Mariska Hargitay, everyone!This weekend we did quite a lot, now that I think about it. We’ll start with Friday evening. I made Pao de Queijo using a new recipe and it came out sooo good! Beautiful golden white orbs baked to perfection. The Pao de Queijo was not supposed to be the main even, however, as we had rented “The Love Guru”. I had heard so many bad reviews on the movie that I was honestly not expecting much at all. I think this is the reason why I liked it as much as I did. I was prepared for something so mediocre that I was pleasantly surprised that I was laughing the whole movie long. I’m still a little surprised that Sir Ben Kinsley was in the movie at all, and that on top of that he played such a silly character.
Saturday Thing 2 and I made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and they came out scrumptulescent. There really is nothing so comforting as a glass of milk and an oatmeal cookie. Does it take you back? Ponder this: you’re a little kid, you step out of the shower and your mama puts some Johnson’s powder all over you. You sit down for a snack of oatmeal cookies, a glass of cold milk and a story. Good times! That’s a nice happy place for any of you who don’t have one yet. You’re welcome.
Later in the evening Fukui-san and I went to a play. Pedro Sol is in a play called 7 – O Musical, the only thing is that it’s in the center of town. I think you can imagine just how thrilled I was to go all the way down to the center on a Saturday evening with a driver who, while he is very careful and very safe, does not use the force to guide him so we usually end up lost in a really basic and well known part of town. I’ve got some of the force on my side so I try to make suggestions. But there are times that you think a comment or suggestion is so obvious that the other person is going to think you’re being condescending. Let this be a lesson to all of you, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you think that it’s obvious that a certain street leads to the beach (especially when you can see the waves crashing), or that the street you’re on is the main street since it has like 5 lanes and there’s a huge sign right above your head with an arrow pointing to where you’re going (follow the yellow brick road). Make sure that no matter how silly or obvious it sounds, you point it out and you make yourself heard. As you can probably tell, I made the mistake of assuming an enormous green sign that was completely lit up was enough as far as directions go, but now, it wasn’t. We were touched by an angel, though and arrived at the theatre 3 minutes after the play was supposed to start. It was 10 minutes late which gave us enough time to find our seats.
The play was yet another thing that caught me by surprise. I was predisposed to hate it because I normally hate plays. I hate that that actors are so over the top dramatic and it seems ridiculous to me. I’m embarrassed for the actors most of the time, which makes me uncomfortable and therefore makes the whole experience less than a joy. In general I don’t get the humor in plays in Portuguese and I fall into that strange place where everyone is laughing and I’m not, then everyone’s silent and I can’t stop cracking up. I’ll tell you what, I’ve had some bizarre theatre experiences but nothing beats having to talk to the actor after the play. That awkward congratulation that’s thick with false praise and flattery. That mandatory exclamation of enthusiasm and surprise at how great it was and so unexpectedly so, always makes my stomach quiver. I’m not good at lying when I don’t think it’s in the best interest of all involved. I have some basic rules for my life and one of them is: whenever you can help someone by telling them the truth, do. I don’t often offer my truths (that’s not really true, is it?), but when asked, I’ll tell it all, regardless of the consequences, which in my experience has been generally positive.
Anynonsense, getting back to my story, Pedro’s play was excellent. Yes, I said it, you heard me – excellent. I don’t use that word lightly (especially when referring to a play), but in this case I believe it was merited. The whole story and backdrops, music and overall look and feel are very sinister and dark, which is really cool, actually. The costumes were really well made and beautiful. The production was spectacular and Pedro has a beautiful singing voice. The play is like an evil fairy tale, and you really do feel the “magic”, so to speak. It’s all set in a kind of fantastic place and time, and everything in the play lends itself to helping you feel like you’ve been transported there with them. It’s a mix of a number of fairy tales (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) with some other fluff sprinkled in. The story was quite clever, I thought. Pedro plays the young innocent virgin (quite a stretch). He did well in the role of the innocent virgin and in all he represented, which is the highest possible praise I can give seeing as this is his first theatre performance (that I’m aware of).
