foundations

2010-12-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd follow some advice and move to Tumblr.
I'm way too objective for Blogger even though I love it here too.
In order to keep myself more organized, I'll focus on just one of the two.
Therefore, for now, find me here: http://gabi-b.tumblr.com/

2010-12-21T15:37:00.003-05:00

2010-12-21T15:30:00.005-05:00

2010-11-02T11:30:00.003-04:00

and I WILL do it, no matter how much you tell me I can't.

Don't tell me what I can't do, that's up to me to decide.

I've come this far to get the little results I've gotten and I'm not letting go now, so please, give up.

not enough

2010-09-25T22:35:00.002-04:00

my to do list isn't big enough
my playlist isn't big enough
my portuguese vocabulary isn't big enough
my dreams aren't big enough

enough.

2010-09-23T20:40:00.001-04:00

2010-08-20T10:49:00.001-04:00

"Develop a point of view. Think about what experiences you have that many others do not. Then, think of what experiences you have that almost everyone else has. Then, mix those two things and try to make someone cry or laugh or feel understood."
-Frank Chimero

2010-07-04T23:22:00.002-04:00

“ If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish."
- Jonas Salk

2010-06-06T21:17:00.004-04:00

2010-06-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

2010-05-29T11:44:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. - Nelson Mandela

drunk animals

2010-04-18T21:17:00.002-04:00

2010-04-14T21:31:00.002-04:00

2010-04-12T22:51:00.001-04:00

via Una Bella Vita

today's fortune:

2010-04-06T10:04:00.002-04:00

Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy.

- Mahatma Gandhi

Guess I need to work harder towards my happiness.
You know when you feel like all you do are things you HAVE to do?

2010-04-02T21:41:00.007-04:00

Coolest Carnaval trick :)

2010-02-15T18:33:00.000-05:00

ha, copycat!

2010-02-13T18:04:00.002-05:00

Coke coincidentally has almost the exact same commercial as an Israeli milk commercial! :O

via brifando

belgian music!

2010-02-12T22:12:00.003-05:00

...Because nobody knows belgian bands and I didn't either before my friend Rolinde told me about them!
This a great song and it gets addictive, trust me...

found on the web

2010-02-07T08:47:00.003-05:00

This is a funny McDonald's commercial, although it's not considered that great because this situation could have been applied to any type of food. Therefore the propaganda did not serve its purpose of making people believe the most desirable food is McD's.

Diesel says to have come up with this for being stupid and changing their logo. Now they are back to using their original red logo. Funny commercial too, but is it smart to say people should be stupid? ;)

2009-10-19T21:35:00.004-04:00

I don't want to be adored for what I merely represent to you

- Alanis

1001 rules for my unborn son

2009-10-19T20:45:00.007-04:00

“No one makes you feel inferior without your consent."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

“Courage is not the lack of fear, it is acting in spite of it."
- Mark Twain

“On matters of style, swim with the current. On matters of principle, stand like a rock."
- Thomas Jefferson.

“Be like a duck. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath."
- Michal Caine

“It takes a long time to grow young."
- Pablo Picasso

via 1001 rules for my unborn son

inspired by a cup of jo

2009-10-17T20:03:00.001-04:00

"you must strive to find your own voice. because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it. thoreau said, "most men live quiet lives of desperation," don't be resigned to that! break out! "
-dead poets society

via Una Bella Vita

the invisible children

2009-09-30T22:09:00.004-04:00

very influential post here.
such a sad story. makes me feel so impotent, among so many other things.

link to the movement here.

2009-09-08T22:39:00.001-04:00

2009-09-07T16:45:00.003-04:00

"Love your other how they need to be loved, not how you need to be."

