Yes, they can be pretty

The timing is perfect for this photo. It’s a time when we, as a family, have been having a great number of passport-type photos taken for various bureaucratic processes.

In December 2009, my little bird was planning to fly the nest. It was a very exciting and very scary time for us all. She wasn’t just leaving home, but going to the opposite end of the earth (or so it felt… just across the Atlantic really). There were forms to be filled in, visas to deal with, belongings to sort through and the whole letting go process. I was the official passport photo photographer of the family. I’d just finished doing Tat’s visa photo and was sitting gazing at that lovely face. I don’t usually apply special effects to photos, but that day, I was clicking away at the photo and seeing what effects it produced.

Ah, my little girl… so beautiful, even in the dreaded passport/visa photos. See? Passport photos can be pretty! I do, however, hope that this latest run of officialdom is the last we’ll do for a little while. What say you?

Technorati Tags: tatiana,passport,tat,photo,challenge

Stop staring!

Marty posted a hilarious video earlier. It reminded me of a t-shirt Tat bought for herself on her SA trip a few years back.

Tat was still modelling on and off at that point, though, as life got in the way, it was petering out. In the peak of her time as a model, she couldn't walk anywhere without drawing attention, no matter how frumpily or austere she'd dress. She's still like that. She has the most beautiful face and radiates 'simpatico', as the Brazilians put it. Sympatico is a bit like congeniality with a whole lot more friendliness and niceness thrown in. Back then, it was just more so, combined with a gorgeous figure and curves most Brazilian girls get implants for.

So the t-shirt, which, sadly, had absolutely no effect on the desired audience because it was in snarky English...


The photo is bad. It was one of the outtakes from a totally fun photoshoot I had with her - hey, I lived with a model I didn't have to pay! But you get the idea. It was in-your-face shocking pink: Stop Staring. Grow Your Own. Tat wore the t-shirt on the plane coming home. She'd quite forgotten it until one of the air stewards did a double take and packed up laughing. He then called the other stewards to show them. Talk about an in-flight ice-breaker! Tat really needs to tell the story herself. It was funny.

I loved that photo shoot, incidentally. I often flip through the photos. The postures and expressions go much further than just showcasing a pretty girl. It spoke of a relationship between us. To this day, I match her puzzled frown with "You want me to do what?!" and much goofy laughter. The photo above has Tat covered in cat and dog fur. She had been distracted by the cat walking past. We tried to get the cat into the photos, but had to settle for one of Tat's vast collection of teddy bears in the end.



Of course, I got some stunning photos out of the shoot (my opinion, naturally).




Not entirely photographic excellence, but...

My dreamer... tomboy... lady... 21 years old.... still with childlike wonder at life and beautiful inside and out. Oh ok... I just used the t-shirt as an excuse to show off *grins*

Tat's Legal!!

Clicking on the image should take you to a large, legible version

The Big Event dawns! More or less... kinda. Well, my excuse is that people in the East end of the world are already celebrating (and the minor detail that I accidentally clicked 'post' earlier and folk may be confused).

I should do a "Tatiana through the years", but that's old hat by now. Done pretty often. What can I do then. I always aim for the unique, but this year, somehow... it's just the "Omg, my baby's an adult!" that hits me over and over.

Was it really 21 years ago that I held the scrawny little monkey for the first time? Was she really that stroppy, curly-haired little girl who hated having everyone pinch her cheeks? The little tomboy whose idea of fun was a mud garden? Or roughing it down the hill with the dog? The teen who was so driven over her aikido? My passionate, kind, smiley, bubbly, simply awesome baby girl turned adult daughter. I loved you through every phase. Every chapter of your book was a new adventure to enjoy.

Oh heck... here it is again... : )


...

Yes, my sweet girl... you've every mother's dream. I'm so, so, so very proud of who you are, for the wonderful woman you've become. I'm grateful for the friend I have in you. I always wanted a BFF and you're it, when you're not my 'evil twin' *grins* Thank you for giving me 21 amazing years. Today starts a new chapter in your life, one where people will expect you to be responsible *koff* but I know you can do it and you'll do it with flair... because that is YOU!

I love you... WE love you... You are So loved! Happy 21st Birthday, sweet Tatiana!

Makesmehappy

Isn't that just the most adorable snowman you've ever seen? And the biggest smile?

Christmas and ghosts of the past

The ghost of Christmas present...

I woke up this morning to a call from Hamish. It was lovely hearing his voice and hearing of his plans for next year. Coming through, I was greeted by kisses and hugs from Jurgis and Romany (it's beneath Specs' dignity to show affection when no offerings have been proffered)... and a surprise at my desk!

Jurgis had snuck out early when all of Brazil was still fast asleep (including myself) after fireworks had continued into the wee hours of the morning to Steal my Christmas present. Yes... the ultimate romantic thief! Isn't it pretty? He swore blind that the blooms he cut (they would have been carefully cut to enhance further growth on the bushes - he's fussy that way) were outside the property.

The last time he did that, we were still dating. He'd stolen a rose from the neighbours for my birthday. That brought back memories : )

While looking for this photo, I found other photos, which had me thinking of people loved so much and long gone. My almost-Christmas baby - the reason we stopped celebrating... a photo of Hamish holding her. Ouma and Jurgis' dad, both laughing in the same photo - a very rare occurrence.

