a day in nazaré

Yesterday was a different day! I leaved Lisbon in the morning, and after a car journey driving north and hour and fourty-five minutes later i arrived to a beautiful place, that i always like to visit... a place called Nazaré.

Enjoying for a whole day this pretty coast village, surrounded at west by the Atlantic Ocean, without forgetting to taste the local gastronomy - the diversity of fish dishes, was a great relaxing activity for the weekend.

This picturesque seaside village, very popular in the summer, has an history behind: the town used to be known by the traditional clothing worn by the fishermen, while their wives worn the traditional headscarf and embroidered aprons over seven flannel skirts in different colours, and also the rowing boats and the fishing nets were associated with the natives practical craft.

I leave you here a lovely music video filmed at Nazaré, by an artist that i enjoy listening, that expose very well the day-to-day routine of the traditional nazarene families - their lives and costumes. It also show us the essential about Nazaré: the fishermen, the sea and it's hard way of life.

"Fisherman" directed by Cristiana Miranda, and soundtracked by the song "The day before the day" by Dido.

You can see the video:

@ www.didomusic.com/xx/films/fisherman/high/

or

@ www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJcrFfE5QMI

autumn is back

The first real signs of autumn are here!
Almost reaching the month of November... and, finally, we are presented with those rainy days and cold nights characteristic of this time of the year.
This means winter is closer, the end of the year is nearer and that on the next few days we will be starting to see the children running and playing with mud on their rubber boots. With help of the wind the leaves will start to fall from the trees, the days will become shorter, the sun will refuse to shine most of the days, we will welcome the mornings as lazy moments, and at the first glance of raindrops the traffic will turn chaotic.

But the best of all are the fragrances in the air, like the smell of wet leaves on the ground and the scent of hot chestnuts being selled on the streets, that are mixed in the chilly atmosphere.

And of course we can't forget the beautiful autumn colours that surround us.

a busy friday night

Friday night is, for most people, the end of a work week and the perfect moment to begun to relax, starting the weekend with a long and fun night surrounded by friends.
Last friday, from 20:30h to 04:30h, i travelled through four distinct universes in the city of Lisbon, along with some close friends. This was my itinerary...

The first stop was for dinner at Assuka, a japanese restaurant.

This is an excelent restaurant, that presents a simple decoration and a pleasant ambient, where is served japanese cuisine with the best quality/price relation. The menu is diverse, displaying, to the many costumers, unique and peculiar flavors. If you sit down by the balcony, you can enjoy the view to the kitchen, observing the chef and staff cooking and working under a very strict methodology, while your eating. The food is to be eaten with the traditional chopsticks! thing that i can't do yet, so my option is to allways request silverware...

location: Rua São Sebastião, 150, 1050-209 Lisboa
information @ http://www.assuka.com/

After leaving the restaurant and after a little walk, approximately of 3km, crossing the city, we arrived to the next stop of the night - Caxin Bar.
This is a moroccan bar, a perfect place to travel into the north african traditions, surrounded by an oriental atmosphere with smoke, essences and tradicional music from Morocco. The small space is caracterized by the decoration that refers to an intense culture, where you can explore and experiment. While talking to friends, you can drink traditional teas, with exotic spices, that can be relaxing, stimulanting or aphrodisiac, and you can also smoke water or whisky pipes with bittersweet flavors.

location: Costa do Castelo, 22, 1100-179 Lisboa

Leaving the quiet and peaceful surroundings and adventuring in the middle of an old part of town, where we can find a concetration of bars and people, drinks and noise all mixed in confusion, we can also find Maria Caxuxa bar.
Located in Bairro Alto, this bar was a long time ago a cake factory. The decoration that is based in old second hand furniture with very different styles is complemented with a variety of sounds, since lounge music, jazz fusion, or even electronic dance music. The atmosphere is cozy and lively, sometimes a little bit too noisy to have a calm conversation with friends, but excellent to enjoy the live dj's that frequently are presented to the audience.

location: Rua da Barroca, 6-12, 1200-050 Lisboa

The last location of the night was the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara.
Situated nearby one of the many entrances for the Bairro Alto, this beautiful garden, from the 19th century, present us with a panoramic view over the old part of the city. A calm place during the day, at night this place becomes a meeting point for young people that is looking for fun. It's an amazing place to end a pleasant night, sitting in one of the many wood benches, enjoying one of the best sights you will ever seen.