2009-08-27T22:41:00.001-04:00

2009-08-26T22:23:00.001-04:00

1- Não faça aos outros o que não quer que façam com você
2- Em todas as coisas, faça de tudo para não provocar o mal
3- Trate os outros seres humanos, as outras criaturas e o mundo em geral com amor, honestidade, fidelidade e respeito
4- Não ignore o mal nem evite administrar a justiça, mas sempre esteja disposto a perdoar erros que tenham sido reconhecidos por livre e espontânea vontade e lamentados com honestidade
5- Viva a vida com um sentimento de alegria e deslumbramento
6- Sempre tente aprender algo de novo
7- Ponha todas as coisas à prova; sempre compare suas idéias com os fatos, e esteja disposto a descartar mesmo a crença mais cara se ela não se adequar a eles
8- Jamais se autocensure ou fuja da dissidência; sempre respeite o direito dos outros discordar de você
9- Crie opiniões independentes com base em seu próprio raciocínio e em sua experiência; não se permita ser dirigido pelos outros
10- Questione tudo

[Os 10 mandamentos modernos, por Richard Dawkins]

2009-08-23T22:55:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I love the innocence of being able to be exactly who I am, without censorship of any type...To simply say whatever comes to mind, in right or wrong grammar. To be able to paint in colors other than black and white. To be more precise, to paint life in screaming, vivid colors.

2009-08-23T22:21:00.003-04:00

In the midst of all the analyzing and comparing, all the laughter and small talks, as I stood there and felt sorry for not living up to my own expectations of myself, I had a few moments to get things straight. Why do I have such a tendency to set limits and strict boundaries to my own being? I've decided to take a deep breath, inhale some of my own essence, and live up to the fact that I should like myself as I am at the moment, allowing change of course, but do so in order for other people to do that as well.

2009-08-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

Ha, how cute!
I get so distracted by these videos...

melhores propagandas

2009-08-17T10:01:00.006-04:00

Coca- Cola

Target

Adidas

Futura

Camisinha

polyvore

2009-08-15T13:42:00.002-04:00

Sans titre by (¯`v´¯)♥ toutchi♥(¯`v´¯) on Polyvore.com

My Neverland by EatsLoveForBreakfast*OFF* on Polyvore.com

"Polyvore is a free, easy-to-use web-based application for mixing and matching images from anywhere on the web. It is also a vibrant community of creative and stylish people.

Polyvore lets you create sets composed of individual images using an easy to use, drag and drop editor. After you have created a set, you can publish and share it with your friends and the Polyvore community. "
----------------------------------------------------------------

Site muito legal para montagem usando imagens de qualquer lugar da internet.
Dá para aprender sobre as tendencias do fashion, seguir estilos de celebridades, aprender sobre design de interiores, aprender a combinar roupas, etc.

2009-08-03T22:01:00.004-04:00

I wonder how long it takes for life to settle down...

routine kills me bit by bit, I have no money, the weather is getting my skin worse...

every second, every move, every word, every look, every thought is being mesured by someone else. things you don't even notice you've said... all used up against you.

I feel no excitement, I worry for my future, I worry I end up like 'all' the people I know: boring, sad...

2009-07-27T17:42:00.001-04:00

"Gente infeliz detesta saber que felicidade existe.

Não gaste sua energia tentando provar o contrário."

2009-07-07T19:13:00.003-04:00

I'm in love with the ideals of HaiKai.
... And Leminski is the best for going into depth in the studies of HaiKai.

"o haicai valoriza o fragmentário e o 'insignificante', o aparentemente banal e o casual, sempre tentando extrair o máximo do significado do mínimo de material, em ultra-segundos de hiper-informação. De imediato, podemos ver em tudo isso os paralelos profundos com a estética fotográfica. Esses traços característicos do haicai podem ser transpostos sem nenhuma dificuldade para a fotografia".

blank.

2009-07-07T18:26:00.000-04:00

dream car

2009-07-07T15:30:00.007-04:00

Took these last year on a street near my house. I think the owners were having some kind of convention...

I've been seeing lots of these Volkswagen Beetles for sale here in Belo Horizonte. I want one :]

Christmas/ Birthday gift, anyone?

moving.

2009-07-07T15:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I bought my plane ticket to Vitoria - Espirito Santo.
I'm moving once again... Hopefully for good this time.
Don't know how much more packing/boxes/moving I can take...

I do look forward to living by my family, by the beach, and goingback to what I someday truly called "home".