A little later, I called Tat and we switched to Skype. I met the family she is staying with. What nice people. They've included her beautifully in their entire Christmas tradition. It was fun meeting the gran in her red sequinned dress, looking very glam, I might add... and the dad who enjoyed sharing child-torment stories with Jurgis... and mom who was bustling in the background with dinner preparations. The girls were a joy too. Tat showed me the gifts she got. She's been spoiled. I'm glad : )

In the excitement of calling Tat, I forgot to put the turkey in the oven, so that went in later.... a good thing really. We had a light lunch of quiche while we waited. Of course, the day would not be complete without a kitchen disaster. I managed to scorch the cauliflower and marrows. Luckily, I could cut off the burnt bits and drown them in cheese sauce. Aside from the newly-named dish of 'smoky cauliflower and marrows', I made our usual green beans, roast potato, roast onion and, of course, the turkey. The green beans are interesting. I found a recipe many years ago for "American green beans". I have since learned that these are not exactly American per se. The beans are lightly cooked in garlic and salt. They're then tossed with bacon and olives - I use olive oil, as I have no olives on hand. Very scrummy!

The ghost of Christmas present...

I have absolutely no photos of my childhood Christmases, probably because they were such.. uh... interesting times. Ouma was, and still is, known for her dinners. It's one of the few things the entire family has always agreed on. She was an exceptional cook. Any meal with her was a time to fill up to overflowing with all things good and delicious. Christmas consisted of cold ham, tongue, carrot salad, potato salad, rice salad, asparagus salad, a leafy green salad. For dessert, there was always trifle... ooooooh for some trifle! Christmas cake too and usually ice cream. Oh and always a granadilla fridge tart!

The day is fading now, replete with good feelings and general post-turkey laziness. It's hot... really hot. Even Romany didn't want to get up to take a bone. We're lying draped over our chairs. Jurgis is busy reinstalling his drive. Luckily, he actually enjoys that. The fan is working hard at circulating the hot air. I think we may go to bed early tonight. Looking at this photo, I see Romany is starting to show his age. For the first time, he actually looks like an ageing dog. His black 'n tan Rottie muzzle is showing substantial white now. Jurgis' foot makes a good pillow ; )

Hope your Christmas day was good - or whatever you celebrated today, even if that was just life : )

Omg omg omg!

I went into the village this morning. First stop.... Post office. A 5kg package was waiting! Hamish, thank you!!! Thank you!! We're overwhelmed! A box of SAn goodies (for those who don't know, it is impossible to get any South African goodies here in Brazil). The miracle here is that customs sent the package through without opening. This box would have been nailed by them. We wouldn't have smelt it at all. Why? Biltong!!! Oh those customs guys don't know what they missed out on!!! Biltong is the one thing they Always stop! We got, not one, but TWO packets of biltong... and one packet was kudu biltong! One expat family in the throws of biltong ecstasy! *grins*

And Romany Creams... and Eet-sum-mors and marshmallows (for those who missed the post, we can get them here now, at a mortgage-the-house rate of $8 per bag). Wine! A shiraz from Perdeberg winery... the Perdeberg has a special significance for Hamish. And Simba peanuts and no less than two humungous slabs of Cadburys chocolate! *droool* I'm making no dessert tomorrow *laugh*

The supermarkets were an ant's nest today. No room to move. The queues went down the isle with the usual people keeping places while others did the shopping. I put on my ipod with Christmas music and stood grinning at everyone. What else can you do? I felt so sorry for the cashiers and packers... and the shop floor packers and cleaners. It's a tough day's work for them.

A police helicopter has been flying low over our road for the past hour or so. Wonder who or what they're looking for.

They've been letting off those big bang crackers for two days now.... tomorrow will be worse... then the buildup to New Year. Eh. I have a few creative suggestions for the use of those crackers. The poor animals are jittery.

Uh yes... and I painted my nails last night... a rare event (especially in fire-engine red) and therefore photo worthy =Þ

I'm missing Tat *sigh*

Who is your friend?

Totally not my photography, just in case you needed to ask ; )
Really. Who do you call a friend? Is it the person who chats to you every day? Is it the one who always comments on your blogs? Or perhaps sends you a Christmas card? Is it the one you pop out for coffee with? Perhaps it's the one you share your deepest secrets with... or uncontrollable laughs. Is your friend the one you can call when things are looking dark? Do you call your friend when things are looking good? What about when you think the friend needs you? Do you call? Or wait to be called. I could go on a long time here : ) 

Thing is, friendships shift and change and brighten and fade.... kaleidoscopic colours adding prisms of beauty to our lives.


Have you ever looked into a kaleidoscope and watched the colours change, seemingly in endless layers? It doesn't take much movement to create new prisms of colour, shifting, changing... constantly changing. When friendships fade, it hurts... very much, but I'm grateful for the richness of colour they gave my life. New friendships are fun to explore, discovering their depth and getting comfortable with their hues.

When I was a young girl, I dreamt of having a 'best friend forever'. As a teen, that longing just intensified with the usual teen angst. By the time I grew up and looked around at all my friends and their respective 'best friends', I had missed that particular boat - regular moving around saw to that. Well, I wasn't really alone. I found myself married and creating a new and very special friendship with my daughters... and husband, of course. In later years, my daughter was to become that elusive 'bff'. That will never change. It's the one friendship that strikes a very deep chord in me for a thousand reasons. It's also colourful, shifting and changing as we each grow. Luckily our bond is tighter than a regular friendship.

