They way you look doesn't always defines what kind of music you listen to.

I don't know about about the rest of the world, but in Brasil (at least at most of the cities), people really like judging and criticizing each other.
Julian and I are sick of it! Anywhere we go where there're people that doesn't know us they don't even bother asking his name. They look at me right away and ask me (right next to Julian), "Is he a GRINGO? Does he speak Portuguese?" And when I answer "Why don't you ask him? He's right here!" or if Julian answers "Não, não falo português não..." ('No, I don't speak Portuguese' in Portuguese), they get REALLY mad at us!!! It sucks.

When people look at me they see a girl with piercings, tattoos, make up... People here claim they are liberal, but they are actually extremely conservative. It's much more difficult for me to find a job or to be accepted in many social groups because of it. In their heads, I'm a hardcore crazy whore, a crackhead, a satanist...!!!
And something that really annoys me is that people get completely shocked when I say I don't like going out very much because I don't like crowded places, I rather stay home, making crochet, taking care of my garden, listening to Bossa Nova... They don't believe I'm a family girl, that I'm a normal married housewife!

My musical taste is the strangest thing in these people's opinion. I love listening to many different kinds of music, but BOSSA NOVA is really my favorite one!
Since I'm a baby I listen to rock and roll (mom and dad's influence) like The Beatles, Queen, CCR, Raul Seixas... When I was 13 I got addicted to heavy metal and other types of metal, and also rock n' roll, like Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rammstein... And back then my favorite band was After Forever, and I loved gothic metal... That's why I studied singing for 6 years.
When I was 16 I started listening to black, thrash, death, doom metal... I became really extreme for a while. My favorite bands were Death, Slayer, My Dying Bride, Moonspell, Cannibal Corpse...
But my favorite band of all times was Opeth... I still love it!

I still like all these music styles a lot. But I've been in a much stronger Bossa Nova - Samba - MPB phase right now. Elis Regina, Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Nara Leão, João Gilberto, Maysa Matarazzo and many others are my heroes at the moment.

And since I was a little girl, the most amazing singer of all times in the entire universe for me is ELIS REGINA. She sings with all her feelings, she is AWESOME!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVuFcHNH-7o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1tOV7y94DY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ciB0XwxE-Y

She can't help it and starts laughing when she sings a happy song, she cries when singing sad ones... she puts a lot of energy on what she sings!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35FPZR24djg

Unfortunately, she died in the 80's, of a cocaine overdose. :(

Have your music tastes changed? What are your favorite bands and singers?

Gardening!

I was working some more on my garden today! Let's wait and see if everything is going to grow.
The sunflowers are in a bigger vase now, I put some passionfruit seeds in a vase on the staircase, planted more beans in small vases, onions, garlic in plastic bottles and peppers in milk cans. ^^

If you want to see some serious gardening, check out my sister-in-law's blog adrianlovesowls.blogspot.com !

Do you grow plants indoors? Share! :)

Getting Tattooed!!! :D

One more session at Lee's! I can't wait to finish it!!! (*_*)

15 needles (O_o'

Julian and my friend Ana took those (and tons of other) pictures.. This is her playing with Lee's dog Bella ^^

If you like art and tattoos, take a look at Lee's blog and tell us how do you like it! ;)
http://artexpressionlee.blogspot.com.br/

Caipirinha!

I confess that drinking is an important part of my week. I work from Monday to Saturday and, on weekends, I enjoy cooking and making drinks or going to the beach with my husband and having a beer. Alcohol is something I think about when I'm planning the budget every time I write my grocery shopping list.
I'm not saying that I like alcohol abuse. No way! I just think it's something relaxing and we can enjoy some moments with our family and friends, eating and drinking in a healthy way.

I have been writing for months now and I believe the readers of this blog are aware of the fact that I'm a Brazilian. How come nobody has never asked me about how to make a caipirinha yet?!!! In fact, there are so few people leaving comments... C'mon, guys! Let's share our opinions here!

Caipirinha is a (perfect) Brazilian drink with cachaça, a very strong liquor made of sugar cane. Many people like drinking pure cachaça. You can have it all in a single gulp like tequila, or you can sip it while eating something salty and greasy. I'm a girl when it comes to pure hard liquor. And if you are weak like me don't even try it. But I can have drinks. And caipirinha is one of my favorite ones.

Something foreigners don't know is that not every Brazilian knows how to make a great caipirinha or how to dance samba. Fortunately I know how to do both quite well! Besides being a little expensive to buy in bars, it's not just mixing a few ingredients and it's done. Making a good caipirinha needs feeling. It's a process that takes CARINHO, a word that doesn't have a perfect translation for English, but it's something you feel and give to people and things you truly love. It's similar to affection, but way better. So if you're not in the right mood, don't even start it.

First you put some good music to play. You need to drink it with people you like to be around, it's not a drink for lonely people.
Peel a lime. If you leave the lime's skin, it's going to get way too bitter. Cut it into small pieces an put it in a proper container to make drinks, with a spoon full of white sugar and squeeze all together using a pestle till you get all the lime juice. Caipirinhas are traditionally made with white cachaça, but I prefer the yellow ones, they are so tasty and delicious! Here in Brasil I always buy a blend called Boazinha (the translation of this name is something like 'quite good'... so funny!), it's 20 reais for 1000ml. I also like Salinas and Velho Barreiro a lot. So, you put 1 and 1/5 shot glasses of cachaça in the container with limes and sugar, put some chopped ice in it and shake it. (Shake it like a polaroid) Hahahaha! Just kiddin!!! But shake it well. Open the container and put what's inside in a glass. Caipirinhas are so amazing that the glass doesn't matter so much. But choose a nice and pretty one. Put some ice cubes inside and now it's a good idea for you to put just a small (tiny) slice of lime skin to give it a bittersweet taste. I like to wait a couple of minutes before drinking it to admire this piece of art and to wait for the taste to settle down after all the shaking. Use a straw to drink it, don't worry and be happy!!! :D

What's your favorite drink? How do you make it! If you make a caipirinha, tell me everything about it!!!!

Magic beans.

A couple post ago I've told you about my recent gardening experiences (and I'm kinda ridiculously layperson about it) and my beans and sunflowers (just some seeds thrown randomly in small plastic vases)... I'm embarrased to say that the psycho-sunflower grew so absurdely that I haven't taken any pictures. Only after I move them to a bigger vase. They grew not abnormaly by size, but in number of crops!!!

My magic-beans are growing so cute that I took some pictures of it and I'm serious considering moving them to a bigger place, too!

How much do you understand about gardening? What's your most recent success?