The picture is of a house on the street I used to live in Newark. I used to say it was the cutest house on the street every time I walked by.

2009-07-05T17:22:00.004-04:00

Because people seem a lot happier on pictures.
Because the thought of who I COULD be takes away from who I am now.
Because life seems a lot easier and bearable when described by others.
Because words that come out of my mouth describe thoughts and feelings I was not aware I was able of having.
Because I feel a lot older thant the two digit number called age.
Because no matter how much I change, it will not change.
Because in memory land things are better than in actual life.
Because being quiet does not mean you are innocent.
Because you are older, it doesn't mean you have a lot to teach.
Because the things you would teach me would not interest me one bit.
Because in the end you have made me scared of freedom.
Because out of all the things I want, freedom seems the most unatainable.
Because I always want to find admirable people....
Maybe so that I don't feel the pressure of being admirable myself.
Because all I want is someone who doesn't lie, who wouldn't force me to lie so that they like me.
Someone who I don't have to constantly prove how smart I am or feel sad for how dumb and accomodated they are.
Because no matter how much I tell myself that it could've been better, nothing that proceeded you was better than us.
Because everything seems dirty and dangerous and unloving and self-diminishing.
Because as much as I want to forget the past, I fear what lies ahead.
Because I don't really know what the question is, or if should really know.
Because...

2009-07-02T19:02:00.000-04:00

Awesome video. It makes me miss NYC SOOO much!

my mistakes were made for you

2009-06-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

" And it's the fame that put words in her mouth

She couldnt help, but spit em out

Around your crooked conscious she will wind

And it's alot to ask and not to sting

Giver her less than everything

Innocence and arrogance intwined "

2009-06-18T15:57:00.006-04:00

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”

- Jack Kerouac

2009-06-16T17:21:00.001-04:00

Forget about your lists and do what you can because that's all you can do. Phone up the people you miss and tell them you love them. Hug those close to you as hard as you can. Because you are always only a drunk driver's stupidity, a nervous shopkeeper's mistake, a doctor's best attempts and an old age away from forever.

2009-06-08T09:55:00.004-04:00

I don't wanna be your friend
I just wanna be your lover
No matter how it ends
No matter how it starts...

2009-05-29T19:20:00.001-04:00

"And if you can't say yes, answer anyway. Because I'd rather live with the answer than die with the question. "

2009-05-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

Sometimes
I can hear
my bones straining
under the weight of
all the lives
I'm not living.
-extremely loud
and incredibly close
[ via Una Bella Vita ]

p.s: I need new dreams/purposes.
[via Le Love ]

"I was so busy missing you, I missed someone else standing right in front of me. Now I’m missing them instead."
[via I wrote this for you]

2009-04-30T09:51:00.001-04:00

I looved this project. So cool...

2009-04-29T10:09:00.004-04:00

[via A Beautiful Mess ]

"...And if you look a little closer, you'll see that if a person believes that life is terrible, they’ll constantly look for proof of this, to confirm their view of the world. They’ll find quotes and situations and events in their life and magnify them a hundred times.

If a person believes that life is wonderful, they’ll look for the corresponding signage and behave in a similar manner to the previous person with their view of the world. Often, this is the same person on different days of the week. "

[via I Wrote This For You]

2009-04-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

I believe in a set of values I cannot live by. I set high goals for myself, I seek perfection, dream of exotic faraway places. But ultimately, what I long for isn't far away at all. It's in my own backyard. Imperfection charms me, familiar things move me... a celebration of what we have, instead of what we long for. That for me, is glamour. -Isabella Rossellini

2009-04-15T09:45:00.005-04:00

SO...

I've been looking for an apartment;
I've been meeting new people;
I've come to enjoy teaching;
I've built new/better expectations of the future;
I've decided what to do with my life (college/education wise);
I've started studying for the vestibular;
I'm reading an awesome book (so far), called "Crônica da Casa Assassinada" by Lúcio Cardoso;
I went to Ouro Preto for the first time and fell completely in love. I want to move there.
I'm looking for a better job -- I need money.
I've been admiring the smart people I've been meeting lately.
I've been caring less about a lot of things.

