You Know You're Portuguese When...

Your mother or grandmother has Maria in her name.

You have a rooster napkin holder.

Your father or grandfather is called Manuel, José, Antonio, or João.

You have crocheted doilies on your kitchen counters, dining room, living room, bedroom--on all your tables.

You decorate your walls with plates.

Your house is a mini church with just as may statues of saints and Jesus as your church itself.

You're 25 and still living with your parents. (Extra points if you're married and living with your spouse in your parent's house)

You warn other drivers of police on the highway by flashing your lights, even though one of the drivers might have just robbed a bank.

You baptize your child and send him to catechism even though you might never go to church except for weddings and funerals.

You think all university graduates should be called "Doutor" and like to be called so if you are one of the chosen few who have managed to finish college.

You park on the sidewalk when necessary, even asking the person standing there to please move away.

You have a mobile phone and spend a small fortune on it, but think twice about going to the dentist.

You have a mother or grandmother who wears black.

You spend your holidays in Spain instead of in Portugal because it is cheaper.

If you are a woman, you have been to see a "curandeiro" (healer) or have had your fortune told.

You insist you wouldn't be caught dead buying Spanish olive oil even though most of the olive oil consumed in Portugal comes from Spain.

You laugh at jokes about the Alentejanos but get angry to know that the same jokes are told in Brazil about the Portuguese.

You think that you can catch a cold with a draft or by sitting in the spring sun. Cold drinks are also thought to bring on the dreadful "gripe". And don't let anyone have a shower after eating as something terrible could happen to them.

You get a letter from your doctor saying you can't work because of an "unspecified, ongoing medical condition" and then go on a two-week holiday.

Your child's teacher misses two weeks (because of a letter from his or her doctor) and you don't complain because you also will use the same doctor when you have to miss two weeks from your work.

If you are from Porto you don't like people from Lisbon and call them Moors. The reverse is also true but they don't call you a nice word like "Moor".

You think Brazilians speak incorrect Portuguese and will not read a book written in Brazilian Portuguese.

The last major military victory you can remember your country having was the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.

You say that the Portuguese, unlike the Spanish, are good at learning foreign languages.

Your parents own like 9 houses in Portugal but complain about the lack of money in the States.

Going to Portugal involves buying gifts for all 500 members of your family

You go crazy for the World Cup

You refer to Portugal as "O Continent"

You've walked in "as paradas" longer than you can remember

You have grape vines in your backyard

You earned over $10,000 for your first communion.

To hell with the Turkey and Roast Beef! X-mas dinner was bacalhau au braz, baby!

A barbeque does not consist of burgers on the grill... Hello! Can you say sardinhas?

You've had your license for a month, but your $20,000 car has been "hooked up" for a year. I'm talking rims, tints, a system...

A wooden spoon equals discipline, or if you ever had to duck so you wouldn't get hit with flying shoes.

Your parents anticipate that you'll marry your first long-term boyfriend/girlfriend.

When you hear the word "Sagres" you think Beer, not historical marine school.

Nothing beats a buttered papo-seco.

Your 15 year old brother is allowed to have two girls sleep over, but your 19 year old sister can't go out past 7pm.

You think that 2am is too early to go to bed and that 11am is to early to get out of bed.

Your grandmother tells you look sick because you are too thin.

Your parents make you eat 3 servings of dinner at each sitting otherwise they think you don't like the cooking.

You're proud to be Portuguese - and you pass these jokes on to all your Portuguese friends!



I can relate to quite a few... : )

Christmas

Man, i'm so sick of Christmas already...Everywhere i turn, every second on TV, what's the talk of the moment... CHRISTMAS.... well.. more like spend your money and buy lots of presents for your loved ones, otherwise you wont be cool, you wont be loved. Isn't this the message that comes across, if you dont spend loads and get yourself in debt for the rest of the year u wont be cool..

I'm kind of tired of Christmas, i do think its overrated, fair enough its a fantastic time for children, but even kids all they seem to care about is the amount of presents Santa has left under the tree.

I just feel like running away going somewhere where Christmas is forgotten about or at least Christmas still actually means something.

Speak soon
Isabel

Scotland & Portugal

Its been a while, been really busy these past couple of weeks both at work and home..

Scotland
Two weekends ago, went to Scotland.. its was really good to go away, even if only for a weekend. A few of my friends and boyfriend went to watch the rugby and the rest of us decided that it was a better idea to skip the rugby and walk around Edingburgh and do some shopping.

I must say that when every one was going to Murrayfield and the vibe was such a good one from both South Africans and Scottish people, I kind of wanted to go, just to see what its all about.

Edinburgh is beautiful city, and its worth a visit. It was great to go back and see all the sites again, one thing i must say.. i wish i knew what Edinburgh looks like in the summer cos both times i was there it was bloody cold.