If you happen to be in
Later on in the evening we were mercilessly stabbed in the back by our “friends” and were left out to dry while they all went and saw the new 007. Fear not, dear readers, I will have my revenge. I’m conjuring up something even now for those Judas Brutus fools who will be lucky if I ever refer to them by the real names again (you know who you are). Sleep with one eye open.
I was having tea with a friend of mine and she related to me an incident that took place when she and her friends had gone out for one of those “Sex & the City” nights out on the town. They were having a drink when an acquaintance of a friend of hers said she was breaking up with a guy because he wasn’t rich enough for her. As it turns out, that’s not exactly what she said. She said she was breaking up with him because he pretended to have more money than he actually did, which is completely different. My friend, however, was shocked and horrified. To her, this is the epitome of selfishness and evil and stamps all over her very naive notions of romance and love. This comment impressed her so much in fact, that she went on to relate it to everyone she met, I’m sure with the hope of finding a sympathetic soul who would side with her in thinking that this acquaintance is indeed a Succubus. What’s surprising to me is that she found a lot of hypocritical people to agree with her.
This got me thinking - is it wrong? Is it wrong to consider the financial side of things as well as everything else when entering into a relationship? Is it wrong to be practical in that sense? It is selfishness in its worst possible form? Or is it in fact wise? Wouldn’t it be best to have love and money? To be with someone who has a promising future? Would you marry a loser because you were in love with him? Would you live in the slums and surrender to a life of beans and rice for the sake of true love? Is love enough? Is it in fact love to completely disregard everything else for the sake of what you believe to be true love? And if so, wouldn’t it be important to ask yourself what you love in that person and why you love it when he has no prospects and no future?
Was it evil for Sally (that’s what I’m calling my friend’s acquaintance) to say that she broke up with a poser? Someone who pretends to be something he’s not? Pretending to have more than he has, because to him it’s not the principle of achieving wealth through hard work and considerable effort, but just for show? Is he not the [sic] skum of the earth? Is it not important to first know what you want and who you want, regardless of whether or not it shocks another’s sensibilities and pre-conceived notions of right and wrong? Is it not the worst kind of sacrifice of one’s principles and the greatest character flaw of all to love someone who isn’t worthy of your love and to demand from them what they cannot give, and therefore live out one’s live in misery until circumstance or bravery compel you to break free of an inconvenient situation which is unhealthy and immoral in every sense of the word? Is it not immoral to pretend like money and future don’t matter when choosing a partner? Is it not imperative that the person you choose to give your affections to, and possibly be joined with forever, be the kind of person who can reflect your same goals, aspirations, values and life with? Is it not imperative that this person be someone you can respect?
We have to find someone we can share our lives with, in every sense of the word. Sally did not feel she should be wasting her time on a ridiculous shell of a man who places importance on appearance and who is in essence the personification of vanity. She would rather be with someone who knows who he is and where he wants to go, and she would like to go there with him. Is it so bad that she wants to go to a better place than the one she’s at right now? That she aspires to greater things?
Here is a quote by Ayn Rand taken from an interview she gave Playboy way back in the day:
The only man capable of experiencing a profound romantic love is the man driven by passion for his work -- because love is an expression of self-esteem, of the deepest values in a man's or a woman's character. One falls in love with the person who shares these values. If a man has no clearly defined values, and no moral character, he is not able to appreciate another person. In this respect, I would like to quote from The Fountainhead, in which the hero utters a line that has often been quoted by readers: "To say 'I love you' one must know first how to say the 'I.'"
You decide.