... just trying to catch myself up with what's been going on.

life.

2009-04-02T09:12:00.003-04:00

(via Indexed)

2009-03-30T07:43:00.002-04:00

(via Smitten/ SparklePower)

help.

2009-03-21T20:24:00.001-04:00

"We help people when big things happen to them, when you see them getting hit by a car, when a brother or a sister or a father or a mother dies, we're there for them because we can see that death kills more than the person it takes. And yet, the people around us who die a little all the time, moment by moment, who require the least help, the smallest sacrifice, are the ones we ignore completely."

via I Wrote This For You

motivation.

2009-03-12T10:20:00.004-04:00

My cat Sigi and Shaylow, the neighbor's dog. (Hawaii)

“ Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof."

-John Kenneth Galbraith

“ Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

-Winston Churchill

via Notes to Self

won't be.

2009-03-11T12:33:00.004-04:00

"You think that you're fundamentally "you".That even without three meals a day, the people around you and the things you've been exposed to, you would still be the same person with the same ideas, morals, values and attitude towards life.But you wouldn't be."

from the blog I Wrote This For You.

I almost got robbed yesterday. I'm still scared.

They ended up not taking anything and I am okay. I ran away...

remember...

2009-03-10T16:07:00.003-04:00

originally uploaded by Roland, via Swissmiss.

Related post here, with the awesomest song on the background (it makes me want to cry; a good kind of cry.)

On a smaller note, it kind of hurts finding out an ex has moved on. Even when you no longer want him...

global pillow fight!

2009-03-09T16:34:00.003-04:00

[Taken in Paris (France) - 13Oct07] by Philippe Leroyer

On Saturday April 4th 2009, there will be massive pillow fights in cities around the world!
Use this site to locate the nearest one.

This idea was organized by The Urban Playground Movement and here's what they had to say:

All over the world, groups like them organize free, fun, all ages, non-commercial public events. From a massive Mobile Clubbing event in a London train station to a giant pillow fight near the Eiffel Tower in Paris to a subway party beneath the streets of Toronto, it is clear that the urban playground is growing around the world, leaving more public and more social cities in its wake. This is the urban playground movement, a playful part of the larger public space movement.
One of our goals is to make these unique happenings in public space become a significant part of popular culture, partially replacing passive, non-social, branded consumption experiences like watching television, and consciously rejecting the blight on our cities caused by the endless creep of advertising into public space. The result, we hope, will be a global community of participants, not consumers, in a world where people are constantly organizing and attending these happenings in every major city in the world.
This project, Pillow Fight Day 2008, is a collaboration of many people who comprise a loose, decentralized network of urban playground event organizers all over the world.

Personally I think this is awesome and I hope people here in Brazil keep chosing to participate in fun events such as these. I'll be there! :]

listography

2009-03-08T09:49:00.004-04:00

I love making lists...

So I bought the book Listography last year and finished filling it out in 3 days.

Luckly I found out about the website, and I've been spending a LOT of time reading other people's lists and writing my own. It's so much fun :]

I still wanna get the Love Listography one...

2009-03-06T16:22:00.002-05:00

Love is to share, mine is for you :]

I fell in love with the video...

2009-03-03T19:31:00.002-05:00

There are places i’ll remember all my life though some have changed. Some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain. All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends i still can recall. Some are dead and some are living - in my life i’ve loved them all.
The Beatles - In My Life

cool passtime :]

2009-03-03T19:06:00.005-05:00

From The Fake Albums Group, found on FREEwilliamsburg.
Here are the rules:

1: Go to "Wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2: Go to "Random quotations"or click
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3: Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4: Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

here's mine:

Cool, huh? Now, TRY IT!

2009-03-02T18:18:00.004-05:00

I'd love to celebrate my birthday with cupcakes like these.

My birthday isn't til like 50 something more days.

I just want to have something fun (hopefully) to look forward to.

truth.

2009-03-02T16:48:00.001-05:00

2009-03-01T16:06:00.005-05:00

“My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.”
- Jack Kerouac

2009-02-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

it's just the way you see the world, it's just the way you see the world...