The friendships I wanted to mention here are somewhat more intangible, something we don't see very often and can often wait a whole lifetime to experience. They don't usually stick around for a long time either, though sometimes they do.

The top image was so perfect to illustrate what I wanted to say in a most unusual way. A little while back, I reached out to a number of friends, asking for help. Help came, but in a very unexpected way. It came through friends, yes... then it came through friends of friends... and the net widened to include friends of those friends. A chain was formed. I had people writing to me who were referred by a friend who knew a friend who received an email or call from a friend I wrote to. I heard from friends I hadn't heard from in a long time. I heard from total strangers who are now friends. For those dying to know, Tat will be staying with people who I already know are wonderful people (just the fact that they're opening their home to a total stranger), are South African and even come from the same neighbourhood we did!! Yes, Katey... they're from Hillcrest! ♫ It's a small world after all... ♫

Anyway, the point I was trying to make with this is that we never know where friendship will come from, be it made of the sturdy day-to-day stuff of sharing life's moments or a previously unimagined distant connection that fits so well. I want to thank all of you who responded... from the bottom of my heart. It meant the world to me!

Ps. Katey, while I was looking for a kaleidoscopic image, I found something you can use with your kidlets that looks like huge fun! Kaleidoscopic milk!

Day by day

I call this the Metro Shuffle
Sveiki! A Lithuanian greeting, which means 'Health!'

Seems I never get the chance to write here. When I log in, there are friends to catch up on  and, by the time I'm done, I've forgotten what I wanted to say. Oh heck, who am I trying to fool? Honestly? I arrive on my blog, stare at the screen, trying to convert the week into words; thus scattering what little cohesive thought I started out with.

With this in mind, I'm going to attempt this in daily (or thereabouts) nibbles.

Last week, our focus for the week was on Tat's visit with the family in Lithuania. Jurgis enjoying his time there was one thing. It had been a dream of his for most of his life. She first stayed with Dalius and Oksana. The message I got was - I'm happy. In short, they were wonderful. I'll get the details later, as her pc died on her when she arrived in Lithuania and she hasn't been able to get it fixed yet.

From there, she went to stay with Teta Irena, Vaidas, Sonata and the boys. She was online more there and having a ball. When she was due to leave, she said it felt like she was leaving home all over again. I can't begin to express my thanks to all who made her visit there such a wonderful experience!

On Monday, I had no students (cancellations - joy!). It was good though. We were able to video chat with Tat via Skype and I finally got to meet the family. They're every bit as wonderful as Jurgis and Tat said they are. I can't wait to meet them in person!

On Monday we also go word that the front house is finally getting a tenant, but only for 15 days out of every month. That should be odd to deal with. Jurgis knows him, a nice enough guy, our landlord's business partner. We'll see how that goes. It does mean that Romany is once again restricted to just our half of the property, poor thing, though we do take him on walks more often now.

Tuesday started with a cancellation as I was walking out the door. I do wish they'd cancel before get all dressed up! That left me home for a couple of hours - good time to catch up with some correspondence. I later left for my next student after calling her to confirm the class. One bus, two metros and a 10 minute walk later, I was at the entrance to their office block and my delightful ringtone went off. I love getting calls because I love the tune! Anyway, it was the secretary. She needed to cancel.Ugh! Perhaps I just dreamed the earlier confirmation call.

Wednesday, I got to chat to a long lost friend (ok, not so long or lost) *and* my little girl! That was good. A surprise email made my heart skip happily : )

Thursday ~ dreaming of green pastures and soft, rolling hills ~

I dreamt last night that I was leaving an institution, a nameless, faceless multi-storey block with small, impersonal rooms. I was sitting on the bed talking to an elderly, long-dead friend and explaining why I was giving her a scarf, as I don't wear scarves and won't be needing it.

Two men came to blows in the metro car over the last half-inch of space and had to be separated by security. One guy, the shorter one, was told to get off. I felt for him, as he wasn't the instigator, but I guess the security guy felt he would be easier to control. The guy who was trying to pull punches was huge. Either way, they were both in the wrong. If the metro is full, you wait for the next one. The trains come through with only a minute or so between them during peak hour. It's not as though they'd have to wait a long time. The photo up above is where I decided to wait for the next one, but, believe it or not, there are those who'll still try to squeeze into that.

It was a surreal kind of morning. I swiped my security card through at the bank, only to be told "User blocked" - the kind of words that generally cause heart stoppage and panic. The nice lady at security consoled me with information that I'd be getting a sparkly new card. Whew! Apparently, they'd stopped that particular type of card. I got a temporary card and made my way to the student. At the back where the coffee machines are, there was a lady moving tables  and arranging mountains of diapers... in a bank? Turns out it's someone's baby shower. I waited. I got a message from an anonymous lady to call my student. Apparently he had a) lost my number and b) overslept, so there would be no class. Great! That gave me time to organise my new security pass. It's not a pretty yellow one like the old card, but it does announce me in bold letters as a "Professor". One very badly taken photo...


More good news this evening : ) The news isn't mine to tell and we're waiting for confirmation anyway, but it's starting to look as though 2011 is shaping up to be a good year. Ahh... nice!