After that... a comfortable bed at home!

reduce. reuse. recycle

Are you worried about the future of our planet?

The amount of waste we produce, and that is constantly increasing, as a huge impact on the natural environment. To prevent the aggravation of this situation, we should have in mind three important things that will help save the Earth.

reduce

Save electric energy.
Don't waste water.

Buy only what you need.

Reduce paper waste by cancelling unwanted mail.

Buy non-toxic products whenever possible.

Find safer alternatives to hazardous household products.

reuse

Buy products that can be reused.

Sell or give away unwanted items.

Instead of throwing items away, reused them for other purposes:

• any kind of paper can be used as scrap paper for making notes,
• cardboard, newspapers and bubble wrap can be used as packing materials,
• jars and pots can be used as small containers to store items,
• plastic and paper bags can be reused in stores or be used as bin bags,
• used wood can be used in woodcrafts or as firewood.

recycle
Buy products with little packaging.

Learn how to recycle different materials such as metal, electrical equipment, paper, plastic, glass, batteries, wood and printer cartridges.

Taking this 'green actions' we are helping the world we live in. It's essencial to reduce the pollution, to prevent deforestation, habitat destruction and global warming, and to preserve natural resources for future generations.

afraid of the future

As i now face the beginning of a new challenge, i am also reaching a point in my life that i have to make choices and take decisions related to my future... what to do with it? what to do after college? take a master's degree? start searching for a job? jump to the commitments and responsabilities of an independent life? am i taking the right decisions? what if this isn't what i really want?

This apprehension that i am facing now, i have already experienced before and i'll be dealing with it later again, as many other people do. We all end up confronting our dilemmas several times at very different stages of our lives.

The doubts and insecurities that we face through those bad days, when we can't take those questions out of our heads, can ruin our present life, as it robs us energy and motivation for dealing with today.

It's important to have friends and people who you can count on, those who are there everytime you need them, that help us, listen and support our decisions. We have to realise that is fundamental to be there for them, as they were there for you once or will be when you need them in the future.

We also have persons around us that, at some point, pressure us to make a choice, telling us that is our obligation to make the 'right thing'. They don't do it with bad intentions, but that quick response that they demand from us, only disturb us even more...

But what we should think is that life hasn't even begun... we are only at the beginning!

So take your time, make your choices carefully and don't forget you always have more time and chances to try something else and face new opportunities.

today i'll be your guide

In these months that follow the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, my city is being, as usual to this time of year, swallowed by a wave of design and film festivals. As part interested, being cinema a pleasured hobby and design a field of study, i try to be on alert to know when and where these or other events occur.

In the end of the last month toke place, in one of the oldest movie theaters of the city (cinema s.jorge inaugurated in 1950), the Queer Lisboa 13 - Lisbon Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (informations @ http://www.queerlisboa.pt/index.html). I went to the day before the last, and watched a special screening of the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. This display of Victor Fleming's motion picture was significant beacause it was showed in a 35mm technicolor version. It was an amazing exhibition on a emblematic location that helped to a pleasant and unforgettable evening...

I leave you a list of events that are going to take place, and if you come to Lisbon in these following months don't forget to check them out!

doclisboa 2009

VII Internacional film festival, 15October - 25October

«doclisboa has established itself as one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals»

http://www.doclisboa.org/

EXD'09/Lisboa

experimentaDesign Lisboa, 9September - 8November

«new. now. yes.» «it's about time.»

http://www.experimentadesign.pt/2009/pt/index.html

10ª French Cinema Party

7October - 10November

http://www.festadocinemafrances.com/

presenting myself

Some of you might see me as a stranger, others as just another girl who likes to waste time writing a blog and that enjoys talking about stuff that don't matter to anyone... i can't deny that maybe i'm all that, but i hope that for at least a few i'm someone who you share common thoughts and similar ideas.

I'm not here to please anyone or to provoque anybody, that for some reason don't agreed with me, but to express my concerns and desires, thoughts that came flowing from my imagination, and even feelings that i experience as a reaction to the day-by-day events.

And now that i clearly explain what is my purpose here, i would like to introduce myself to my future blog readers and followers... nice to meet you all!

I'm a dreamer... just another dreamer in this world! one in billions.

My head is full of dreams! (who's head isn't?) a normal girl living her life, trying to find out who she is, hoping to be free, and beliving that she will be able to fly... following her destiny and accomplish her dreams...