2009-02-13T16:26:00.002-05:00

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.

originality in non-existent!

2009-01-19T16:32:00.002-05:00

{via SwissMiss}

The Secret To Happiness

2009-01-18T10:17:00.009-05:00

"The secret to happiness is to continually fall in love. With people, with ideas, with places, with things, with experiences, with moments, with traditions."

Right now I'm in love with the rain that is angrily falling outside; with the sound of the song that is calmingly playing on the radio; with the idea that I might see him again tomorrow; with the thought of consciously planning my future without rushing to it. I'm in love with the happiness of continually falling in love; with the feeling of holding my life in my own hands; with the smell of the delicious food being cooked right now. I'm in love with the brazilian way of being; I'm in love with Rio, Vitória, Carmo da Mata. I'm in love with traveling, meeting, finding, revisiting. I'm in love with Sunday's lunch traditions. But mostly, I'm still in love ~~with him~~.

... although it´s never going to work.

2008-12-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

click here!

Write a personalized message with photos from Google Maps!
For every letter there is a correspondent building somewhere in the world. It's pretty cool :]

via Ah Tri Né

the philosophy of liberty.

2008-11-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

2008-11-28T00:38:00.005-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am thankful for:
- understanding

- having people to share things with

- deep conversations

- staying curious

- for being able to laugh

- for having limits

- and most of all: for knowing this isn't the only day to be thankful for things.

(don't take me wrong, I'm also thankful for sarcasm.)

nerdy me.

2008-11-25T01:02:00.001-05:00

I came across this website and found it quite interesting.
I've been so anxious lately and this really helps me feel a little useful! :]

truth.

2008-11-24T06:37:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhh... He said it all. Couldn't have explained myself or my thoughts better!

"the endpoint is ALWAYS infinity."

The New York Times' spoof

2008-11-12T17:52:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen this yet, try and take a closer look at the date of issue. The paper was post-dated July 4th, 2009.
I was fooled there for a second, and then I realized it was only a prank (unfortunately) ...

Here's what the Times itself had to say:
In an elaborate hoax, pranksters distributed hundreds or possibly thousands of free copies of a spoof edition of The New York Times on Wednesday morning at busy subway stations around the city, including Grand Central Terminal, Washington and Union Squares, the 14th and 23rd Street stations along Eighth Avenue, and Pacific Street in Brooklyn, among others.
“I would say if you’ve got one, hold on to it,” Mr. Jones, a former Times reporter, said of the fake issue. “It will probably be a collector’s item. I’m just glad someone thinks The New York Times print edition is worthy of an elaborate hoax. A Web spoof would have been infinitely easier. But creating a print newspaper and handing it out at subway stations? That takes a lot of effort.”

I totally agree with Mr. Jones, as well as with one person who commented on the Gawker saying "YEAH!! Print is not dead!" hahaha. One of my biggest concerns in becoming a journalist is the fact that the media is so controlled, and many people are forced to keep their mouths shut or to only transmit the truth to a certain extend. I've had the fear that, if I do choose to become a journalist, I would suffer from not being able to truly express myself (which was the reason why I picked journalism in the first place). Anyways, it's things like this that make me giggle inside and know that there are people out there that are not afraid to expose their feelings and ideas, even if that may cause some trouble. Not to mention the fact that this Utopia is ideal and parallel to what most of us wish would happen.

Aw, I wish I had gotten a copy of it so I could keep for ever and ever, haha.

- watch the video.

*I found out about it here.

yet another 'inconvenient truth'

2008-11-12T13:43:00.009-05:00

As stated in the letter written by the organization Action Against Hunger to Al Gore:
Worldwide, some 19 million children under the age of five are afflicted with severe acute
malnutrition. This most serious, life-threatening form of hunger kills a child every four seconds,
resulting in more than 5 million childhood deaths each year.
Yet these deaths are entirely preventable.

Basically, you can make a difference right now (without paying just yet) by simply signing a petition which asks for Al Gore's help in the making of a film which will inform the world about the possible ways to eradicate child malnutrition.

