Brazilian Cuisine

Hi everyone!

I'm here today to talk about a web site which I've just found and really enjoyed. It's called Cuca Brazuca...it's a webpage in which you can find some Brazilian recipes in English...I really enjoyed the videos they posted!

If you ever have the chance, try to make "brigadeiro" and "bobó de camarão"...you'll probably love them (kids will love brigadeiro!!!)

Here are some videos I decided to share with you:
http://www.cucabrazuca.com/brazilian-cooking-video-recipes/brigadeiro-brazils-famous-party-treat/

http://www.cucabrazuca.com/brazilian-cooking-video-recipes/bobo-de-camarao-a-delicious-brazilian-fish-stew/

http://www.cucabrazuca.com/brazilian-odds-and-sods/aquarela-do-brasil-disney/

By they way, that's the web site I'm talking about: http://www.cucabrazuca.com/

Have a great week!


PS: Mom and Dad have arrived from the US...

Getting my visa!

Hi everyone!

Now, it's official! All I need now to visit all of you is a plane ticket!!! :o)

Yesterday my parents and I had a visa interview at the American Consulate...I was a little appreensive because I couldn't prove my incomes were enough to afford a trip...but we tried a family tourist visa, so it became quite easier...

The interview didn't last more than 3 minutes!

Mom and Dad will take off on the 28th November...and returns on the 07th December. I still haven't decided what I want them to bring me...after so many years, I really can't remember all the things I loved about the US!!!! :o)

I guess it's time for me to come back and figure this out!!!

Getting together

Last night we had another get-together dinner at my place.
I love having people around...specially, around the table.

I made dinner for 9 people and we had an amazing time. Friends are always welcome to make us laugh once in awhile! :o)

I'm glad my friends don't mind doing all the washing up after all!

Mom and Dad are traveling to Houston,TX and Orlando,FL in the end of this month...Bruno has finally convince them to meet him to celebrate his 30th birthday in the US (Canada is too cold for my mom)...They are going to Disneyworld for 5 days and then visit a friend's couple who have been living in Houston for about 8 months or so. I'm glad they have accepted to go, but kind of frustrated that I can't join them during this trip (someone in this family has to work, right?)! I just wonder how they're going to survive without speking English! :o)

Next week we're going to try to get the American visa...this is my dad's first visa interview (and his first passport as well!)...We already got the Canadian visa, so I guess we'll make it! To bad they don't give us a 10-year visa anymore!

Halloween

Hi everyone!

Halloween is not the most famous holiday around here...which doesn't really mean some people don't celebrate it! To be quite honest, some friends of mine are celebrating it tonight...

Since I work at an English language school, we did celebrate halloween with lots of candies, games, spooky rooms, prizes for the best Jack O'Lantern and so on...Kids and teenagers struggling for "halloween gifts"...eating...screaming...running all over the place...oh my! They really have lots of energy!

Tonight I'm going to another Halloween celebration...we're not supossed to wear costumes, but black is crucial! I bought a witch's hat for the school halloween party, so I guess I'm going to use it just for the fun of it!

We have to take something to eat and to drink for this party. Instead of buying something, I decided to make it myself...I really like its results and thought would be a good idea to share with you my "work of art"... :o)

Pics

PICS FROM PHOTOFUNIA.COM

Have fun, everyone!

Just another post

There isn't much to say today...

I just need to write something to show how frustrated I am during this past week...

First, my boss told me that I'm supposed to stay working during our summer break (January-February) even having no classes at all...so, I won't travel to visit any relative I have...

Then, I just have to accept the fact that my bf has just traveled to Europe for studying and he's going to stay there for at least 13 more days (he left last thursday)...

I'm taking CAE classes (certificate of advanced english from Cambridge University) and I just realized my writing is too "basic" for them! At least my listening skills are going much better on my practice tests...

Well, of course I still have a few things to be grateful for...a great friend of mine, who got married in the US and has been living there for about 2 and 1/2 years, is coming to visit and is bringing her 2-years-old son!!!! I'm really excited to finally meet him and see her after all these years!!!!!

Idioms- origins

Hi everyone!!!

After a busy and kind of frustrating week, I'm back here to post the origins of a few idioms...

So...here they are...

