Ufa! …

 

Public restrooms in Brazil. What a great subject, don’t you think, my dear reader?! I swear: I would never write about public restrooms in Brazil, if I didn’t have a reason to do it! Actually, I’ve never paid attention at public restrooms. Of course, I’m a human being and, sometimes, nature calls, I need to answer and am not at home! But I’ve always used toilets of libraries, cultural centers, art galleries, shopping centers, urban parks, etc. Some of them are public because they belong to public buildings or places, but … you know what I mean. I’ve never used exactly a public toilet, restroom, Wanderley Cardoso, mictório (well, I would never use a mictório, I’m not a man!), etc.! I always carry a roll of toilet paper in my purse, just in case. It’s a matter of survival. I think I’m able to recommend some nice restrooms in São Paulo. The one of the city hall is far the best! Yes. Once I entered the city hall to pee (huahuahuahuahua!!!!) . Are you shocked? It wasn’t a goal or something, like I woke up that morning and decided: “Today, I’ll enter the city hall, go straightly to the toilet and pee!” I was in front of the city hall, nature called me and, well, I had to answer. I can tell this story to my grandchildren! An amazing toilet, I strongly recommend it! If you come to São Paulo, go there and pee, my dear reader! It will be an unforgettable experience! (he he he he he …)

Sooo … I’ve never used exactly a public restroom. They exist, though. And their fame is not very good. People say they’re very dirty. Why the hell did I decide to write about this fascinating subject? Because I read a news, today, about the new great tour spot in Rio de Janeiro: a public restroom in the middle of the sidewalk! The idea came from the city hall! Isn’t it great?! You can see that there’s a connection between city halls and restrooms! (Yeah, I am terrible today! *lol*) Ladies and gents, it’s a pleasure (well, I’m not very sure about that) to introduce you UFA! (Unidade Fornecedora de Alívio – Relief Provider Unity – no, I’m not kidding!), a public restroom in the middle of the sidewalk, at Central do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro):

http://im.r7.com/home/files/2C95/94B5/3CD8/2CA3/013D/176D/7346/41FE/ufa%20610.jpg

(If you pay attention at the restroom, you’ll see that the F of UFA looks like a man and this man is … pissing! This is absolutely infamous! But the worst is yet to come!)

The beauty above is a project, based on European public restrooms (is it true, my dear European readers? ) and, for now, it’s availabe for men only. According to the news, there are no doors or water in these restrooms, so … it won’t be possible to people to wash their hands after pee and this is absolutely lovely, don’t you think?! The restrooms, made of stainless steel, are connected to the sewerage system. They were created because a lot of people pee on the streets (Ugh! ). If people pee on the streets here in Brazil, they are arrested. If there’s a policeman around, of course!

I still don’t know what to think about it. I use to relate restrooms to privacy. I would never use such a thing, in the middle of the sidewalk! Ok, this is the male version, but still! Of course, if a man feels comfortable enough to pee on the streets (Ugh!!!!), it won’t be hard to him to use this UFA! … What made me feel really embarrassed was the meaning of the acronym UFA! Ufa! in Portuguese, is an interjection and it expresses relief. Ufa! means Phew! Do you understand me? Ufa! (Phew!) became an acronym to Unidade Fornecedora de Alívio (Relief Provider Unity). This is more than infamous, this is atrocious! How can a person talk seriously about a project like that?! Ufa … restroom … pee … relief … huh, huh?! I live in a country where terrible jokes become serious projects! And I still don’t know if I feel fine or not about it!

But … well, now I need to go. I’ll pee.

(Ufa! …)

Stay tuned! I’ll be back! This is Brazil, babe! Such things only happen here!

Luna

Link of the news, in Portuguese: http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/brasil/rj/2013-02-26/rio-de-janeiro-inaugura-o-ufa-novo-modelo-de-mictorio-publico.html

Menina Veneno.