If you have not done so, please check out the film An Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore has done a great job on spreading the word about what our terrible behavior and habits have done to the earth. Not to mention that he does so in an entirely convincing manner, that causes us to understand that THERE IS something we can do about it. Although An Inconvenient Truth has caused an inconvenient controversy, I am sure most of you would agree that informing the nation about what can be done could not possibly cause any harm. It's been said that "Gore was using a biased presentation to exploit the fears of the public for his own political gain"*, but am I the only one that feels like this is just another excuse to keep us from being blamed? Isn't it time to take responsibility for our own actions? Well, it's up to you to decide.

Signing the petition is really fast and easy. Plus you get to see how many people have already signed it:

(the number was actually 9.305)

Oh, and I had fun looking for my name in midst of all the 9.305 other names.

Other people will be able to read what you wrote, and it was awesome to see what others had to say about this issue.

and this is what I wrote in case you are curious:

If you want something done about world hunger but, like me, do not know what to ask Al Gore, just write what comes to mind. Even if it sucks, it's the intention that counts! On the other hand, if you don't think this is a good idea (do not tell me so! hahaha... jk), don't simply sit there and talk about how this will not make the tinniest difference, instead find something that DOES! Please?

*Richard S. Lindzen There Is No 'Consensus' On Global Warming Wall Street Journal, accessed 2007-01-10

6 weeks and 4 days left of this place…

2008-11-11T02:59:00.005-05:00

My days have been filled with emptiness, shifting things around, shifting feelings around.
I look through the things we’ve gathered throughout 8 long years, things that stayed the same while we went through so many changes, so much moving around. It’s funny to be able to tell what exactly has stuck with us all along (like photographs, friends’ letters, my first pair of tennis shoes as kid, etc), and truly realize what it all comes down to.
I wonder what I will miss, but then again it is hard to know considering I haven’t left yet. I’ve been trying to make up my mind about the things I wish to do as soon as I get there, and so far only a few things have come to mind: eat alfajor; dance to Djobi Djoba by the Gpsy Kings with my grandfather.... And I have the following weeks to think of the rest. As Juno said, "I never realize how much I like being home unless I've been somewhere really different for a while."
{which reminds me of this, and makes me smile :] }

I can barely sleep at this stage of the process. I feel so anxious…
The dreams we spend so much time fantasizing about turn out to be the total opposite of what we wished for. On the other hand, I feel it is better this way. How boring would it be if we always got exactly what we hoped for? Maybe the trick works when you’re still young, when you want nothing less than exactly what you asked for. As you get older, you start playing mind tricks with others and especially with yourself. You ask for something, but you hope that people will reveal the meaning behind your words, analyze how much you really deserve and so on. Nobody is straight-forward these days, at least not in a good way.
Anyways, I’m ready for change...

...a fresh start.

my say on the election.

2008-11-07T17:39:00.001-05:00

we are all everything at once.

2008-11-03T17:14:00.004-05:00

me minus two wisdom teeth.

2008-10-24T19:38:00.006-04:00

It has often crossed my mind who had the brilliant idea of naming the third and final set of molars WISDOM teeth. Maybe they do come around when you finally choose to become a little wiser. What is not so wise is the procedure to extract them. ARGH...
My appointment was schedulled for 3:00 pm, but as I walked into the office I knew that I was about to have a very long afternoon. There were about four or five people ahead of me and only one orthodontist. At 5:30 pm I was finally called, and directed to a room.
Let's just mention the fact that I was very well determined to get all four wisdom teeth removed on the same day. My mind changed as I was getting them removed. As they they worked on removing the second tooth, I asked them to stop as soon as they were done with that one. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like I was filming a scene for the upcoming SAW VI (hajsfdhksgl).
Anyways, I survived. My face is very, very swollen and I look like 'Quico', from the series El Chavo del Ocho, hahaha. Yeah, maybe it's not that funny.
Well at least I get to be lazy (more than the usual), I get to eat tons of ice cream and yogurt, I get to lose some weight while I'm at it, read all my favorite blogs, and watch tons of movies... I am SO excited (feel the irony).