On the grapewine

In the 1850s in the USA, just after the telegraph had been invented, hundreds of miles of telegraphs lines were being built everyday. In 1859, a man called Coronel Bee tried to save time by using trees to carry the lines, instead of wooden poles. The trees continued growing and the wires stretched and broke, hanging down to the ground like grapevines. During the American Civil War Coronel Bee’s telegraph became a joke, and they used the expression to refer to inaccurate messages or misinformation.

To let the cat out of the bag

During medieval times, baby pigs (piglets) were usually sold tied up in bags. This was a way of keeping the animals calm and stopping them from escaping. If you opened the bag, the piglet would often jump out and run away. Some dishonest traders would catch cats, put them in the bag and sell them as piglets. Thus, letting the cat out of the bag means revealing a secret to the wrong person.

Can't hold a candle (to someone)

Before electric lights, if someone needed to do something important in the dark, such as doctor performing an operation, or a musician playing a difficult piece of music, they needed a helper to hold a candle to provide light while they worked. Holding the candle is, of course, an easier job. Even so, the person who held the candle still needed to understand a little about what the doctor needed to see, and therefore the job was often done by an apprentice. To say that one man cannot hold a candle to another is like saying that he is not even good enough to be his apprentice.

Worth its salt

During the time of the Romans, salt was extremely useful, both for preserving meat and to make food taste better. But it was also very rare. Many Roman soldiers received some salt as part of their pay (the word “salary” comes from the Latim “salarium”, meaning of salt) and it is probably among the Romans that a soldier was worth his salary, i.e. a useful soldier.

Wearing your heart upon my sleeves

The expression dates back to one of William Shakespeare’s plays, Othello, in which one of the characters says: “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve”. The character was using the expression to mean that he would pretend to be open about his emotions, telling Othello everything he felt in order to deceive and eventually destroy him. Although this usage is slightly different from the modern one, the expression developed and became more general in meaning over time.

Well...long post, isn't it?

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Straberries season

How such delicious, juicy and beautiful fruit lasts only a few months during the year??? Strawberries here in Brazil are winter fruits...and since our winter is not that long (neither that cold), we only have them for about 4 months...

I love many kinds of fruits, but strawberries are one of my top 10 (banana, papaya, seedless grapes and pineapple are some others). Have you ever tried strawberries as desert? You don't need much...a little sugar is enough to make an amazing desert... Or, maybe cream milk?...people love that around here...strawberries dipped with chocolate? Strawberries jam? I made some this year...and ate them with crackers in the morning...delicioussssss...Pies...cakes...everything goes so well with strawberries, doesn't it??

I've gotta enjoy the few last days of this season and eat as much strawberries I wish!!!

Idioms

Teaching definately brings a bunch of new information about language that I find myself quite surprised once in awhile.
Today I've decided to bring up a few idioms in English...it's funny coz we're so used to say idiomatic expressions in Portuguese...and translating them to English would just be a mess...and so the opposite way round.
There were a few expressions tha I can certantly say that I've never heard it...not in English neither Portuguese... " on the grapevine"..."to let the cat out of the bag"..."a feather in your cap"..."can't hold a candle to (someone)"..."worth its salt"...etc...
So, now that I have done my "homework"...i'd like to know...have you ever heard this expressions?? Do you know its origin? You're not supposed to check its origin on the Internet, ok??? I promisse to post the answer next week!!!!!

Love you all!!! I'm wearing my heart upon my sleeves!!!!

Daddy's bday!

Wow...what a week!!!

Today is my dad's birthday...and we started celebrating it yesterday....to be more honest, my mom and I started organizing its party for about three weeks!

Bruno also came for his bday right from Canada! The good news was that he got me my new digital camera...a Pink Canon SD 1100IS!!!! Yeah, that's it...a pink camera!!!! 8.0 Mega Pixels...very small...and cute!!!!! That really made me remember Wendy's post on buying a new camera...

(Just for you to make sure the camera is as cute as I've already described!!!)

With my new camera I could take a few good shots at my dad's bday party...

By the way...since my dad is an Italian descedent, as most of you already know, I decided to have an Italian theme party...lots of typical Italian food...lots of food, actually...well, it's better showing you the pictures instead of describing the whole party, isn't it??

So...here it goes...hope you have a great time!

The last picture was posted just to update and post pictures of me!