I'm off to bed now. I woke up this morning feeling as though I was drugged and that feeling hasn't changed much. Does it show? =Þ

Oh... before I go... a few of you are TUT enthusiasts. Have you heard Mike Dooley's latest talk? It's awesome! If you can't find the talk, let me know and I'll upload it. It is available online at a few locations, but not for download. I saved it so that I can listen on my little ipod : )

Starting over

I found this article recently and it got me thinking. Actually, it doesn't do much to get me thinking of our dream. A while back, Kippy and Jaime wanted me to talk about my perfect home. Then just recently, someone mentioned being envious of a life of ease. I often say "I'm jealous" and you'll usually find it's relating to a certain way of life... a life we'd love to live again, a truly simple life.



Second Act

"We embark on a career path or a job before we really know ourselves at a very early age, but I think we're still a work in progress and over the course of your life you can stitch together a quilt of what you want to be and who you want to be." Lisa Schwartz

Now, if I were envious of a lifestyle, it's the one this lady has built for herself. That is a dream!

             ~ ~ ~ ~

             ~ ~ ~ ~

A couple more videos of people starting over and fulfilling a dream... truly inspirational! I've linked to the videos, so I don't overload this page for those with slow connections:

http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-mandy-aftel-20592908
http://vitality.yahoo.com/video-second-act-donald-arthur-20045514


Gypsy (back), Vilkas (left) and Noble (front right), our 3 Muskateers. Gypsy was the older, sensible one, who kept the brats in check. To the left was the raspberry patch - wild and thorny, but a thrill to harvest. Through the gateway behind them was the stand of mulberry trees, kids' paradise, and beyond that, the stream. The dogs were lying under the pretty, but infernal Tibouchina tree - the leaves, when dry, make excellent dye *sigh* It never comes out!

For those new to my list or those who missed the original post, this blog speaks about the life we came from, which is poles apart from the life we're in now. We'll have that again : )

http://tintalasia.multiply.com/journal/item/282/I_remember_Whensday

Last night, Tat and I were chatting. A possible hermitage came up, but she's not the hermit type, being gregarious and all that. We settled on farming with goats, who are pretty cool critters, with Jurgis taken along as slave labour, something he seems to thrive on. Ah... now there's a life, hm?

Long overdue

I've been a bad, bad blogger. Thing is, I'm usually out, busy preparing for going out, or just plain pooped. I've been ready for bed by 9:30pm most nights. I mean.... that's awful. I'm a 2am girl!! A night owl. I swear! Ok, I was.

Life has suddenly gotten very busy, which, in itself, isn't a bad thing. I often leave home really early and return late. It isn't that I work a full day out there, but it takes up to 2 hours to get into town and having students 3 or even 4 hours apart means I can't go home between them and end up wasting time in town.

We had an interesting start to our day yesterday. Jurgis' motherboard on his pc blew. Yay... not news that brought great joy. We had another old one, thankfully, a temperamental one, but it works. Then I was woken by a crash... another shelf had come off the wall. With all the rain we've had, I think the very brickwork is soggy. There's a lot of black mould on that wall, so that is probably the case.  The shelf had a lot of stuff stored on it. A few broken light bulbs later (we still need to test Jurgis' circular saw, which fell rather hard, but need the rain to clear to do that), we now have random boxes stacked all over the floor... again.

I have been contacted by a woman from SESC here. SESC is an organisation that promotes sport, exercise, culture, art, etc in Brazil. They're looking for a South African who can do workshops on weekends for the duration of the world cup to spread awareness of what South Africa is all about. Apparently, it will be paid work. I did, however, laugh when she asked if I knew of any singers, writers, dancers, poets, artists, etc in the local South African community. What community? I tried to start one, but the consulate at the time said "No", they were not prepared to associate themselves with any form of community. Besides, any South African who is anyone will be heading home for the world cup. Anyway, I'm meeting her this weekend to put together a plan of action. I'm rather excited, not because it's work, but to be able to spread awareness here. Yes, we do have telephones in South Africa. Yes, I am white (shock! horror!) No, there are no lions in the street. Besides, it's the mambas you have to worry about. Y'know... that kind of thing ; )

Then, last week or so, I got a call one night. A guy from my hometown, Port Elizabeth, in South Africa tracked me down by researching my domain name on Whois. He wanted to know if I could buy a domain for him with a .com.br (Jurgis and I agreed he must be somewhat crazy, but if he wants it....). You have to have a Brazilian tax number to get a Brazilian domain name. Oh, and they wanted our parents' names too. That's the Brazilian way... nothing happens without your parents' names on any document. Then the mess started. How to get money into Brazil. Paypal worked fine, except that after the money was in my bank for 2 days, my bank, in all it's wisdom, sent it back to Paypal. Paypal blames the bank. The bank blames Paypal. Yes, we go in circles like that here. Then we thought of Western Union. He had a bit of a song and dance that end and finally transferred the money today. I must say, it was fairly painless in the end. It did require trips into town and the bank.

Uh... I've run out of steam. I know there was more to post about, but my bed is calling. Oh! Tat went to Alton Towers, an amusement park in the UK, courtesy of Kings Park (they took all the volunteers). Fun was had by all, I think.

del.icio.us Tags: domains,south-africa,tatiana,work,sesc

A week in review

This is absolutely 100% Dingo!!


I really should write as life happens or it's all forgotten. I learnt that the hard way with Tat. I was preparing her birthday gift which called for memories of her childhood. I lost so much detail because it wasn't written down. I have an abysmal memory. Just this past week was so full and I've forgotten much of it.

The first couple of days were spent with little accomplishments... unpacking a box, finding space for the plastic-ware... that kind of thing. Tuesday, I was halfway to a student when she cancelled... again. Most annoying, but it did give me a chance to go home and get some stuff done. Wednesday passed in a haze of students. Thursday was much the same.