In this tropical nightmare climate we have to be careful how much make up to put on, and we also have to be careful not to walk out of the house looking like a cavewoman who hasn’t yet discovered fire much less kohl. It is important that we do not embarrass ourselves by walking around looking frumpy and like we don’t care, which is why I feel it’s important to go over some basic skincare routines and make-up for our busy lives in this ridiculously hot caldron we call a city. First things first, your skin must be clean! That means waking up in the morning and using an appropriate cleanser, toner/astringent, and then a moisturizer with SPF30. Because of our climate we can’t afford to use anything less than SPF30. There is no need to use anything higher. I recommend L’Oreal UV Perfect. Most imported lotions will be heavier and have less SPF, but this one was designed for us, which makes it lighter in feel and heavier in protection.
Once your skin is prepped, you can move on to makeup. Here are the basics I think every woman needs to wear and not much more:
1 – Concealer. Get rid of your dark circles. They are unattractive and darkens your face. Cover that shit up! Use just what you need to lighten your under eye circles and if you have any pimples or red spots, go ahead and touch them up lightly. No need to go heavy on the concealer. The idea is to look healthy, and beautiful. Your face, but better.
2 – Powder. Because it’s hot and sticky the powder will help keep the shine away and set the concealer. Be careful not to put too much or you’ll look strange and unnatural.
3 – Blush & Bronzer. Because we live in a tropical climate you can easily replace your blush for a healthy bronze color. Make sure you don’t get carried away and put too much or you’ll end up looking like an alien, or in the very least, like you put your makeup on in the dark. Apply on all the high points of your face where the sun would touch: forehead, cheek bones, nose and bridge, chin. Add a little to your lids as well as this will even out the look, not too much though. You can add a tiny bit more on your cheek bones, a TINY bit more. If you’re using blush, apply a little to the apples of your cheeks to give that healthy flushed look. I recommend pink or peach, or an apricot (which is a pinky peach).
4 – Lipstick or Gloss. I love gloss for the day to day or a sheer lippy with a happy color. No muddy browns or champagne, those can be reserved for the night. Go pink, peach, sheer raisin. Keep it happy.
5 – Mascara. Because we all need it, trust me. I love a seriously glorious mascara look, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for everyday use. I would suggest one or two coats on the top lashes only, unless you’ve got blond lashes in which case use a lot of good mascara on top and bottom. Make sure to comb through your lashes so they don’t glob up.
I don’t think eye shadow is necessary, but if you want to brighten your eyes, go ahead and use a vanilla or ivory shade with a bit of shimmer if you prefer. Save black, blue and dark brown for when you’re really dressing up. If you insist on wearing eye pencil, which I want to state for the record is not necessary at all, but ok, use just a little on the top lid only, and make sure it’s just dotted in between the lash line, then smudge away.
And so I leave you, my lovelies, with these thoughts:
“Kiss and make up – but too much makeup has ruined many a kiss”. Mae West
“The best thing is to look natural, but you need makeup to look natural”. Calvin Klein
“It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly”. Oscar Wilde
“Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference”. Aristotle
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it”. Confucius
“The love of beauty in its multiple forms is the noblest gift of the human cerebrum”. Alexis Carrel
“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty, but it's up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.”
“..it was the height of arrogance for a woman to think that she smelled good enough to go out without perfume”.
Apple Banana Muffins 5 med size bananas
1 apple
1/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 ¼ tsp royal
1 ¼ tsp bicarb
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1tsp salt
vanilla
zest of one orange
- Mash the frick out of the bananas and grate the apple
- Add in the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and zest
- Sift in the flour, bicarb, royal and salt
- Fold in and DO NOT over mix or you will have muffins that look like the coneheads and are hard as rocks instead of glorious little cakes. This happens whenever you over mix a batter that contains bicarb. It doesn’t like to be mixed too much, mkay? Good.
- Spoon the batter into little tins lined with those cute paper cups, or use a silicone muffin tray (you can totally get it at Extra here and it’s not very expensive, like R$15). If you’re using the paper cups you don’t have to use any grease to line them. Just spoon the mix right on in. If you’re using silicone, I would suggest either a cooking spray or a paper towel with some oil on it, just lightly grease it, no need to get carried away. I like to spoon quite a bit of batter almost to the top. It make the muffins extra glorious.