Portugal
Last weekend, i was in Portugal, went thursday came back sunday evening, it was so good to be home.
But the reason i went home was to see my brother's "passing out" "graduation", whatever... the ceremony these kids have after they finish the first 5 weeks of basic recruit. When i saw him i just burst in to tears, i know i know i'm just an idiot, but it was the first time i was seeing him wearing his uniform and he looked so proud and serious, just taking that whole thing so seriously, it was great. Took loads of photos, obviously.
The weekend was not near to enough time for me to see everyone i'd like to see, so i was very tired, still recovering now.

Man, i miss home, miss being with my brother, miss being with my friends, my family(those that matter). Miss the laidback lifestyle, sometimes i wish i could go home, kind of like yesterday,sometimes it feels like i'm just missing out on what's happening in the life of the people i love, but at the moment its just not realistic.

Who knows, maybe one day i'll go back.

All for know..

Good Night

A little poem

How do I love thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

-- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Bored

I feel so tired today, its a struggle to keep my eyes open, dont have the slightest motivation to do any work at all, i've been sitting at my desk for just over two hours now, and just can bring myself to do anything...

Why is it that we get stuck in shitty jobs that we dont like? And before we can tell we're just stuck,arguing with ourselves everyday about changing our lives our jobs bit never actually doing anything about it...

I kinda like my job,its not the greatest but i like the people i work with, but i'm getting fed up with it-same thing day in day out, no changes... I feel i need a change

I suppose i'm just bored, and besides its wednesday no one is happy with their jobs on wednesday unless its your day off...

Better stop now...

Speak soon

Things to look forward too...

These last few weeks have been full of ups and downs for me.. but it looks like its all falling into place now. And it looks like the next couple of weeks will be very busy... I took the day off work today, which feels fantastic...looking forward to sleep in tomorrow and sunday..

In a couple of weeks time going to Scotland for a weekend with friends,most of the people are going to watch the rugby, but me and a friend decided to give it a skip and just go shopping and walk around town, since Edinburgh its such a beautiful city... the weekend after that going back home for the weekend (Portugal), my brother FINALLY started the army and his graduation is on the 3rd December, although i'm very excited about this, so much shit has happened before that i cant help but expect something to go wrong, or find out that his lying to me or something like that...but i've booked my trip now, so one way or another i'll be in Portugal for a weekend in 3 weeks time.. : )

Now one thing that i'm really really excited about is a trip i booked for next year.. going to Nepal and Tibet for roughly 20 days... i've waited for so long to book this trip that i find myself boring people around me just talking about it... but its defenitely a dream come true,and i cant wait...

So as i said before, got a few things to look forward too, and all of them i'm finding quite exciting...

It's all for now...
Wish everyone a fantastic weekend
Isabel

Kissing-- How important is it?

How important is kissing for you, especially if you dont like the way the other person kisses?

For me personally the way the other person kisses might become the make of break of the moment(an absolute turn off if he's a bad kisser), I thought everyone was like that( I know, I know...silly :p ), however after speaking with my colleague I'm not that sure anymore.... After going out with someone and kissing her for the first time he really disliked the way she kissed, but mentioned that didnt matter as she is a really good girl...

Am I being too shallow saying that it would be very hard for me to go out with someone if I didn't like the way he kissed?


I've been doing some research on the matter of kissing and surprise, surprise found loads of sites willing to give one tips and advice on kissing and kissing "styles".
Most of it its about the first kiss in your life.. what to do? So i say, if you dont like the way he kisses dump him... : )


Here's Basic Kissing Tips, that I found on one of the websites(kissingbooth.com) :

--Great Breath ( because one usually has bad breath !!!???!!! )
--Moist Lips ( .. )
--Positioning ( .. another thing to stress about )
--Close Eyes ( or just keep then open and get and headache :P )
--Open Lips ( cause one wouldnt think of doing that... )
--Closed Lips (if you dont like the guy/girl :p )
--Hands ( ???? )



Because what one needs is to stress about all this when giving your first kiss.




On this note, i'll finish with a couple of quotes about kissing


"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."
-Ingrid Bergman


"The decision to kiss for the first time is the
most crucial in any love story. It changes the
relationship of two people much more strongly
than even the final surrender; because this kiss
already has within it that surrender.
-Emil Ludwig (1881-1948)-"

In case you're wondering- boring day at work, lots of free time..
And feel free to leave your comment if you're bothered..

Florbela Espanca

Amo os poemas de Florbela Espanca.. e desejo partilhar alguns dos meus preferidos com todos voces..



Passeio ao campo

Meu amor! Meu amante! Meu amigo!
Colhe a hora que passa, hora divina,
Bebe-a dentro de mim, bebe-a comigo!
Sinto-me alegre e forte! Sou menina!

Eu tenho, Amor, a cinta esbelta e fina...
Pele doirada de alabastro antigo...
Frágeis mãos de madona florentina...
- Vamos correr e rir por entre o trigo! -

Há rendas de gramíneas pelos montes...
Papoilas rubras nos trigais maduros...
Água azulada a cintilar nas fontes...