Friday, I went in to teach and while I was there, I finally got a battery for my watch. Great! You know what an absolute bind it is to have to keep checking your cell phone for the time? After my student in town, I rushed over to Tat's old student who was to take a bag with her to Tat. She is the girl who introduced Tat to that programme. It turned out that she couldn't take Tat's bag, as she'd over-packed and needed an extra case for herself. She could at least take Tat's glasses and her birthday gift, which was really small. No teddies (where's her priorities?). She did take the coffee Tat asked for though. I left her feeling Tat's loss all over again, although I know it isn't a loss, as it isn't permanent and we are in regular contact, the whole thing just made me super emotional.

At 7pm, I headed out to the last student of the week. Security called him, but there was 'no reply'. I reminded security that the last time he said there was no reply, the student was in his apartment waiting for me, so would he please try again. Still no reply.

I called the student on his cell. You know when someone answers the phone and you know right away they've forgotten. "Hello Joe (not his name)." Silence. "Oh, it's you! Um...  *choice word*! I'm 10 minutes away from home in the traffic. I'll be there now." I reminded him that I would be waiting out in the street for him for 10 minutes, so would he kindly hurry up. He arrived 20 minutes later, his wife's arms laden with shopping. Guess where they were. He'd forgotten. I let him know that I was really angry. Waiting like a spare part at the security gate isn't my idea of a Friday evening. The worst part was that I'd asked him if he was sure he wanted a class on the Friday evening and he insisted! Gah. Ok, I think he's learnt his lesson. I hope!

Saturday morning, it rained and rained some more. I had to do shopping. Jurgis and I trekked out to the supermarket and  hardware store. We needed a doorbell, some doorknobs, a kitchen tap, and a few other odds 'n sods. We did the grocery shopping, then walked home (we have a nifty shopping trolley... one of Brazil's better inventions). As we got home, yet another random relative arrived.

Again, the house was a disaster (though we did have cups and glasses this time) with groceries everywhere and still no seating to speak of. This was the brother of the cousin who visited last week. He brought his son, aged 12, I think, who was clearly bored out of his mind with the old men (sorry Jurgis) talking family tales all afternoon. I confess, I was bored too. I tuned out to the talk because I struggled to understand him. He was nice though. He later took Jurgis to meet his gran's sister or cousin or some such relative. They ended up visiting a few other relatives at the same time. I stayed home to go through a couple of boxes. We have a vital suitcase with all our personal papers in and 'someone' has mislaid the key. *writes Saturday off for doing anything useful* Truth be told, I was grateful for the quiet time at home. Jurgis arrived home close to 10pm.

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining... the first real sun we've seen in ages. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds drifting by. Jurgis worked like a trojan. He got the washing machine upstairs, so it's now under shelter. He finished the dog gate. It's very grand... and very heavy! The gate is made from old shelving he found here, no less than mahogany. Thing is, it was made last week, but needed the hinges and catch put on. I cleaned up the 'garden'. I tossed a lot of unwelcome plants and weeded the rest. The curtains were completed and put up. A couple more boxes were dealt with. All in all... good : )

 

del.icio.us Tags: move,dingo,work,gate,visitors,family

A very merry -birthday to you... to you... a very merry -birthday to you!

The tune is going through my head. Can you hear it?







Ah Tatiana, you are so much to so many. How many young girls will listen as easily to Celtic Woman, 80's, hard rock, Disney and some other weird (and loud) stuff I don't even have a name for?

Gentle and kind. You spend time as easily with a toddler, a fragile old woman, teens going to an event, men playing their tunes at obscure pubs. You make conversation with strangers on the bus and diplomats at black tie events. I've seen you bring tears of happiness to an old woman begging for left-over fruit at the street market and yet another who was amazed that someone so young and vibrant would notice her, never mind love her smile. It's no wonder strange young men run after the bus to give you notes, telephone numbers and drawings of you.

Smart. Oh yes, you're smart, all right. Most people say 'clever', but clever is a little different. You are clever... with an IQ that rates nicely for those who care about that sort of thing, but smart is so much more than that. It's knowing how to use the grey matter you're given. Perhaps it is that balance between instinct and cleverness. However one describes it, you've got it... plenty of 'smart'. It will take you so much further than getting all the scientific and mathematical formulas right.

Quick tempered and stubborn too! I'm laughing here. Oh yes, you are those and more. I've seen your temper flare at a moment's notice and often gritted my teeth through sulks and tantrums, but such moods never lasted with you. I don't know how you do it, honestly. The smiles just can't be kept away.

Dreamer and achiever. I hope you achieve all those dreams... falcons, black belts, elves and forests, vast libraries, friends, laughter, love... and smiles. Have a wonderful birthday, my dearest daughter. Your teens are over. Most parents breathe a sigh of relief, but I've loved every stage of your growth.... ok, barring a year or so ; ) You're so special, truly a gem of a daughter and I'm so very proud of you!

I love you! We love you! Thank you for all the joy you've brought into our lives!

 

del.icio.us Tags: daughter,tatiana,birthday,tat

The eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul

I could drown in those eyes! Don't you just wonder what was going through her mind?

 

del.icio.us Tags: tatiana,eyes,tat

The eagle has landed

Ok, just Tat and not really landed, but finally arrived at NAYC in Northampton.