Old news

Wow...I can't even tell how long I stayed away from this blog...
My past two weeks were crazy and kept me quite busy!
On the 26th of July classes started to my English language students. The week before we had a whole-week trainning section for new teachers. I felt really confident near my new work-colleagues. I also was the oldest one in the sections...which didn't make me feel any worse...
First week of classes was pretty nice and I realized that teaching is definetely something that I love to do...keeping in touch with new students, their doubts, personal lives (they do bring their personal lives to the class), experiences at work, frustations and happiness...
I'm spending most of my time preparing my classes. Although I have only three groups (of three different levels of English), they keep me very busy!
Also, on the 26th of July, we went to my Uncle's farm about 2 1/2 hours from here. It was my cousin's 1st birthday and, as a tradition in Brazil, his parents gave us a huge party...of course there's nothing we could complain about...having most of my relatives together is something that I enjoy the most. Everybody dressed on tipical costumes (that party's theme was "Junina party" - everybody dresses funny as if we lived in a ranch or something, but it must be funny!)...
People almost didn't recognise me...I was even wearing fake hair...Too bad I haven't got the pictures...but my cousins have. Hope they send me those as soon as possible!!!

Hope you all have a great week...

And...just to mention: IAN...HAPPY (LATE) BIRTHDAY!!!!

Changings

Hi everyone...
Here I am..back to bussiness...
The last month was...how can I say...weird...
I lost my job (Thank God!) and spend my past 30 days at home...sleeping...being a driver to my mom and aunt (who spen about 15 days at my place going to doctors, having blood transfusion and leaving my mom nuts!)...trying to find a new job (without any hurry at all)...going to school for my MBA...and, finally, seeing my boyfriend more often (the best part ever!).
Althought I lost my job at a trading company, I'm back to the teaching bussiness...I was invited to substitute a friend at a high school once a week (from 7 a.m to 5 p.m) and also, was selected on a job interview to work in a language school near home (about 5 minutes by car)...
I'm not expecting to make money being a teacher...teachers here are never well-payed...but I do expect to meet people...having new experiences everyday...having fun with students...and, keep practicing English (which I fell I really need!).
Well, things have changed a bit since my last post...as you can see...oopsss...read!
Bruno moved to Canada last Monday. He's going to spend a whole year there...but there is a chance to stay for another year or two. I truly hope he spends more then a year there...I still want to visit him in Canada...By the way, he's staying in Montreal...I believe it would be easy to visit Missy from there, isn't it?
Last night I had great dreams (I usually remember more than one dream at a night)...one of them includes my host family...and...Richard's wedding day!!! Richard...please...if you plan to get married...would you wait until next year??? Then I could attend your wedding...
I guess I had this dream after cleaning my room yesterday...There is always a good reason for keeping letters, cards, photos...I keep all letters, cards (birthday cards, graduation cards...), and photographs you have ever sent me...I just can't throw it away, if you know what I mean! And, it fells really good re-reading all the letters and remembering the moments each of them were sent to me. I even found Julie's wedding announcement...and Jared's also! Pictures of Laura Lee when she was about one or two years old, wearing some sunglasses ( that looked sooo cute on her!)...a elementary school picture of Rich ( 12 years old? Cuteeeeee)...years go fast...that's for sure!

By the way...yesterday I also went to the federal police office to get a new passport...mine second is going to expired in August...but my American visa expires next months...I've gotta hurry to get another visa to attend Rich's wedding -- no matter whenever it's going to be (hope not so soon)!

A week later...

Birthdays, birthdays and more birthday's parties...not that I had that many parties for myself...but I like being inveted to other people's party as well!!!

Today we had a BBQ to celebrate another birthday...the girl decided to have a "hat party"...everyone should wear a hat to get in...it would had been great if the party actually started at 7 or 8 pm...and not at 2pm as it did...

Anyways...

After that BBQ, my boyfriend and I decided to come to my house watch a movie...movies are always great choices to end up a night...

Tonight we choosed "Stardust"...and this one I highly recommend...this is more like a Narnia Chonicles movie...with witches , fallen stars, princes, unicorns and so one...the cast is also awsome: Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert de Niro and Claire Daines (she was Juliet on Romeo & Juliet with Leo di Caprio). Definatelly, a great movie to see with the whole family together!! P.S: No...no one has payed me to say anything about this movie...