Hi again

I confess I didn’t know what to write about. I cannot think well in such weather conditions. But internet has saved my dayHere in Brazil, 30 years ago, according to UOL (Universo Online), a song called Menina Veneno was released by a British singer and musician called Richard David Court, also known as Ritchie. I was a cute 3 year-old girl (Aww! … ), but I listened to Menina Veneno during my whole childhood! It was a HUGE success, the greatest hit of Ritchie! He, a British man, can sing perfectly in Portuguese, it’s impressive! He was a successful singer and musician in the 80’s and his songs are good! Menina Veneno sounds a little cheesy, but I must confess: I LOVE IT! I don’t know … there’s something magical about the 80’s! Menina Veneno is a hit until today and Brazilian people from all generations love it and sing it! So, it’s my obligation to share it with you, my dear readers! Enjoy! Listen to Menina Veneno and sing it! It’s a great “karaoke song”! *lol*

I’ll be back! Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Luna

Menina Veneno (Ritchie) Meia-noite no meu quarto Ela vai subir Ouço passos na escada Vejo a porta abrir Um abajur cor de carne Um lençol azul Cortinas de seda O seu corpo nu Menina Veneno O mundo é pequeno demais pra nós dois Em toda cama que eu durmo Só dá você, só dá você, Só dá você, (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) Seus olhos verdes no espelho Brilham para mim Seu corpo inteiro é um prazer Do principio ao sim Sozinho no meu quarto Eu acordo sem você Fico falando pras paredes Até anoitecer Menina Veneno Você tem um jeito sereno de ser E toda noite no meu quarto Vem me entorpecer, me entorpecer Me entorpecer, (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) Meia-noite no meu quarto Ela vai surgir Eu ouço passos na escada Vejo a porta abrir Você vem não sei de onde Eu sei vem me amar Eu nem sei qual o seu nome Mas nem preciso chamar

Poison Girl At midnight, she’ll be upstairs In my bedroom I hear steps on the stairs I see the door being open A flesh colored lampshade A blue bed sheet Silk curtains Her naked body Poison Girl The world is too small for both of us On every bed I sleep There’s only you, there’s only you There’s only you (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) Your green eyes at the mirror Shine to me Your whole body is a delight From the beginning to the yes Alone in my bedroom I wake up without you I keep talking to the walls Until the night falls down Poison Girl You have a serene way to be And every night, in my bedroom Come to drug me, drug me Drug me (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) At midnight, she’ll appear In my bedroom I hear steps on the stairs I see the door being open I don’t know where do you come from I know you come to love me I not even know your name But I not even need to call you

 

P.S.: This is not a literal translation, but that’s what the song means.

And the Oscar goes to … Paperman!^^

Morning, peopleI’m sorry for my delay! So, how are you doing? Hope fine! I’m melting, but still alive, that’s what matters! … You probably remember that I’ve already written about animated movies, here, right?! (Here is the post, anyway!) I wanted to upload four nominees to the Oscar 2013, but could only upload two, back then. The other two were unavailable. But, today, I read the news and knew that, according to my expectations, Paperman, directed by John Kahrs and produced by Disney, won the competition of best animated short film! Yay! It was a fair choice! Paperman is one of the cutest animated movies I’ve ever seen! And, guess what?! I finally found the video on YouTube! ^^ So, of course I’ll share it with you! Enjoy a little bit more than six minutes of absolute cuteness! I’ll be back later! Now, I need to get ready for my singing lesson!

Talk to you soon!

Luna

Brazilian music to do the laundry.

Evening!

Now, that there are deep grey clouds in the sky and the sun finally went down, I feel in the mood to write something! Maybe some people will think that this post has a strange title. But this is a strange blog, written by a strange woman and read by strange people … Ops! Are you fine, today, my dear reader?

One of the only things I enjoy to to when it’s too hot outside (and inside) is the laundry! I belong to a noble dinasty of people who still wash clothes by hand. Yes, I have a washing machine. But I wash many clothes by hand, especially the ones I wear more often. I have my own laundry at home, by the way, it happens to the most of people here. There are no public laundries in São Paulo; at least, I’ve never heard about them. Usually, the houses and apartments have a laundry, where there’s a washing sink, a washing machine, clotheslines and some supplies. I like to get in touch with water, since I was a kid. There’s something relaxing about it! In the beginning of our History, the African slaves used to wash clothes in the river. Until today, many people do it all over the world. Of course, there’s nothing funny or romantic about slavery, but despite all the pain, the African slaves used to sing while they washed clothes. Some of these songs, belong to our tradition. And the washerwoman is a type of folklore character, in Brazil. She is not a slave, though. But she’s a slave descendant, in the most of cases, a mixed woman, who has African and European ancestry. One of my favorite Brazilian literature characters, is a washerwoman, called Rita Baiana. She belongs to a book called O Cortiço, of Aluísio Azevedo, one of our “classics”. Cortiço is a collective habitation, to very poor people, where lots of individuals live in a small place and share everything, there’s no privacy. There’s nothing cute about the book, it’s including a book full of racism and bias, where you find every type of disgusting stereotype about black, mixed and poor people. BUT, Rita is a very fascinating character! She’s a mixed and sexy woman, who dances and sings well and lives according to her will. When I read the book for the first time, I got fascinated by Rita and it was great for my selfesteem, because I’m mixed, too and have African and European ancestry! So … I have this type of connection with washerwomen and everytime I wash my clothes, I feel … fine! *lol*