:]

"Even their fear frightens them"

2008-10-22T23:57:00.006-04:00

Maybe, as the New York Times' article states, the American Dream means: "keeping children happy, stimulated and successful, no matter the cost." Furthermore, living in suburbs, having pets, and most of all: keeping the truth from your kids so that they can live a happy life.

At times like these I come to thank 'God' that I am an immigrant and aware of the reality. Coming from a third world country where the economy has almost always (if not always) been at crisis, and also where my single mother had no choice but to tell her kids the truth. It wasn't any easier for us to understand back then, but it just makes it easier for us now, being used to it.

This simply answers my question. We CAN live with less and be happy. It doesn't mean living in poverty, but it does mean realizing that having what you NEED and sharing it does bring people together. Maybe this all explains why South Americans are considered 'warmer' (showing lively feelings, passions, emotions, sympathies,strongly attached; intimate people).

While parents may think that finances are a deal for adults, why not consider that this might help their kids have a better and clearer vision of the world. Meanwhile, this could perfectly explain the fact that their teenagers' wants are insatiable. Has nobody else asked why is it that kids in America are so materialistic? Why do they live a life through intermediaries (cellphones, computers, TVs, radios...). How can teenagers be offered such a wide range of information, all the same time, while still being such alienated beings?

Watch this video if you're interested.

Cheers, to the generation that is finally waking up!

Diário da Gabriela.

2008-10-19T18:35:00.005-04:00

My name is Gabriela/ I am 19 years-old/ I live in New Jersey, United States/ I am currently a bum/ I started my first semester of college and soon quit because I am once again moving/ My major is, as soon as I can continue studying, journalism/ I write poetry, I make collages, I take and edit photos/ What I like most about Newark is its proximity to the city (NYC)/ The farthest away I have been is Hawaii, literally (it is the island furthest away from any land, in case you did not know)/ Here in Newark I walk everywhere, I take the bus a lot, I search for valuable friendships/ I do not drive yet but I am in love with mini-coopers and old Volkswagens/I like being organized, I like having plans, I like patterns (not so much routine)/ I love sweets and at times I feel like I only eat regular meals so I can get to the desserts/ I worry about my health, even though I should do more to improve it/ I am a vegetarian, I do not smoke, I take vitamins, I drink socially, but I barely exercise/ I do not watch TV, I spend way too much time on the Internet, although I am barely 'online'/ On weekends I spent most of my days catching up on sleep, watching movies and spending time with my mom and sister. Oh and I stay out until 4 am or later, sometimes doing absolutely nothing/ I feel the need to have some alone time and I almost always get it/ My favorite places are Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Greenwich Village in the city, Little Five Points in Atlanta, and my room (wherever it may be).

(collages I made on my bedroom's wall)

* I based this 'auto-biography' on this article.

half words and half images.

2008-10-17T22:43:00.003-04:00

(Picture taken by me at Waimea Beach, Hawaii)

"Talking with quiet confidence will always beat screaming with obvious insecurity"

sound of air

2008-10-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

And from here I hear the sounds.
The sound of you talking to them, the sound of them talking(?) to you.
I hear the sound of her sound and wonder what it sounds like to her.
I hear the sound that comes from my ceiling fan, and wonder if my brain sounds the same.
It sure serves the same function as the ceiling fan.
Just like the fan shuffles the air, my brain shuffles my thoughts and makes me feel the cool breeze. Sometimes it gets too cold, sometimes it's not enough...AIR.

life on hold

2008-10-16T00:20:00.000-04:00

The world is like a store
Where everyone’s life is on hold
Until we've got enough money to purchase it.

*I wrote this a really long time ago. Actually, I am not sure when I wrote it.

I came across it today as I was looking through some old pictures.

I often find myself searching for quotes online that will help me describe how I feel (lame, I know).

That is exactly why I was so impressed to have found something I have written, that instead of making me realize how much I have changed over the years, it helped me to finally see how much I have not changed. Unlike all the pictures I spent my entire day looking at. Wishing that I had some of the things I have now, back then... and vice-versa.

later...