And it's gone...

Unfortunatelly birthdays happen only once a year...
I had a great day!!!! Friends coming over...family all together...phone calls...internet messages...all that made my day just wonderful...
Here are some pictures I'd like to share...

My little cousin, Helena, and I...it took about 15 minutes to take that picture...and still though she didn't smile at the camera... :o)

I can say she was my greatest birthday present this year. I stayed at the hospital with her mom when she was born...She's 2 and a half right now...It's sooo good having kids around, isn't it?

That following picture I took specially for Mike....Since I can't send you a piece, I can send you a picture of the cake...or of what still exists of it!

It's difficult to say what birthday gift I loved the most, since I couldn't choose one, I decided to post some of the things I liked very much or had a great meaning...

Lilies from my boyfriend....

Two desserts recipe books (one is in german...anyone would translate it for me?) and a fiction book ( I guess it's a novel...)

What does it call in English? Wax lamp? Please...tell me!!!! Another gift from my boyfriend.... :o)

And another gift from my boyfriend...in case I miss him once in awhile... it's a pillow, con you believe it?

I'd like to thank you all for your birthday wishes...they were also a special gift for my bday!!!!!

10 days left...

Well, I can't stop myself of counting the days for my bday...a bit freak, I know...

You would feel sorry for me if you actually knew what actually happens to me few weeks before my birthday...

This year, I've just realized, that my blood pressure is low...what makes me feel really sick....every year something different happens to my organism because of my anxiety.

Today I finally got my Xmas card/letter from the Olsen...I couldn't feel happier of getting my nieces and nephew pictures...great pictures, by the way! I wish I knew how to scan them to post here...And I loved the letter that came with the Xmas wishes...Richard truly did a great job!!! I thought sooo funny some of his coments...specially the one about Sammy having expensive tastes...Maybe she needs to spend some time with me...I usually buy nice stuff...and finally learned how to bargain ( My dad is better than me, though).

You won't believe, but I also received a Bday card from the USA...and, I'm gonna say that, I got really emotional...yeah...I'm definately getting old...I guess that was the first time I actually cried over something...and it wasn't sadness, for sure! I'd like to thank you guys for the bday card...I really loved it!I just wished the card could bring you guys here, just like it says :o) .

I have no idea when I'm going to post again...probably after my bday...after getting a few pictures to show!


Ahhhh...Julieeee...I didn't forget your bday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just didn't have anything as special as you to post here... Hope you had a great bday (and are still accepting late happy bdays!)!!! I don't have to wish you any blessings coz you're yourself a great bless...not only to God...but to all of us who loves you very much!!!! Miss you a lot!

"

Finding an apartment on my own...

I didn't know that finding a place on my own would be soooo difficult...

This week I had this insight of finding a place for myself...buying an apartment that fits what I've always dreamed of and also that I could afford...

Dad has already "offered" his help -- financial support, I mean -- after a small conversation about plans for the future (the conversation was something like: "-Dad, I want to buy a new apartment for myself...would you help me paying for it?" "- Well, first you must see what you want and its price, then we can talk about it")...

And since then, I can't stop visiting websites that can give me an idea of what I want...and how much that would cost me...

Today my boyfriend and I are going to visit a decorated apartment...I've already realized that not going to be the one I'm gonna buy...even though, I want to see how they can make a small apartment looks soooo nice!!!

Wish me luck, everyone!!!!!

Trying not to....

Wow...I've just read my host family's blog...and started thinking that even Richard...my "little" brother is about to get married before me!!!!! I just hope he takes two or three more years to find the right girl...and then gets married... Am I being too selfish? Sorry guys...I just don't want to be THE LAST ONE TO GET MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(

Anyways...

Since the year 2008 began, I didn't have much time to post...actually, I don't have much to say...that's the real reason why I don't post... My past three months can be described on: working , working, spending time with family (and boyfriend -- he's been as busy as me with some other stuff!) and working! Not to complain, though.

By the way, I even offered myself to teach English to my co-workers...I believe that I can only grow in the company with everybody grows together...isn't it?

Bruno is still in Europe...he's there since New year's eve!!!!! Can't wait for him to arrive on Easter...can't wait to have my new sunglasses with me also!!! hahahahah


Just for you to know... 51 days for my birthday!!!

There's still time for buying the tickets, huh???