E à volta, Amor... tornemos, nas alfombras
Dos caminhos selvagens e escuros,
Num astro só as nossas duas sombras




Se tu viesses ver-me...

Se tu viesses ver-me hoje à tardinha,
A essa hora dos mágicos cansaços,
Quando a noite de manso se avizinha,
E me prendesses toda nos teus braços...

Quando me lembra: esse sabor que tinha
A tua boca... o eco dos teus passos...
O teu riso de fonte... os teus abraços...
Os teus beijos... a tua mão na minha...

Se tu viesses quando, linda e louca,
Traça as linhas dulcíssimas dum beijo
E é de seda vermelha e canta e ri

E é como um cravo ao sol a minha boca...
Quando os olhos se me cerram de desejo...
E os meus braços se estendem para ti...



Saudades

Saudades! Sim... talvez... e porque não?...
Se o nosso sonho foi tão alto e forte
Que bem pensara vê-lo até à morte
Deslumbrar-me de luz o coração!

Esquecer! Para quê?... Ah! como é vão!
Que tudo isso, Amor, nos não importe.
Se ele deixou beleza que conforte
Deve-nos ser sagrado como pão!

Quantas vezes, Amor, já te esqueci,
Para mais doidamente me lembrar,
Mais doidamente me lembrar de ti!

E quem dera que fosse sempre assim:
Quanto menos quisesse recordar
Mais a saudade andasse presa a mim!



Os versos que te fiz

Deixa dizer-te os lindos versos raros
Que a minha boca tem pra te dizer!
São talhados em mármore de Paros
Cinzelados por mim pra te oferecer.

Têm dolência de veludos caros,
São como sedas pálidas a arder...
Deixa dizer-te os lindos versos raros
Que foram feitos pra te endoidecer!

Mas, meu Amor, eu não tos digo ainda...
Que a boca da mulher é sempre linda
Se dentro guarda um verso que não diz!

Amo-te tanto! E nunca te beijei...
E nesse beijo, Amor, que eu te não dei
Guardo os versos mais lindos que te fiz!

Ola

Aqui estou eu de novo, nao ha grandes novidades para contar entao, vou so dizer que o fim de semana foi fixe.. Fui as compras com o Brendan no centro de Londres-enquanto me lembrar disto nunca mais la volto num sabado a tarde-- e uma selva.

Sai no sabado a noite, um bar chamado SO.UK-- mas a decoracao parecia indiana :/.. enfim, quem decidiu o nome do bar deve saber o k estava a fazer, e super caro,nos pagamos 10 libras por duas bebidas uma das quais cerveja-- roubalheira :), enfim isso foi sabado a noite, e ontem dormi................................................................ o dia todo, soube tao bem, levantei-me as tres da tarde e passei o resto do dia de pijama a por a minha leitura em dia.

Ainda nao tive noticias do meu irmao, por isso ainda nao sei quando vai ser o juramento de bandeira mas mal posso esperar.

Ate breve

Isabel

Friends... Quotes by Anon

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words"

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it's only by this meeting that a new world is born."

Oi Pessoal

Com este site espero que seja mais facil manter-vos informados do k tenho andado a fazer por ca.

Eu sei que tenho sido pessima a manter contacto mas espero que me perdoem.

Nao tenho grandes novidades neste momento, acho que a unica e k o meu irmao entrou para a tropa.... : ) --- quem sabe do drama, sabe o feliz que eu estou... comecou no Sabado passado, e eu vou a Portugal para o Juramento de Bandeira dele, isto e se ele nao me disser 2 dias antes a data, pois eu preciso de marcar voos e tudo mais.

Por agora e tudo.. ate breve

Beijinhos
Isabel
xxx

Hello

Its taking a while for me to figure out how exactly this all works, and as some of you know I'm not a patient person, so I ended up deleting blogs I had posted already just to try and figure out how it all worked...

Anyway,

What have I been up too? hmmm.. lets see....
Been to Greece a couple of weeks ago with Brendan, Santorini to be more specific, we met up there with 3 friends, which was great coz they have been traveling through Europe for the past couple of months, so we had some time to catch up and listen to loads of stories, which is always fun...
Santorini is beautiful, although, I wouldn't say its the most beautiful place I have been to, its really nice,definitely worth a visit, loads of tourists despite the fact that is low season, and still cheap.
Stayed there for 5 days, and then back to London, back to work, same old same old..
Since I have been back, I've been on a mission to try and catch up with several friends that I haven't seen in a while, so guys please bear with me, I will call you sometime soon and we'll meet up for a drink..
Speak soon
Isabelxoxoxo

PS- Para o pessoal em Portugal, prometo k vou comecar a escrever em Portugues, e dar noticias mais regularmente....