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

Stars

Friends

stars in our night time

plotting a path

when we can't see the way


* * * * *

Video - Catch a falling star* * * * *

Photograph by Tatiana Lasevicius

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?

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

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

Silly things

we laugh over silly things
until the tears roll
we cry over silly things
the tears through the smiles
we argue over silly things
tears washing over heartbreak

tears and silly things
go together
laughter comes so easily
tears too
declaring our passions
arm in arm

we have mused for hours
over the big things
no subject left untouched
but it's the silly things
that fill the gilded pages
of our memories

I never knew it was possible
to feel so deeply
about silly things

© Tint~

del.icio.us Tags: laughter,me,fun,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

Make a wish

I feel your tears, my child
Washing your heartbreak
A flood in my heart

Look! An eyelash fell
Make a wish, my child
I'll blow it to the stars

I feel your joy, my child
Giggles bursting like bubbles
Sparkling in the sun

Look! An eyelash fell
Make a wish, my child
I'll blow it to the stars

I see you grow, my child
A time of turbulent decisions
Your future laden with dreams

Look! An eyelash fell
Think of dreams, my child
The stars know them all

Tint ©

Technorati Tags: poem,tatiana,wishes,dreams,future

Interview with my offspring

I filched this interview from Sandy whose kids gave the most adorable answers. Naturally, my kidlet is a little more 'growed up' (19), so her answers will have a somewhat different twist.

1. What is something Mom always says to you? "Brat!" or "Noob!"

2. What makes Mom happy? When the chores get done without her having to argue about it or supper gets done for her.

3. What makes Mom sad? Arguing (for the most part)

4. How does Mom make you laugh? Being herself (she's very funny when she wants to be)

5. What was Mom like as a child? I didn't know her back then  ... But if she was anything like me.... *cough, cough*

6. How old is Mom? 41

7. How tall is Mom? 1.75m (5'7")

8. What is Mom's favorite thing to do? Blog, chat, take photos and laugh, I think...

9. What does Mom do when you're not around? How'm I supposed to know if I'm not around?? O.O Sneak chocolate? LOL

10. If Mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Writing (she's an awesome writer) or photography

11. What is Mom really good at? Just about anything she turns her hand to, especially writing, English and being really creative though.

12. What is Mom not very good at? I can't think of anything off the top of my head...

13. What does Mom do for her job? She's a mom (sorry, I hog her ;P). Photo restoration, photographer and English teacher.

14. What is Mom's favorite food? I'm not sure... She's a bit like me... If it's yummy and on my plate, I'll eat it! ... Does chocolate count?

15. What makes you proud of Mom? The fact that she's not afraid to be herself. She's brave, unique and everything she does, she pours all her efforts into it. Nothing is left half-done.

16. If Mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? They haven't made one *quite* like her yet

17. What do you and Mom do together? EVERYTHING!!! ... And I wouldn't change that for the world =D

18. How are you and Mom the same? We have similar opinions and tastes on just about everything, we even look alike! People always ask if we're sisters.

19. How are you and Mom different? She's more mature and level-headed than I am. I'm more explosive and slightly violent, while mom doesn't like violence at all.

20. How do you know Mom loves you? She shows it in a million different ways, big and small, but mostly because she tolerates me when I give her sh*t and still hugs me after I've been annoying and crabby all day.

21. Where is Mom's favorite place to go? PARATY!!  Which is incidentally my favourite too.

22. Where does Mom not like to go? Ummm.... She doesn't enjoy being in a big city. She doesn't like being in stuffy places or banks.

Technorati Tags: me,tatiana,interview

Dear Daughter

When your godmother woke you far too early, you stumbled to the phone, but your inherent bubbly spirit was soon smiling and laughing (pink teddies?). Exhausted, you stumbled back to bed. Naturally, it was reaaally hard to wake you up this morning, as it is every morning, but you pulled through, smiling (major strength of spirit there!). A night of broken sleep and early phone calls and you left home after cake and gifts looking like a ray of sunshine. How do you do it?

Wherever I go, people talk about you... 'simpatico', bubbly, friendly, beautiful, yada yada... Even the packer at the supermarket smiled and commented that, "I see your princess is now working." I think he has his eye on you ; )  Yes, you leave an impression wherever you go.

I will never know what great good I must have done at some point to deserve a daughter like you. Hardly a day goes by where you don't amaze me with your kindness, strength (I won't test your Aikido skills again! 0.o ), courage, and sheer bounce-back-ability.

Once a small child that needed to hold my hand, now blossoming into a beautiful woman!

"ONE"

My child

My friend

My flesh

My blood

My inspiration

My love

My hopes

My fears

My desires

My dreams

My life

All in "ONE"

"MY DAUGHTER"

Happy Birthday, Tatiana! With so much love,
Mom

Visit Tatiana's site: http://mythicalme.multiply.com/

Technorati Tags: tatiana,birthday,tat

When the center goes...

 

São Paulo is the economic center of Brazil. When São Paulo goes down, the whole country feels it. Last night, on the dot at midnight, our internet died. I cursed and went to bed, as the internet has been dicey for a few weeks now with super slow speeds at times.

