Today is April 29th, 2006...

...and I have been in Florianópolis for about a week.

A short description of my daily routine this week follows:
- wake up late
- lay on the beach reading Life of Pi (and trying to avoid being bothered by strangers)
- back to the apartment, have lunch
- goof off all afternoon, work a little (maybe)
- back to the beach after sunset for a long walk / short runs
- back to the apartment, shower, relax, eat dinner, relax
- sleep late.


The insomnia that was driving me bananas since the very day I arrived in Brazil went away like magic. It was replaced by a very deep and restful sleep, full of dreams I only vaguely remember.
Yesterday after running on the beach (when the tide is low the sand is very flat and firm, it's great for running), I took off my hot and sweaty sneakers and cooled off my feet on the ocean. It was dark, there was no moon out only stars. I had an indescribable good feeling.

I thought of my friend P (it was his bday) and I missed him. I also thought of Sam and wished he would get better. He was in my dreams one of these nights. I wonder how he is doing.

Today I got rashes on my skin from too much sun exposure, but I am getting a tan and that's what matters...

First night out - April 8th, 2006

FYI: I wrote this a month ago, in a moment of strong cultural shock, take it with a grain of salt.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is Saturday and I just arrived in Campinas to stay with my mother for a couple of weeks. Campinas is the town where I used to live and I used to like it here, but now I look at it and can't seem to remember what I liked about it. I guess it is very different when you are in college, living on your own for the first time. University of Campinas was a great environment and I had the time of my life. But now, contemplating the city life outside the University circle, it does not look appealing. In the evening I went to a bar with my mom and a good friend of hers who I really like and had not seen in 2 years, so we wanted to get together.
My gosh, the "bar" scene. Scares the shit out of me the thought of ever being single here, and to have to try the 'dating life'. People look shallow and uninteresting. Everyone around me does. I know I am being judgemental. I always used to say I find it hard to imagine being with someone who is outside of Science or Academia. And that I wanted a boyfriend with a PhD :)

Look around... hmmm... this is NOT my place. Gosh, all of a sudden the geek scene in Ithaca don't look so bad anymore. On the contrary, I feel like I deeply identify with it, although I used to complain a lot.

We always want to be somewhere other than where we are, and that is just stupid.

After SP, 2 weeks in Campinas

Spent 2 weeks in Campinas (SP, same state, 1 hour Northwest from SP) with my mom before heading South to Florianópolis on April 21th (I know, I know, everyone wants to see beach pictures). I would normally have lots to tell but since I am not up for much conversation, leave it. In summary, it was really great to spend some solid time with mom and to see her comfortable in her elements.


Mom got me 2 gorgeous new bikinis (thanks mom!!). Luckily they are not too tiny, although my American girlfriends would have a different opinion, I am sure. It is a cultural difference! But I can assure you, the times of tiny bikinis that show all your behind are over in Brazil (and I am glad).

Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially too fat to wear these.






Hunny and the Kitty:

Before I left Campinas I found Hunny some company. I feel in love with this kitty, which is also Japanese! It was a gift to my mom from a friend returning from Japan. I stole it from her.

NOTE

If you're reading this for the first time...

1) don't pay attention to the dates, b/c I was way behind, so the posts are actually from weeks ago.

2) read from bottom to top (is this stupid to say? I was new to this whole blog thing 'til now...)

3) don't be alarmed but my English writing skills and my spelling are vanishing into thin air by the hour.

Second week: still in São Paulo...

I stayed in SP for another week and enjoyed my little niece some more.
Couple of pics I took that week...



Avenida Paulista on a beautiful sunny morning.
This avenue is right in the heart of São Paulo and it's one of its symbols. It's the one place I know where you can get stuck in traffic at 1am on any day. I find it very pretty, and it kind of reminds me of NYC (although not in this pic, there's no traffic jam...).



My bro's apartment is very close to Congonhas airport. This is a smaller airport that takes care of most of the regional flights in and out of SP. It's mega-busy, of course. There are flights to Rio nearly every 30 min, to start with. But the city grew around the airport, so now there are apartment buildings really close to it. I took this shot out of the kitchen window. You can't really keep a conversation when a plane is flying by. My niece told me the teacher in her school has to briefly stop the lesson, too.

I give up

That's it folks, I give up. I kept trying to write up this blog so it would be up to this date, but I keep falling behind. I have been a total lazy ass when it comes to writing about whatever I did some 3 weeks ago. Yes, I was waiting until I could get it sort of up-to-date before telling friends about it, but what the heck. Forget about it. I'll keep it simple, so you all can see nice pictures whenever I get one and read a story every now and then.

So, wrapping up, the weekend in BH was just plain awful. 8-hour bus ride, sleep, eat, 5-hour exam, eat , 8-hour bus ride back. All for a stupid exam, that was poorly designed and will simply not select the best candidates to fill those positions, which makes me even more upset about enduring such a ride. Anyway, I had to do it.

On the way back I took the "sleeping cart" bus. It was $40 bucks more (ie, $100 bucks for the one-way ticket back to SP), but it was worth every penny. Even though I can never sleep on buses/airplanes, I crashed and before I knew we were in SP (5:45 am). I took the subway, then a cab to my bro's (6:45 am). I took a shower and slept again 'til 11;30 am. That day, after I finally woke up, I realized I didn't have the exam anymore as an excuse, so I finally had to face the facts... I was really in Brazil, on vacation. I was done. Anxiety took hold of me for a moment.

part 4 - bus stop

You can find some pretty amazing bus stops around here, even in places that seem to be going across the middle of nowhere. This is where we stopped on our way to BH.
At the bus stop I had a feeling that a lot of people there were looking at me in a funny way. I had that same feeling a few times after that, but now it went away. Was it my big backpack? Or was it just my impression? In the States you can almost forget that you are a woman - walking on the street you sometimes feel like if you were almost invisible. I have a suspicion that my feeling might have come from simply not being used to how people here stare at you with little ceremony.





Hunny enjoying some Coca-Cola while I was taking that shot of the bus station.