- Cook on medium heat for about 30min depending on your oven. To check them insert a toothpick and it should come out clean. You know, basic test.
- Let them cook and then remove them from the muffin cups, trays, whatever.
- This whole recipe can be made using a fork, at most you’ll need a spatula to fold and scrape, but maybe not even that.
This is a perfect after school snack or for any time of the day, just don't overdo it 'cause they're really good and it's easy to eat too many. Now, when I'm feeling generous I add raisins and nuts. This recipe is really good with Brazil nuts, but use your imagination. I've also grated some carrots in as well and it was delish. Don't be shy, experiment and it'll be great. For a very easy variation, you can make this exact recipe but add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and make chocolate banana muffins. Go crazy and add chocolate chips to that as well and you'll have a seriously decadent snack.My sister asked me to recommend a Jane Austen book for a friend of hers who had -- brace yourself -- never read Jane Austen before. (Insert collective exclamations of surprise.) I was under the impression that it was required by law to read her books. Somehow I don’t see how one can have a decent conversation about relationships with a person who is not familiar with Jane Austen’s writing. I make no secret of the fact that I feel all women should read at least one of her books.
Being the avid fan that I am, I took it upon myself to recommend two books which I think best represent Jane Austen’s work. Naturally, Pride and Prejudice was first on my list. Of all her books I think this one is her best, and not surprisingly, Jane Austen’s favorite as well. There is something very relatable about her characters and the mistakes they make. You feel an instant connection and sympathize with them right from the beginning. You don’t take sides, though. It’s funny that way, as they both have their share of the blame for the misunderstandings and issues that come up between them. I’ve read this book more than once (I won’t tell you how many times because I actually don’t know), and I’m still not bored of it. It’s beautiful, and I’m really serious when I say this, and absolute must read for anyone who loves books. I can understand how it may not appeal to all men, but I do think it’s an appropriate read for both sexes.
The second book I recommended is Persuasion. This is a beautiful, beautiful story about love and forgiveness, and second chances. In the book the heroine rejects the hero for a number or reasons and wounds him deeply. I won’t tell you any more as I think it’s best to read it and find out for yourself. It is a classic example of what romance novels should be like. Once again the characters make mistakes and it takes a while for them to realize that their sin was in listening to the errant advice of others, or caring about appearances and trying to hold on to wounded pride. Once they get over themselves they have a breakthrough and the reader is rewarded with an ending that does not disappoint. The book is deeply and it just sweeps you away....good times!
I’ll leave you with a clip I found on Youtube from the British mini-series (BTW, if you can get your hands on it, do watch it as it’s perfect rainy afternoon entertainment):
A friend of mine sent me a picture of a note that read: “Due to lack of interest, Monday has been cancelled”. That phrase expresses my Monday sentiments exactly. I think you’ll be shocked to hear this but, I don’t think I could’ve said it better. I look forward to Monday about as much as a vampire looks forward to sunrise. I’ve been racking my brain but I can’t think of a way to make to make Monday something to look forward to. I think maybe making it something to look forward to is just asking too much. What I should do is look for a way to make it bearable, perhaps by giving it a better name, something like Beer Monday. There’s
If I were queen I would have a couple of important decrees made in order to improve our standard of living like: everyone must read, after Sunday we would skip Monday – Wednesday and go right to Thursday, Tom Cruise must stop being ridiculous, and Madonna must act as a respectable woman of her advanced years should act and not go around showing off her hmm-hmm. I know it sounds like crazy la-la land, but it’s not dreaming unless you reach for the skies.
this next week and perhaps make your Monday a little brighter: Who’s hotter: Henry Cavill or Jonathan Rhys Myers?
You’re welcome!
