Long time no see, hã?

Sorry about that… Yeah, over the past months I slacked off a lot in terms of blogging. If it wasn’t for my Instagram you could pretty much assume I was dead. I wasn’t. But it’s a pity days are only 24h long.

Time… It’s funny how day-by-day everything feels the same, but when we look back all’s different. Over the last 12 months my life changed enormously. From those 12, it’s been almost 9 since I left Angola. You’ve accompanied some of my ‘adventures’ there, but, when getting back I didn’t say much about it. “Why?”, you might wonder. Because I felt that loss as such a failure I couldn’t deal with it right away. I see now it wasn’t any kind of failure, quite the contrary. But it took me some time to realize it. It took me a while to understand how all that struggle made me a better person. How over time, I healed my wounds and feel now stronger (even wiser, maybe?) than ever before.

I’m not one to complain much. Never was. I’m the ‘suck it and let’s do this’ type. We all take validation from different things in life. I take it from being able to do things on my own. The why isn’t important, but I learned to live with it over the years. For me, being strong and independent while going after things that challenge me are things that make me more proud of myself. They come with downsides, but they are definitely a key part of who I am. I’m also a bit of a control freak. I like to be in charge of my life, so it bothers me tremendously when that does not happen. I feel trapped and impotent and kinda loose sight of myself. That’s what happened over time while I was in Angola, due to a set of reasons now irrelevant. I got stuck. And as I know my limits (and believe me, I’ve pushed them) I decided to leave and start over. So I came back, defeated. It was a Saturday. For a day and a half I cried in the dark in my room. On Monday, I stopped it and began again.

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Female Handbags & Black Holes

Much like every other woman, I like big handbags and I cannot lie. I also feel like the content of such big part of a girl’s life may say a lot about her (ask any guy and he’ll at least tell you for sure how a woman’s bag usually translates to him: confusion).

Anyway, like I said before (this is an update to this post), there’s a little voyeur in everyone of us – I pledged myself guilty as charged! Due to this shameful tendency, I always find it curious to peak into other people’s houses, bedrooms, closets, make-up bags and yes, you guessed it, handbags. (Craaaazyyy!!)

Call this giving back if you will, but I believe in transparency (and even if the tone of this whole post is in mockery here I’m being very honest), and so, here’s my portable treasure and survival kit wide open for you to see!

New Year’s Resolutions: Reading Challenge

Hello everyone!
Hope you all set the right foot onto 2015, and let’s get this 365 days party started! 😉

One of the things I promised myself for 2015 is to make more of what makes me better and happier. One of those things is reading. I usually say I used to be a Library rat when I was a kid and it’s true. My mom actually got mad at me a few times for always having my nose stuck into a book. Over the years, though, things changed. Life changed, got more packed, priorities got mixed up and my reading habits became shameful. I read everyday plenty of blogs, but it isn’t the same thing as reading and feeling and diving into a book.

So, after a year I’ve only read an handful of books (shaaaame!!!), inspired by this 9GAG post, I decided to man up and challenge myself. Ladies and gentleman, my Reading List for 2015:

50 new books (most of them already in my shelf, on queue, but I still had to make a proper list to get things in order). Funny enough, this is also one of my resolutions for my 30 by 30 Challenge (only that was set for 3 years)! To be honest I am more thrilled to start a few more than others, but still, this is serious and I’m going to behave!

However, union is key in these things. So, why won’t you take the Challenge with me? I dare you… 😉 (You can make your own list, of course…) I’m sure neither of us will regret it. 🙂

Day 1 is on: #1 – “Eat, Pray, Love”, Elizabeth Gilbert
(I already read the first chapter a few days ago… Shhhh! 😛 )
GO-GO-GO! 😉

Once upon a time at Feira da Ladra…

Last Tuesday I decided to get my ass out of bed earlier than usual to go with some friends to Feira da Ladra – the most famous open air market of my beloved Lisbon. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular… I wanted to get lucky enough to score a few major finds, but 1) I didn’t find that many things to strike me regretlessly (I believe Saturdays are better for this); 2) I really have to work on my bargaining skills to get good at this. Yet, I still managed to come home with a few things: a gorgeous (and pretty heavy) table mirror, a whole box of crystals to make a lot of statement necklaces, a lovely tin flower that serves only for decoration and nothing else but is still very cute, and finally a few comic books of my favorite mangas when growing up – Sailor Moon and Rurouni Kenshin (you know, my childhood called, I had to answer!). I’ll show you these in its proper setting in due time. Shortly before leaving I found this vendor with a giant collection of vintage jewelry. I ended up not buying anything because I’d spend enough money already, but I’m still hung up on a couple of silver rings I saw there… Which means I’ll be probably coming back soon (for that and for the VW Love Bug in 4th picture). 🙂 Meanwhile I leave you with some pictures I took with my phone, just because Lisbon is gorgeous and I could play tourist with it in hand all the time.

I’m still quite ambivalent on wether I should’ve bought these sunnies or not… 

Where: Campo de Santa Clara, Lisboa
When: Tuesdays and Saturdays (Saturdays is better to arrive early; on Tuesdays 9h30/10h is fine)
Best finds: Vintage / 2nd Hand clothing, decor pieces, jewelry and acessories

A 100 Years in Fashion

A couple of weeks ago I started an Image Consulting course. It was something I wanted to do for awhile and it came right when I needed a shift in the course of my life. Needless to say I am loving it and can easily picture myself doing so for a living for long years to come (along with other things because one thing is never enough for me).