The photo, by the way, is Jurgis tormenting Tat with glitter. She was responsible for putting glitter on all the Christmas cards. He decided she needed to be 'embellished' too. That was a "Nooooooooooooooo.........!!" : )

I got a text message from Tat saying she was all settled in. I called her to make sure. It's a mom thing. Apparently their rooms are pretty small and wardrobe space equally small. The place is nicely heated and comfortable. The rooms are attractive and everyone has been very friendly.

She had a Welcome to England package waiting for her too!! Word has it that this person loves purple. Thanks so much, Katey!! You had Tat laughing. I could hear the excitement in her voice.

One way or the other, Tat is now settled and unpacked and appears to be enjoying herself. All is well : )

 

del.icio.us Tags: nayc,tatiana,england

She's landed

I just spoke to Tat. Her flight appeared to be ok with a slight 'drawback' in her seating companions. She was next to two middle-aged, balding gays who held hands and smooched and sniffed loudly throughout the flight. Her one bag was torn on the flight, so we're hoping she can claim on that. It was her very tough Scout camping bag. The darn thing was shrink-wrapped a gazillion times too. She arrived at Anne's and managed to get a call in to me. She's cold... her ears are cold, poor thing.

 

del.icio.us Tags: flight,tatiana,england

A letter to my daughter

A Daughter's Gift
She is ever-unfolding: growing, changing, becoming. Her gift - like the gift of life itself - is the renewal she brings to your own spirit, as she aspires to be all that she might be.



A Daughter's gift
by Robert Sexton

When I imagine
the life you will live
I think of the pleasure
Your presence will give.

I see the joy your smile will light
and the wonders you'll weave
when your dreams take flight.

I feel the hope
that will grow with your grace
and the difference you'll make
to each heart you embrace.

I imagine your life
as I know it will be;
for, my daughter, you've given
all this to me.


Dear Tatiana,

Considering we usually have difficulty keeping quiet, we've had remarkably little to say lately. I know, for me, it has been because my mind and my heart have been too full with too much to say. I suspect it's the same for you.

Tomorrow, we will take you to the airport. A whole new world awaits you... a whole new life. I know you'll do well. I still have that busy-body mom thing going on where I want to tell you to take an umbrella or make sure you have your own pack of tissues in your bag. Instead, I guess I really want to tell you to never stop smiling. It is your smile that people fall in love with, that smile that lights up your whole face and makes your eyes shine. It's not for nothing that within weeks of moving into a new place, people all along your route greet you and know your face. You are well loved. Remember that. Just do your best at whatever you do and do it with that smile we all love. Be happy. Be yourself.

I'm going to miss you so very much. You have taught me to laugh. You taught me how to make the world around me a bright place. You did that for me... my ray of sunshine. Not a day goes by that doesn't have us laughing... belly-aching, tear-streaming, unconstrained laughter. You're my other half (my other head?). You think people will still stare up there? Nah... if they do it will just be because you're pretty and have a radiant smile. You're crazy, you know. I'll miss that craziness. There aren't many people who see the world as strangely as we do. I'm going to have to take notes, so we can laugh over them when we talk. Thank goodness for technology!!

Again... so much to say and the words won't come. I know you know those words though. You know me so well and yes, we've said them so many times before.

A posse ad esse.

I love you!
Mom

PS. Did we pack tissues??

del.icio.us Tags: tatiana,tat,love,letter

Capy-what?

You may have heard of it as a capibara, capybara, capyvara... or you may well never have heard of it at all. The capyvara, as we know it, is the largest known rodent, if I'm not much mistaken and it comes from Brazil. I've been told they can be found scurrying around alongside our riverside highways. Apparently plentiful in the cane fields of Brazil, I've heard they almost a staple diet for the cane cutters. For that matter, I believe they are food for the poor around the highways too.

 

Photo credit goes to Zooborns or the Buffalo Zoo

One of my regular pick-me-up sites I visit is Zooborns. The photos and antics of baby wild animals almost always puts a smile on my face. Today, I checked into Zooborns, only to find the capyvara. Yes, Zooborns spells it capybara. It's etymology is somewhat confusing. I think it is only here that we call it a capyvara. My Oxford dictionary sheds a little light on that:

capybara
n    noun (plural same or capybaras) a large South American rodent resembling a long-legged guinea pig. [Hydrochaerus hydrochaeris.]
ORIGIN
    C17: from Spanish capibara or Portuguese capivara, from Tupi capiuára, from capi 'grass' + uára 'eater'.

Tupi is a local tribe of South American Indians. Many of our local names come from Tupi. Our last street address, both the street and neighbourhood were Tupi names. I love the way they roll off the tongue : )

Here is what Zooborns have to say about these giant rat-things:

"The Buffalo Zoo welcomed three baby capybaras on September 10th. The zoo tells us that the three babies were running around and even swimming the day they were born. The proud capybara parents have had three previous litters for a total of 20 offspring! Capybaras are the world's largest rodent with the largest recorded size at 232 lbs (105 kg)!"

My first encounter with the capyvara was back in 1988. We were visiting the Johannesburg Zoo with Hamish. Ceinwen was bored by most of the animals, but when she spotted the capyvara, she lit up. She absolutely loved those ugly animals. Yep... 'ugly' was my first thought when I saw them. They have these long very yellow, very ugly incisors. Think giant yellow rat teeth. This lot hadn't seen a toothbrush in a while, let me tell ya.