That’s why I pay attention at Brazilian songs about washerwomen and their routine. We have many of them! And they are so sensual! The laundry becomes more pleasant when I listen to this songs! So, I’ve chosen three of them to share with you. They are old, of course, because I’m talking about tradition. Enjoy! They have a particular atmosphere, very warm and intense! There’s something magical about the Brazilian washerwomen!

Juventude Transviada – Luiz Melodia:

This is not exactly a sensual song. It’s a melancholic song, about the routine of a poor and young washerwoman. But, it’s great! Here in Brazil, it’s usual to hear people singing, every time they need to wash their clothes: Lava roupa todia / Que agonia! …(Do the laundry every day / What an agony!) By the way, this is a samba, believe it or not!

Lamento da Lavadeira – Pery Ribeiro:

Washerwoman’s Lamentation. Yes, the title is not very joyful and the song is not joyful. Probably this washerwoman is not very different from a slave, who complains because she has a lot of clothes to wash, in a short space, with a few resources and she doesn’t earn much. But, for a very strange reason, this song is absolutely cute and kids LOVE it!

Ensaboa – Cartola:

Cartola is just the master of samba, in Brazil! And this is a sensual song. It’s complicated to me to talk about it, because I blush every single time I listen to this song! The lyrics is a dialogue between a couple and the woman who’s washing her clothes is a mulata, a mixed woman and it seems she looks very attractive washing her clothes …My friends love to sing this song to me, to see me blushing! Anyways, it’s a very good song!

That’s all for now, folks! I’ll be back! Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Luna

Ai, que calor!

Wipe your tears, my dear reader! I’m here! I just couldn’t write this post before. I don’t know if this heat will kill me. I belong to a nation of survivors! If we, Brazilian people, survived the colonization, the military coup and Psy singing Gangnam Style in Salvador, I believe we can survive the heat! I’m almost dead, anyway … Maybe I became a zombie in the last few hours. Fancy a slice of human brain, dear reader? (By the way … I’m a vegetarian. If we’ll become zombies in a near future, how will I feed myself? If zombies eat human brains – what a bad taste! – how will the vegetarian zombies survive? Hey! I’m worried about that, ok?!)

When I was younger, I met some foreign people, from Europe, and had to hear the same sentence dozens of times: “Oh, I would love to live in a warm country! ” Back then, I was a heavy metal listener, a very straight to the point person and stereotypes about my country made my blood boil. I used to say to my brother and friends that I would love to wrap those people at the top of Catedral da Sé, at noon (on Summer, of course), so they would see how lovely existance can be in warm countries, especially in big cities!

Catedral da Sé, one of the tour spots of my beloved city, located in downtown (If you want me to wrap you at the top of it, at noon, dear reader, just let me know! There’s still a little bit of heavy metal blood in my veins … ):

It’s easy to imagine a delightful existance in a warm country, if you don’t live in one. Many Brazilian people say that life must be glamorous and wonderful in European countries, because it snows on Winter. But my European friends tell me about experiences and problems they face due to snow, and there’s nothing glamorous or wonderful about it! Imagination and reality are different things, babe. Extreme temperatures are terrible, in my opinion, no matter if they’re hot or cold! February is the hottest month of the year in Brazil and, as you already know (if you read my blog often, of course. And you do it, don’t you?! ), the Brazilian Summer is very hot during the day and rainy in the evening (or afternoon). The sunlight is so bright, that you easily get dizzy when you walk on the streets, unless you’re in sunglasses. It’s over +30C in the most part of the days and there’s no cool breeze outside! I live in São Paulo! But things are not different in Rio de Janeiro. Believe it or not, the most of the population doesn’t spend the whole day at the beach! If I was at a beautiful beach, wearing a bikini, layed over a canga (canga is a colorful fabric that we, Brazilian women, wear to go to the beach. The most of them cover half of the body, but some of them cover the whole body.), on the smooth sand, under two palm trees, feeling the cool breeze and drinking coconut water (Hold on a sec! I will cry for a few minutes, because I’m not at the beach …), I would feel just fine! But I am surrounded by buildings. My poor brother go by subway to college and bears a crowded public transportaion where a lot of human beings are sweating at the same time! Cool, don’t you think? I thank God because I work at home. Everytime I need to go out, I want to cry! I pity the ones who work on the streets.

