BOM DIA!
Apologies there will be no Week 15 video BUT I did put up Day 2 of my SP trip and the end of the month photos because, ladies and gents, it is indeed the end of another month and it is now November! What what!
Here in Floripa that means deadlines and end of year exams are right around the corner (two-three weeks to be exact) and so life is getting that little bit more demanding. So! Having been ill last week and slowly getting my brain back into "focus mode" (because my brain only goes that fast - or slow depending on how you look at it) this week, I haven't really had the head space to think about filming and editing another video. And I was only going to tell you guys about the Hallowe'en event they celebrate here, which I can just as easily tell you in written form anyway.
My goals for November:
1. Reducing my Social Media usage. How? By playing SIMS on my iPad for five minutes rather than checking Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. I downloaded it for free yesterday and so far, it's actually proven effective and I've got a lot more done in one day than I did for most of this week.
P.S. Don't hate on me because I have SIMS!
2. Trying all that I have fancied trying by July 2014, but it can't hurt ticking a few off now.
2a. Trying things that don't break the bank. Eg. Surfing: £55 for five lessons. And Dune Surfing: I'm not too sure of the price but it's just the hire of the board so R$20/£6 maximum? Then I'll just have stand up paddle boarding, Iguacu Falls, Rio and Blumenau (during the day) left.
3. Spending more time in the library. Believe it or not, I miss my university library! I can get so much done in there! Safety-wise I wouldn't want to stay in UFSC library after 6pm because campus is not particularly safe afterdark; plus it's closed on Sundays. Yet I miss having piles of books around me and having no laptop/Social Media to distract you. So! What with the final four-five weeks of deadlines about to hit, might as well get stuck in properly and make regular trips to the library.
My Brazilian Bucket List:
Things that I have ticked off so far include Oktoberfest, Sao Paulo, eating Churrasco (BBQ) and making Caipirinhas. I still want to tick off going to a football game, going to Rio de Janeiro and Iguacu Falls. These will probably have to wait until next semester however - given the little time I have left this time. However! I have since Week 1 wanted to go Dune Surfing, so I have said already that the plan for my birthday is to go Dune Surfing, go out and then watch the sun rise on the beach! I will be making this happen!! The last part shouldn't be too difficult either considering most events finish an hour before sun rise anyway. I have also reserved surfing lessons once a week for the next five weeks so: tick! That's another one off the list! (Providing of course the weather holds out!)
Living the 'Friends' lifestyle:
I've kept this quiet for aaaages but it's got to the point where I can hold it in no longer!
For anyone who knows the hit American TV show 'Friends', you will be familiar with the 'Ugly Naked Guy' who the cast can "see" from Monicas flat in the earlier series.
Well, we live in an apartment complex and are surrounded by other apartment blocks. We're on the fourth floor (one of the highest) and my bedroom along with the living room balcony face out over another complex.
Basically I have a perfect view right into a flat opposite! And not only that, I can see right into a guys bedroom. But he is not just any guy, he is a guy who, until this week actually, has not understood the concept of curtains! Now before you get too excited nothing scandalous has happened like him walking around naked. However, for a while it did seem like he enjoyed taking his shirt off for the world. I would be working on my laptop or skyping friends from home and I would catch a naked back out of the corner of my eye. He especially liked to do this when it was getting dark and thus required turning the light on. So the world was even more aware of his half-nakedness. Notice that I've used the past tense? Yeah, this week he became shy and used his curtains. It's only taken him three months... I'm not sure if I'm upset by this or if this boy should be congratulated? Because it's not like he's open with his flatmates. No! He shuts the door first!
ANYWAY! In summary, I couldn't actually tell you what his face looked like but he has a very nice back and shoulders. My flatmate concurs.
And the 'Friends' reference? I've named him 'Cute Naked Guy'.
Cool story, correct?!