Wondering what to post...

After a 5-days break for Carnival, I tried to post a video I record just to show you guys that Carnival is not only naked woman, samba and huge parades...Unfortunately, the video was bad and I couldn't upload it (it too so long to upload that I actually gave up of doing that!)...too bad, huh?

Although it was raining, my Carnival break was awsome! I read a good book ( A thousand splendid Suns - by Khaled Hosseini), could sleep as long as I wanted and, the most important, I was with my family -- cousins, uncles, aunts, mom, dad and boyfriend! Could this be better? At least, not for me...

My parents are back home...after 2 months living between Vitoria and Guarapari...not that I complain being alone -- that's definetely something that I love is to be alone at home (that reminds me of the movie "Home Alone"...) -- but since my mom has left to Guarapari, food is something that I can only find on restaurants or bakery stores (and once in a awhile, supermarkets and frozen food)! I only eat like that when I'm alone...or when I go to NYC!!

I guess that all for today...

65 days left for my birthday...I suggest people not to miss it...there's still time for buying the flight tickets!!!!

Great month...

January is gone...and I wonder how come the month has passed so fast!!

Last weekend I saw a friend that I met about three years ago...He's from Denmark and was visiting Brazil for the first time...got lost and a friend's mom decided to take him and a friend of him to her house...We actually thought she shouldn't had done that in first place, but they were amazing kids ( they were about 21 years old...can I call them kids still?)...

They spent only two days at my friend's house, but that was enough to keep in touch with them until nowadays.

Well, he's back in Brazil for his winter break and came to visit us...he's still a very sweet kid...and brought with him another friend...

Too bad I didn't have much time to go out with them like the first time...at least I could practice my English a bit (which doesn't mean he understood everything I said...hahahaah). And, he is doing pretty fine with his Spanish/Portuguese ( he learned Spanish last year in Argentina...and tried to understand everything we would say in Portuguese...if he couldn't, we still had the English language to understand each other!!).

I just hope to keep the promisse of visiting him in Denmark next year...


Carnival is coming...and I must say I'm not that excited for it...I feel I need to rest during this 5-days break!!!!

First week of the year...oops....second already!

Wowww...I've just realized that two weeks of the new year just passed in a blink of an eye!

Last Tuesday(Jan. 8th) was Marconi's birthday (my boyfriend)...he's not the kind of guy who enjoys his birthday -- and he's not the only one I know -- and I gave myself the mission of changing his mind about it... specially coz I'm a huge fan of birthdays ( and birthdays parties as well)...So, we had two surprise parties for him!!! He actually loved each one...but couldn't miss the oportunity to say that he hated me for making fool of him!!! hahahahaha...Two parties at the same weekend was a bit exageration, but I couldn't get all his friends together at the same place -- at the same time!

Of course...I wouldn't miss the change of making, or at least trying to, his day a bit funnier...and on his exactly birth day, I bought him a ballon and a chocolate rose ( he will never complain about me never giving him flowers...hahahaha)...He even asked me who birthday was: mine or his!!!

I can't forget mentioning Jared and Mike's birthday this past week... I swear I didn't forget...I just didn't have much time for posting anything...Sorryyyyy guys!!!! But I truly wish you had a W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L birthday! God keep blessing you and you marvelous family!!!!!

Well, I could spend all the time I have today posting here...but I gotta pack my stuff to meet my parents in Guarapari ( where we keep an apartment for the summer...)!!! Here are the pictures from last summer:

What a happy new year!!!!

This year I had a very relaxing new year's eve...

Dinner at my boyfriend's...no fireworks (which I kinda miss)...visiting some friends...and going to bed at 3 a.m...

I don't get too excited about New Year as I do about Xmas...I'd rather Xmas eve than anything else -- except for my birthday, of course!!

I had an amazing Xmas eve...many Xmas gifts....Santa was quite generous this year I must say! And New Year's eve was just another day to get people together...I actually do that pretty often at my place during the year...I love getting people together....dinners...meetings...movies....evething is a good reason to have a few friends over...

Well, people use to dress in white for peace...I was a bit selfish and dressed myself in purple...which I found out it means criativity and finding spirituality...I guess I choose a good color, didn't I?!

Hope 2008 is a year of love, peace, honesty, friendship, health and full of blessings to everyone!!