I’m not a Summer person at all, but here in São Paulo (this strange fortress in a tropical country) people don’t seem to love Summer, either. My brother and friends hate it. They’re long hair men () and we, long hair people (no, I’m not a man … *lol*) suffer a lot due to the heat! We sweat, no matter how many showers we take during the day! I’m too sensitive to high temperatures! I’m also the type of person who puts on a sweater when the average temperature drops two degrees, but I’m more sensitive to high temperatures. My head aches, sometimes my nose bleeds, I feel useless, can’t work right, feel extremely tired and in a bad mood. It happens to my brother and friends, too. Some scientists (?), who like to find stupid explanations to complex problems, say that the heat influences people’s behaviour, that’s why we, South American people, are not hard workers and decent people. Well … the people of the so-called “Third World” have build up the world. A huge ammount of the real hard workers of this planet come from South America! People who sacrifice everything they have to be humiliated and discriminated in the North Hemisphere! Then … aren’t we decent? Why? Because we wear less clothes? What’s decency? I think that it’s a huge lack of decency to say terrible things about people to justify some oppressions. But this is my opinion … Well, well, let’s get back to the heat. It’s pretty obvious that people from warm countries behave in a different way, because we have different problems to face! It doesn’t mean we are inferior or superior. We need to slow down our rhythm because it’s impossible to move or exercise or work right, when the weather affects your body! It’s actually very hard to deal with the heat, especially nowadays. We need to protect our skin with sunblocks (at least we should), drink a lot of water, avoid to expose ourselves to sun from 10:00 AM to 16:00 PM (who can do it, in a big city?) and slow down our rhythm. We’re usually stressed in São Paulo, only who lives in a big city knows how does it feel. The heat makes our stress grow exponentially! It’s a huge challenge! Sometimes, I have the impression that we, Brazilian people, are real warriors …

We should pay attention at the seasons and live according to them. In big cities, the most of the nature was destroyed. So, we can’t defend ourselves from the heat! Our suffering is a result of our attitude towards nature! This is sad … I do my best to respect the seasons. I just can’t be so productive when the days are too hot, period. But I’m a privileged person. Everything must change when the temperature is too high. We need to drink more water (I drink a lot of water, so, this is not a challenge to me), eat less food and a very light and healthy food, take care of our skin, wear light clothes and slow down our rhythm. This is not possible to everyone. And it makes me sad. It’s pleasant to enjoy the hot weather, when you’re having fun, at a nice place, surrounded by nature. The daily life, in a big city, is a nightmare in the most of the time. Every morning we know that the sun will rise. And, sometimes, we’re not sure if it will set …

Warm hugs to you all! (I really mean that …)

Luna

 

Retrato chinês de aniversário.

Parabéns para mim

           Nessa data querida

        Muitas felicidades

                       Muitos anos de vida!

Yes, my dear readersThis is the most important day of the year At least, to me. My birthday! ^^ A few hours ago, I became a 33 year-old woman. How do I feel? Fine, for now. No wrinkles, no sagging, one or two white strands of hair, but I always remove them furiously … I think that the biggest transition of my life, in the past years, was when I turned 30. I cannot explain, but it’s a completely different lifestyle, especially to a single person like me! When I was younger, I thought I would be married and a mother of three kids (yes, I was that insane!) at age 30. Believe it or not, I’ve ever been married. My ex-husband is one of my best friends. Yes! But my life has changed a lot and I became a single, independent and self-made (super powerful, badass, etc. *lol* ) woman, who doesn’t want to get married again. I will write a post about my lovely single life someday! It’s completely different to be a single woman at age 30, or 33 in my case. My sense of reality is much more accurate, for instance. My plans are more realistic. By the way, people ask me if I have dreams. No, actually. I have plans. I want to build up my dreams, so, they are not exactly dreams. When I was a 22 year-old elementary teacher, I wanted to change the world through Education. Now, I know that I do enough changing my own life (and writing a blog, maybe ). People at my age are far more realistic! We already know that we won’t be rich, unless we win some lottery, so, we need to manage our finances. And there are so many bills to pay! When I was younger, I could be insane and spend loads of money in … a … purse, because mom and dad payed the bills. Now, I have some responsibilities, so, my purses are a little cheaper (which makes no difference nowadays, because not even the experts can distinguish a fake Louis Vuitton from an original one. Holy God, what a futile comment! … Pardon me! ). Now, I am far more mature and responsible!