We woke this morning to the news that the whole of São Paolo was down. News later came in that the downtime was statewide. Our internet downtime meant that everything was down. Think banks, police, airports, the works. On tv (great crime-prevention move there), they announced that no one was able to make official complaints at the police (what happened to paper and pen?) and the cops weren't able to release bodies from the morgue without internet (we needed to know that). Our news tonight tells us that Annatel, the governing 'body' for telecommunications in Brazil, is considering a R$50 million fine against Telkom if they can prove negligence. This should get interesting. Take a guess who'll eventually foot that bill... the users. Speaking of footing the bill. We just got the delightful news, too, that our electricity is going up by 8.26% next month. That should go down well.

Yesterday, we were out the whole day. We only got home at 9pm. Tat had a job in. I was really proud of her. She worked hard and performed well. The director, a crazy British guy, asked her why she hasn't considered going into acting. Born and raised South African, she has spoken Brazilian Portuguese fluently from shortly after we arrived here... without any hint of a foreign accent. For yesterday's work, she had to do a huge section in an American accent, then follow up with a section using a British accent. According to the director, she is authentic. Not bad for a kid who's never been to either the USA or Britain. She just listens to the accent and replicates it. That is some talent.

This photo was taken of Tat in the studio a couple of years back. I don't take the camera in there anymore.

Now I need to catch up with some mail. 'Someone' apparently put the internet on hold for us, but forgot to stop mail while I was down ; )

Technorati Tags: internet,são-paulo,brazil,tat,tatiana,work

This week...

I have been meaning to blog, but every night, I go to bed thinking... oh darn.... didn't blog today. Somehow, the days have just filled themselves up.
At the start of the week, I was having a discussion with a friend on English and vocabulary. I showed her a recipe for a simply divine lemon sorbet I had found - I will post the recipe. She said, "Oh, sherbet." To me, sherbet is a tangy powder kids love to lick out of packets, which fizzes and tingles in your mouth. Sorbet is a frozen fruit juice. I wandered off to my bookshelf and hauled down the rather hefty Google. Apparently, a sorbet is what I think it is, while a sherbet may contain egg or dairy. Frankly, every site I land on seems to argue the toss. Apparently, my concept of sherbet is more of a British thing.
I found this:

Sherbet is a surprisingly easy sweet to make, with only three ingredients and no cooking involved. To make your own sherbet, you will need:
Sugar, usually caster or icing sugar
Bicarbonate of soda (aka sodium hydrogen carbonate, aka 'bicarb' or baking soda)
Powdered or crystalline citric acid (Note 1)

The manufacturing process is quite simple: mix the ingredients together. Just make sure your equipment and ingredients are dry (this is really important). The citric acid usually comes as dry crystals or powder. If they offer you a liquid form (a solution), just say no! The sherbet begins to dissolve and fizz as soon as it comes in contact with liquid, so it must stay dry until it touches the tongue.

The hard part is getting the taste right. You change the taste by changing the proportions of the three ingredients. A good place to start is with two teaspoons of sugar, one teaspoon of citric acid, and half a teaspoon of bicarb.

One source suggested using jelly powder (jello) for flavour. I suggested that my friend makes some to keep her kids amused during the long summer holidays. I think she may have fainted, having visions of sherbet-coated sofas. (Another Englishism... to me, it is a 'couch', but everyone else seems to insist on calling it a 'sofa'). I then suggested playdough....

The idea of playdough on her couches got me a similar reaction, so I suggested that she shut her kids in the bathroom with a tub of playdough. More horror ensued. Do I know how boys and faucets ('taps' to me) mix?? I gave up at that point. Boys are as much of a mystery to me as speaking Portuguese. Basic communication is possible, but let's not get too deep ; )

Tat was raised on playdough. In the photo above, she is the grubby urchin in the middle clutching her Tupperware containing playdough. There was always playdough on hand in various colours to keep the kids amused. Here is the recipe I used (for those who have little horrors to keep entertained):

    *  1 cup flour
    *  1 cup warm water
    *  2 teaspoons cream of tartar
    *  1 teaspoon oil
    *  1/4 cup salt
    *   food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for a long time.

Speaking of keeping entertained, here is the latest project I am busy on. It is a challenge, but I'm enjoying it. Sadly, the original wasn't very big. This comes from a photo album that got wet. The pages stuck together and ink from the opposite side transferred to the photo.

On Wednesday, Tat went for her endoscopy. Somehow, this must have gotten to me, as I dreamt the night before that she never woke up from the anesthetic. I've been having many disturbing dreams. The night before, I had a dream that could rival the horror movies I refuse to watch, complete with butcher's knives and gore. Thankfully, I don't remember much of that dream, but I remember the dream of Tatiana very clearly. Anyhow, the endoscopy went well enough. All the other patients wobbled out, supported by the nursing staff, while Tat did her Tigger thing coming out, chatting brightly to the nurse. That kid is weird. We will get the results in 20 days. It is a timing thing here. I'm not terribly surprised, as we had to wait over 6 months for the actual exam appointment.

My next task is to get my sewing machine repaired. It has never worked since our move. I don't relish hand sewing. I commented to Tat that there was a time when I was so very proud of my hand sewing, but now I'll avoid it at all costs. I hold my pc responsible for that, along with the downfall of my handwriting, which was never stellar.

Technorati Tags: endoscopy,playdough,sherbet,sorbet,vocabulary