Sadly, I have no photos of Ceinwen with the capyvaras, so a photo of Ceinwen and Hamish will have to do.

Later, we returned to the Johannesburg Zoo with Tatiana. I figured, as I'd learnt my lesson with Ceinwen, having taken far too few photos, we'd take many photos with Tat. I was particularly determined to get a photo of her reaction to the capyvara. She was, for her part, particularly unimpressed with them, so no photos were taken. She did, however, enthuse over the ponies, so I got this really odd photo. I doubt she'll be impressed with me posting this photo, but... I claim the Mom's Amendment ; )

del.icio.us Tags: capybara,capibara,ceinwen,tatiana,zoo,hamish,capyvara

3-in-1

I haven't been in blog world properly in ages. I popped on briefly yesterday to reply to a pm... and flipped through posts in my mailbox. It was one of those days, made more... uh... interesting by a power failure for a couple of hours. Naturally, those couple of hours would have been during the few hours I was home. I had to cut my one Skype class short. While I was merrily teaching (do I 'merrily' teach anyway?), we had a flash storm of the 'branches flying around' variety. I heard a loud bang in the street and power went out. Luckily my student is understanding. The wind was blowing so hard, I struggled to open the door. The dogs were crying, poor things.

Yesterday was a good day though. It started out a little rough around the edges. I was in a mood and a half. It wasn't pretty. Tatiana had gone into town to get her glasses. Now there's a story! Jurgis has been doing translation for a guy who's in the middle of taking over a glasses manufacturer. A while back, I posted about synchronicity. This was it... or at least part of it. Tat has been needing glasses for a while now, but we were holding off until we could either find a reasonably priced pair or afford a better pair. They're expensive here. Her lenses are around $60 each and they're very simple lenses! Frames are in the region of $90 for the less expensive ones. Then this client comes along and needs translation. Because he is setting up, he doesn't have a good cash flow going yet, so Jurgis has done a fair amount of work for him on a 'never mind the bill for now' basis. With the last job, he mentioned Tat's need of glasses and wondered if the client could organise a discount. Yes, he could and would Tat come in to choose a pair. Well, there were two pairs Tat liked and we left his offices last Friday with an ambiguous, joking, "I'll throw the second pair in." At the time, he was cracking actual jokes about crazy discounts, so we didn't know what to expect. Wednesday, we were told the glasses were ready and could we pick them up.... and.... would we please give him our bank account, so that he can deposit the cash needed for the lenses, which would come to $20 for both pairs of glasses! We declined and said, no... we'd pay the lenses at least. Tat has basically gotten her two pairs of glasses for free! And she looks lovely in them, don't you think?


Later in the day, I got a message back from someone I contacted via FB. Yes, it was the person I was thinking of, someone I had been wanting to find for years now. You know... when you have a memory that is like a ray of sunshine on a wintery day... the kind of memory that makes you smile just recalling it? The memories I have of the times spent with this friend are like that. They were happy times. The best part was that he and his wife both remember me even better than I remember them. Somehow that made it even more special. Even if the friendship isn't resumed, it was enough just feeling that happiness over again while rediscovering good memories.

I wrote a little blog into my notebook while I was out teaching on Tuesday:

 
Photo is not mine, but from another blog on the internet. Photographer: Antonio Lopes
Today I am seriously wishing that I had a small pocket camera again, especially for the video.

We're having a week of non-stop rain. While waiting for my student, I decided to go outside under the overhang of the office block, usually smoker's domain, especially in this kind of weather. The air is lovely and fresh, the rain light. I was drawn by chirping birds. At least 3 varieties of birds were hopping, fluttering, flapping, swooping, and chirping around a pair of small trees. The bem-te-vi had cornered the one puddle for himself. They were having a pool party! Or would that be a shower party? Whichever... it was patently clear that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves in the rain. I wanted to join them, but as I've mentioned before, sogginess isn't recommended when teaching, especially in corporate offices that have a strict dress code ; )

I like... Ok, I love... (a post inspired and suggested by Tatiana ages ago and reminded about by Cherie yesterday)

fluffed up down pillows - the smell of freshly mown lawn - the sound of 'naturally' flowing water - bubbling brooks - waterfalls - forests - the earthy smell of rain - storms - crashing waves - little waves - playing in the sand with my toes - herby/fruity/spicy soaps - bright colours - warm smiles - chubby little cheeks - unexpected kindness - wrinkles - people-watching - tickling giggles - secret guilty pleasures shared with a good friend - laughing at silly things - inside jokes when I'm on the inside - friends reaching out over thousands of miles - technology - family - roughing it - planning - scheming - dreaming - sunlight filtering through leaves - the marvels of the human body and how it all works together - when my wardrobe for the day and the weather, for once, works in harmony - raindrops in puddles - letters in the mailbox - a good book - a couch at the window in warm winter sun - candlelight - .... and so much more....

 

del.icio.us Tags: friends,rain,little things,glasses,bem-te-vi,like,storm,tatiana,memories

Friday cogitations

I've just had a half-glass of caipirinha on an empty stomach at the end of a week of sniffling, coughing, sneezing and coughing some more. The evening is looking interesting.

I wish I was fun to have around like some others in blog world, but I'm not sure I'd like myself very much then. Not that I don't like them. I just don't think I'd like myself as them.

Tat's trying to bite me. Again. She's been trying to bite me since she was a couple of months old. Think I don't feed her enough?