Nostalgia
And now for the sad bits: what with Hallowe'en, Bonfire Night/Guyfalks Night, my birthday and Christmas not far off or just gone, I've been feeling a little nostalgic. They're some of my favourite parts of the year and I'm a little sad I can't be home to celebrate them.
But! Six weeks today I will be home so instead of feeling sorry for myself I've been putting my energy into coursework (slowly haha) and ticking things off my Bucket List!
Hallowe'en in Brazil:
So I read somewhere online that Brazil is apparently too upbeat to celebrate 'Day of the Dead' as they do in Mexico, and in general, there was no hype about either in shops, in conversation, nothing. Yet online it was saying that Brazil celebrates Hallowe'een as we do in Anglophone countries: dressing up as hideous monsters or honouring Hallowe'ens Pagan origins. However as far as I know there was only one club in the Centre that actually did anything to celebrate the occasion. We all had our own things going on though so we didn't celebrate it anyway.
Hope everyone had a great one though! It was really fun being able to see people from different parts of the world celebrating it in different ways :D
Christmas decorations:
It was early to mid-October, and already the Christmas decorations were making their grand appearances! I thought early November was too much! But it would appear otherwise... I love Christmas! But early October?!
In other news, I normally don't give into this until after my birthday, but today I blasted out my first Christmas songs of the year! Not long now!
Portuguese language:
It's reached that stage where I sometimes go to speak Portuguese as the first language to people now instead of English or Spanish! I'm rather surprised! I'm definitely not saying I'm now a fluent native, oh no no! Probably at the point where the environment is having an effect :) Happy days for my Portuguese! Not so much for my Spanish though :S That should be added to my November goals: working on my Spanish!! Oops!
I've got a lot more confidence in my conversational language and according to one of the girls in my theatre class, my accent is a lot better than it was too! Score!!
Well! I believe that is all for now. I hope everyone had a fantastic Hallowe'en or Day of the Dead, and for those of you in Britain: enjoy your Guyfaulks Night celebrations on the fifth!
Big hugs and kisses!!
Apologies there will be no Week 15 video BUT I did put up Day 2 of my SP trip and the end of the month photos because, ladies and gents, it is indeed the end of another month and it is now November! What what!
Here in Floripa that means deadlines and end of year exams are right around the corner (two-three weeks to be exact) and so life is getting that little bit more demanding. So! Having been ill last week and slowly getting my brain back into "focus mode" (because my brain only goes that fast - or slow depending on how you look at it) this week, I haven't really had the head space to think about filming and editing another video. And I was only going to tell you guys about the Hallowe'en event they celebrate here, which I can just as easily tell you in written form anyway.
My goals for November:
1. Reducing my Social Media usage. How? By playing SIMS on my iPad for five minutes rather than checking Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. I downloaded it for free yesterday and so far, it's actually proven effective and I've got a lot more done in one day than I did for most of this week.
P.S. Don't hate on me because I have SIMS!
2. Trying all that I have fancied trying by July 2014, but it can't hurt ticking a few off now.
2a. Trying things that don't break the bank. Eg. Surfing: £55 for five lessons. And Dune Surfing: I'm not too sure of the price but it's just the hire of the board so R$20/£6 maximum? Then I'll just have stand up paddle boarding, Iguacu Falls, Rio and Blumenau (during the day) left.
3. Spending more time in the library. Believe it or not, I miss my university library! I can get so much done in there! Safety-wise I wouldn't want to stay in UFSC library after 6pm because campus is not particularly safe afterdark; plus it's closed on Sundays. Yet I miss having piles of books around me and having no laptop/Social Media to distract you. So! What with the final four-five weeks of deadlines about to hit, might as well get stuck in properly and make regular trips to the library.