In one of the first classes, we talked about the History of Fashion in the 20th century (one of my favorite subjects of all time…) and Dora – our lovely trainer – showed us this really awesome short film I now want to share with you.

A lot of people find Fashion a futile subject. I always get a little angry with this perspective. How come Fashion as an hobby is worse than Football, for instance?? Tell me. Because at least Fashion translates our times, Fashion works as a mean of expression, even if unconsciously. Our sartorial choices say something about us, about our time, about our lives. People dress in a certain way for a reason, style is a part of us, and it’s a language – a non-verbal language but it speaks way before we do. Like Coco Chanel says “Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening“, because like any other design specialty, Fashion Design also follows function and that ends up being intertwined with the different eras and changes our society and culture go through throughout the years.

We’ll get back to this later, because I want people to understand why Fashion isn’t just about expensive bags and shoes and clothes we’ll never wear. For now, you can watch the clip and tell me if it isn’t just so cool! 😉

I Know Places We Can Go, Babe

I don’t actually. But I’d like to.  [ Soundtrack: I Know Places – Lykke Li ♥ ]
If I had to pick my special powers, one of them would definitely be Teleportation (the others would be Time Traveling and Mind Reading). To travel the whole world is one of my most cherished dreams, for sure, and if used to fuel it with imagery quite frequently before, now working at a Travel Agency it sometimes becomes actually hurtful to see so much wonder and not be able to hop on a plane and just go. Not yet, at least… Meanwhile, here’s 10 places I wouldn’t mind escaping to right after I hit the ‘publish’ button:

1. JAPAN – Ok, here I’d want to use my Time Travel power too, because my ideal is to visit Japan in April, when the cherry blossom paint it all pink. But to be quite fair, any time of the year would do. It has been a looong lived wish to visit Japan. I blame Rurouni Kenshin and Sailor Moon…

2. ITALY – I could never pick a place in Italy to visit first, so I’ve been postponing that trip for years! I see Italy as the nest of our culture, and when it comes to History, food, landscapes, fashion, charming men (and beautiful women) and picturesque settings, I think there’s no country like Italy to join it all, from north to south with that passion and warmth that is so particular of the Italians. Plus, I really want to learn Italian – where better?

3. THAILAND – I must confess Bangkok made a little bit of an impression on me when I first watched The Beach, and even though a little sin is the salt of life, I have my limits. On the other hand, I also fancy trespassing those every now and then. Also, apart from Sin City, Thailand offers for sure some of the best postcard worthy surroundings in the world. Other pluses: it’s a cheap destination, backpackers friendly and a fountain of stories, I’m sure.

4. NEW YORK – New York, New York… The City that never sleeps has an undeniable appeal to anyone who likes to feel madly alive. It sure it has its problems but so does any other city in the world. Probably as a lot of other people do, I wouldn’t mind living there for awhile, in the center of the world, where everything’s happening.

5. BALI – I think Bali has that ability to make you feel like you’ve just died and reached paradise – at least that’s what I got from Eat Pray Love (awful movie, btw, even though the book is next on my queue once I finish The Prisioner of Heaven)  and any other picture I’ve come across. And testimony. I’m sure it’s that kind of place that after awhile you just feel guilty about because you never really want to leave… 😛

6. ST. PETERSBURG – Russia isn’t my favorite country in the world, by far, for various reasons. Yet, St. Petersburg is different, it has that glamour and grace of its own that I find fascinating. I have a thing for beautiful cities (I have a thing for beautiful things in general) and St. Petersburg is quite a babe (despite the cold, and the language and all that…).

7. GREECE – More specifically, any of the dreamy Greek Islands. It’s a little bit of white & blue heaven there. And no one could judge me if I suddenly started singing and dancing ABBA’s Dancing Queen out of the blue. I’m sure that after Mamma Mia it has already become ‘a thing’ by now.

8. PATAGONIA – There’s something about those contrasts that fascinates me, along with the feeling of being such a tiny tiny part of this world. Actually the dream – mine and of so many people – would be to travel the whole South America just with a backpack over my shoulders (well, and maybe good company) – Buenos Aires particularly is a must stop – and end up in here, where the world suddenly freezes and turns white, grey and blue and it’s terrifying but oh so beautiful.

9. INDIA – As far as I’ve read and heard, anyone feels quite ambivalent about India. There’s a lot to love (it’s a feast to the eyes) and also a lot to hate (or be chocked about), but one thing’s for sure – it’s a magical magical place.

10. PARIS – “We’ll always have Paris”, and Paris never goes out of style. I’ve been to Paris twice, but if I could, I would visit the City of Lights (and Love, or so they say) at least once a month. I can’t imagine myself living there for long, though. Somehow, I see the city more as a mysterious, glamorous and charming fling – repeatable over the years, though – than a long time lover and partner, but I’m sure that’s just a matter of perspective. Unfortunately I can’t do that once a month thing just yet, but someday I will, because, as Balzac once said “whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant”. Call me snob, but I agree.

And you? Where would you go to right now if you could?

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All images via Pinterest.