One of my students has upped her time with me. Yay! Another is considering going private (one from the school). She doesn't like their materials, but doesn't want to lose her teacher. My student who can't string two words of English together got 81% on an upper intermediate level test. He redid the test with the principal. Huh??! I'm not even going to ask how he managed that.

I need to cook supper and I don' wanna. So there.

The word 'cogitation' always reminds me of my old friend Linda. Her two little boys and Tat used to play together when they were little. It was like opening a can of worms on the carpet. Linda and I studied together while watching the worms play. Those days, I could still multitask. Now, making a coherent sentence is multitasking for me.

I have tomorrow off. I can sleep late. Now there's a thought! I may just have to celebrate that with another half-glass of caipirinha : )

 

Technorati Tags: work,life,tat

All in a week's living

This has been one very intense week (understatement of the year). I'm sitting here trying to remember details from the beginning of the week and having trouble doing that.

Monday, I gave my students their test results. They failed dismally. Trouble is, they are lacking basic language skills and are being tested on intermediate understanding with questions like, "Which program sounds more polemic and is likely to attract many people? Why?" Now, 'polemic' is not a word taught to foreign language English students... teens at that. Polemic is the same in Portuguese, so basically, the students were being tested on their understanding of Portuguese, not their use of English and what teen uses the word 'polemic' anyway??? I walked away from that class feeling defeated.

That night, or was it the next day, Tat and I were in her room. She was trying to decide what to keep, take with, toss, donate, etc. We ended up going through old stored make up. There were some of my lipsticks from South Africa. What was I thinking? Other than the fact that they were good lipsticks at the time and had awesome colours. Well, as she was tossing, I was messing around, 'testing' each one. Uh.... I got a little carried away. We had a good laugh though. Note, I never usually wear makeup. I stop at lipstick and at a stretch, eyeliner and mascara (Tat insists) for special occasions. Ignore the frizzy hair... the current 'joy' of my life.

Wednesday rolled along. We headed out to Poupa Tempo with huge optimism, armed with copies of more documents than any state department could ever want. First, we went to the orange desk. No, we can't give you your RG (Brazilian ID). Yes, we know you had one before. We argued about Tat's constitutional right to an RG and showed all the documents. Ok, said the lady behind the desk. Go and pay at the 'bank' and take the slip to the desk at the 4th door on the left. We paid and went to the 4th door, found the desk in question. There were a few people behind us, but no major queue. Nice. Tat went in. I wasn't allowed with her. People came and went. It's very quick, they said. I read a chapter of the book I brought. Quick? They said around 5 minutes. The people who were after us had left ages ago. Tat eventually came out, her face registering her disappointment and showed me where they had drawn lines on the local version of her birth certificate. The wording was wrong!

They packed us off to the cartorio. The 'cartorios' are notary offices. There, we'd have to pay a fee and get them to change the wording. Ok, we could deal with that... except they weren't very obliging. It turns out that because the document was drawn up at the wrong office - don't ask me... it's a mystery - when we first arrived, we need an attorney to start a legal process to claim Tat's right to a Brazilian RG. That, according to a cousin of Jorge's, is a very long, drawn out affair. We then waged war on the bank within Poupa Tempo for a refund of our fee, as it was 'not their policy' to give refunds and don't we know the fee can be held for us. Until when, was what I wanted to know? The aliens are coming in 2012 and I don't want to be dealing with that paperwork then. They 'made an exception' and gave us our refund. Hmph! My one student commented today and wanted to know why they call it 'burrocracia' or 'donkey-cratics' because donkeys are rather more intelligent.

So now we have to apply for a visa at the offices of the British consulate. They are in Rio de Janeiro and they're sooooo easy to get hold of. Methinks they're hiding from Brazilian bureaucracy. Not to mention the fact that it will cost us a fair penny to get a visa *sigh* I think it's a conspiracy. Do you know that on the visa application form, they actually ask straight out if you're a terrorist or support a terrorist organisation? Who the heck answers that truthfully if they are?

Thursday morning, I collected a package from the post office. Rather big for the book I was expecting. In it was no less than a tartan teddy, a few other bits and bobs, including mixed spice for hot cross buns, and First Light, which I've been waiting for with the eagerness of a child before Christmas. It was worth it! I'm so lucky I have a job that has me whiling away my time on public transport. First Light was written by my friend, Michelle Frost. I know and love her writing, but the book drew me in... totally. It is science fiction and yet, not. It spoke of another world, yet one we could recognise easily. Full of hidden twists, riddles, symbolism... it was a light read, but a meaty one. The end was satisfactory, while leaving me with plenty of food for thought. Hm... methinks I should write a proper review ; ) In short, if you want something different to read, this book comes highly recommended by me.

That leaves today, which I fully planned to spend most of the day checking out the blogs of my friends that I'd been neglecting, as I only had two students. Uh... let's just say the day has gone by and I've achieved little more than zilch.

I'm having a good chuckle here. As many of you know by now, Yahoo 360° is finally dying... again... next month. So Yahoo, in all it's wisdom, gave us a tool to download our blogs. Tat and I thought we'd give it a try, just for the heck of it. My archive turned out to be all of 32mb. When I clicked to download it, I got an error. Tat wasn't so lucky. Yafooey coughed up her 'archive', which included all her images and... wait for this... ALL her blogs in one text file, running into one, in html format!!

 

Technorati Tags: bureaucracy,passports,sorting,michelle frost,teaching,first light,package