My Brazilian Bucket List:
Things that I have ticked off so far include Oktoberfest, Sao Paulo, eating Churrasco (BBQ) and making Caipirinhas. I still want to tick off going to a football game, going to Rio de Janeiro and Iguacu Falls. These will probably have to wait until next semester however - given the little time I have left this time. However! I have since Week 1 wanted to go Dune Surfing, so I have said already that the plan for my birthday is to go Dune Surfing, go out and then watch the sun rise on the beach! I will be making this happen!! The last part shouldn't be too difficult either considering most events finish an hour before sun rise anyway. I have also reserved surfing lessons once a week for the next five weeks so: tick! That's another one off the list! (Providing of course the weather holds out!)
Living the 'Friends' lifestyle:
I've kept this quiet for aaaages but it's got to the point where I can hold it in no longer!
For anyone who knows the hit American TV show 'Friends', you will be familiar with the 'Ugly Naked Guy' who the cast can "see" from Monicas flat in the earlier series.
Well, we live in an apartment complex and are surrounded by other apartment blocks. We're on the fourth floor (one of the highest) and my bedroom along with the living room balcony face out over another complex.
Basically I have a perfect view right into a flat opposite! And not only that, I can see right into a guys bedroom. But he is not just any guy, he is a guy who, until this week actually, has not understood the concept of curtains! Now before you get too excited nothing scandalous has happened like him walking around naked. However, for a while it did seem like he enjoyed taking his shirt off for the world. I would be working on my laptop or skyping friends from home and I would catch a naked back out of the corner of my eye. He especially liked to do this when it was getting dark and thus required turning the light on. So the world was even more aware of his half-nakedness. Notice that I've used the past tense? Yeah, this week he became shy and used his curtains. It's only taken him three months... I'm not sure if I'm upset by this or if this boy should be congratulated? Because it's not like he's open with his flatmates. No! He shuts the door first!
ANYWAY! In summary, I couldn't actually tell you what his face looked like but he has a very nice back and shoulders. My flatmate concurs.
And the 'Friends' reference? I've named him 'Cute Naked Guy'.
Cool story, correct?!
Nostalgia
And now for the sad bits: what with Hallowe'en, Bonfire Night/Guyfalks Night, my birthday and Christmas not far off or just gone, I've been feeling a little nostalgic. They're some of my favourite parts of the year and I'm a little sad I can't be home to celebrate them.
But! Six weeks today I will be home so instead of feeling sorry for myself I've been putting my energy into coursework (slowly haha) and ticking things off my Bucket List!
Hallowe'en in Brazil:
So I read somewhere online that Brazil is apparently too upbeat to celebrate 'Day of the Dead' as they do in Mexico, and in general, there was no hype about either in shops, in conversation, nothing. Yet online it was saying that Brazil celebrates Hallowe'een as we do in Anglophone countries: dressing up as hideous monsters or honouring Hallowe'ens Pagan origins. However as far as I know there was only one club in the Centre that actually did anything to celebrate the occasion. We all had our own things going on though so we didn't celebrate it anyway.
Hope everyone had a great one though! It was really fun being able to see people from different parts of the world celebrating it in different ways :D
Christmas decorations:
It was early to mid-October, and already the Christmas decorations were making their grand appearances! I thought early November was too much! But it would appear otherwise... I love Christmas! But early October?!
In other news, I normally don't give into this until after my birthday, but today I blasted out my first Christmas songs of the year! Not long now!
Portuguese language:
It's reached that stage where I sometimes go to speak Portuguese as the first language to people now instead of English or Spanish! I'm rather surprised! I'm definitely not saying I'm now a fluent native, oh no no! Probably at the point where the environment is having an effect :) Happy days for my Portuguese! Not so much for my Spanish though :S That should be added to my November goals: working on my Spanish!! Oops!
I've got a lot more confidence in my conversational language and according to one of the girls in my theatre class, my accent is a lot better than it was too! Score!!
Well! I believe that is all for now. I hope everyone had a fantastic Hallowe'en or Day of the Dead, and for those of you in Britain: enjoy your Guyfaulks Night celebrations on the fifth!
Big hugs and kisses!!