I think I’m more interesting, charming and attractive (I’m extremely humble, too! *LOL* ). Now I’m more secure about my thoughts, opinions, feelings. I have more things to say and stories to tell and don’t take life too seriously. I believe my choices are much better nowadays, too. I think once, twice, three times before to make a choice. My relationships (all of them) are much better, because I care about quality, not quantity! I learn from my mistakes. I’m less anxious (hmmm … maybe! ). I think that aging is only a problem when people stop to live and learn! I don’t know if I’ll feel old someday! There are so many things to live and now I have a little bit of wisdom (I guess …) and life experience, to enjoy them better! I don’t feel old. Yesterday, my friends said that I’m looking great. It’s a wonderful thing to hear when you are not an 18 year-old girl, anymore *lol*. People don’t believe that I’m 33. In the beginning of the year, I had a type of crisis, because I didn’t want to be seen as an old woman, you know, that type of single 30 year-old respectful woman, who can’t laugh on a silly joke and gets offended easily. But, I think it won’t happen! Sometimes I feel strange, because I still play video games and computer games, still like Hello Kitty and my bedroom looks like the bedroom of a 15 year-old girl. But, it’s my way to be! Age is only a number. But aging has a purpose. We should get better with time. I feel young inside, but much more mature. When I take a look at my old pics, I see how insecure my eyes used to be. My eyes now are stronger, more secure, I can hold my teen friends in my arms, wipe their tears and say that they don’t need to suffer so much because of a jerk. I was a teen some years ago, I met many jerks, cried because of them, but time showed me that there are many nice guys around, too and all the sorrow disappears someday. It’s good to be a woman. At least, I can avoid jerks and give a little bit of support to my teen friends .

So, yes, I’m feeling just fine! Now, I need to justify the title of the post, before I forget (old people have memory problems …): Retrato Chinês (Chinese Portrait) is a game I used to play with my friends and penpals when I was a teen. It’s basically a list of questions and you need to say what/who would you be if you were a song, a season, a toy, a day of the week, etc. I don’t play this game for ages, but I thought it would be interesting to play it today, on my blog, so you can know me better. And I can see how much I’ve changed. So, let’s go:

If I was …

• a color: Pink.
• a dish: Estrogonofe de legumes, my favorite dish. Estrogonofe is a Brazilian dish, usually made with meat (beef or chicken), spices, veggies, cognac, mushrooms and creme de leite (a cream made of milk). But, I’m a vegetarian, so, my estrogonofe is made with veggies, spices, cognac, mushrooms and creme de leite. I will eat my favorite dish today, by the way. Hmmm! … Can’t wait! It’s delicious!
• a drink: Water.
• a season: Spring.
• a day of the week: Saturday.
• a book: That’s a hard one! … The Odyssey, by Homer.
• a comics character: Any doubt? Storm (X-Men)!

• a cartoon: Here we go again! Any doubt?

• a movie: The Neverending Story. One of the most beautiful and meaningful movies I’ve ever seen, based on the book of Michael Ende. I think that this movie is not only part of my childhood, but part of my soul!

• an animal: a winged unicorn. Because it’s a magical horse that can fly! Freedom and fantasy at their most! I know that unicorns do not exist. Actually I don’t know …
• a sweet: Chocolate. Without cockroaches (Check this post here).
• a toy: yoyo .
• an object: a book. A good one!
• a country: Brazil.
• a football team: São Paulo Futebol Clube.

• a game: Diablo 2. I have an affective connection with this game!
• a band: Any doubt? QUEEN.
• a sentence: Two sentences: The mind is everything. What you think, you become (Buddha).

Enough for now? Yeah, I think so. I need to wake up a bunch of lazy guys right now! I want to thank all my friends and penpals for the birthday wishes, sweet emails and little gifts! You are just adorable! Stay tuned! I have a lot of things to post! But now it’s time to celebrate a bit!

Luna