dream-princess

English Port wine families

2010-03-06T12:47:00.002Z

Fascinating short doc about the two english port-producing families (in Portuguese with a bit of English and footage of the lovely Douro valley).

My favourite Madredeus song with my translation

2010-01-11T00:11:00.002Z

Vem

Além de toda a solidao

perdi a luz do teu viver

perdi o horizonte

Esta bem

Prossegue la até quereres

Mas vem depois iluminar

Um coracao que sofre

Pertenco-te

Até ao fim do mar

Sou como tu

Da mesma luz

Do mesmo amar

Por isso vem

Porque te quero Consolar

Se nao esta bem

deixa-te andar a navegar

Come (Beyond All Loneliness)

Come

Besides all the loneliness

I lost the light of your living

I lost the horizon.

All right

Carry on until you wish

But afterwards come to give light

To a heart that suffers.

I belong to you

Until the end of the sea

I am like you

Of the same light

Of the same loving.

So come

Because I want to comfort you

If not ok

Let yourself drift away.

Translation experiment

2009-11-13T22:57:00.006Z

It is urgent to love.
It is urgent to have a boat on the sea.

It is urgent to destroy certain words,
hate, loneliness and cruelty,
some lamentations,
many swords.

It is urgent to invent joy,
to multiply kisses, the corn fields,
it is urgent to discover roses and rivers
and bright mornings.

Silence falls on our shoulders and the light,
impure, until it hurts.
It is urgent to love, it is urgent
to stay.

É urgente o amor.
É urgente um barco no mar.

É urgente destruir certas palavras,
ódio, solidão e crueldade,
alguns lamentos,
muitas espadas.

É urgente inventar alegria,
multiplicar os beijos, as searas,
é urgente descobrir rosas e rios
e manhãs claras.

Cai o silêncio nos ombros e a luz
impura, até doer.
É urgente o amor, é urgente
permanecer.

Eugenio de Andrade

2009-10-23T21:38:00.001Z

Have just uploaded some photos and restored the photo-album link on the right - check it out!

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It sounds wrong but tastes so right

2009-09-25T14:17:00.000Z

Port Wine after 250 years is reinventing itself with the Porto tonic -a tasty alternative to the Gin and Tonic! There are several variants possible like 1/2 white Porto ,1/2 tonic water, ice and lemon ...

2009-07-19T14:01:00.003Z

Retrato de uma princesa desconhecida
Para que ela tivesse um pescoço tão fino
Para que os seus pulsos tivessem um quebrar de caule
Para que os seus olhos fossem tão frontais e limpos
Para que a sua espinha fosse tão direita
E ela usasse a cabeça tão erguida
Com uma tão simples claridade sobre a testa
Foram necessárias sucessivas gerações de escravos
De corpo dobrado e grossas mãos pacientes
Servindo sucessivas gerações de príncipes
Ainda um pouco toscos e grosseiros
Ávidos cruéis e fraudulentos

Foi um imenso desperdiçar de gente
Para que ela fosse aquela perfeição
Solitária exilada sem destino

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Portrait of an unknown princess

For her to have such a slender neck
For her wrists to be a stem breaking
For her eyes to be so open and clear
For her spine to be so straight
And that she carry her head so high
With such simple clarity upon her brow
Successive generations of slaves were necessary
Of crouched body and pacient thick hands
Serving successive generations of princes
Still a little crude
Eager, cruel and fraudulent

It was an enormous waste of people
For her to be that perfection
Solitary exile without destiny

(my translation)

Trip to Portugal

2009-07-01T12:42:00.003Z

Flying to Porto this evening, returning the 8th in the morning. Might be going to Aveiro and/or Lisbon on the weekend but do call or text if you want to meet up! Will have both my Portugese and English mobile on me

2009-03-06T12:24:00.002Z

What goes through a man/woman mind when someone says "Let's go for a drink"?

2009-02-25T12:56:00.005Z

2009-02-06T10:13:00.002Z

It's a tough, but heartwarming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt in IraqJohn Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.He is a real Star of the war, and represents what the Western world is trying to do.This, my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD! Go for it!!You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if you don't, but the public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that we're making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.

And for you cynics, this is from hoaxslayer, a website dedicated to discovering internet scams:

Some photographs tell a story all by themselves. This moving, and somehow peaceful, photograph of a sleeping soldier cradling an injured child is certainly one of them. And, for once, the textual explanation that accompanies the photograph contains accurate information.The photograph shows Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt with an injured Iraqi child during a deployment to Balad Air Base in Iraq during October 2006.

London fitness

2009-01-19T12:08:00.000Z

Have finally made it to another capoeira class and think uff .. queda de rins are definitely harder than paneos. But you do feel more virtuous afterwards!

What?!

2008-12-11T17:35:00.001Z

The Crying Human Christmas Tree
video trailer http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rlAmHfTJ2_4

In an extraordinary art performance, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, artist Mark McGowan is to stand dressed as a christmas tree for an amazing 72 hours, he will also be attempting to cry continuously. Tears and sobbing will be seen and heard from the incredible human Christmas tree on the Rua Do Poco Dos Negros, starting at 10am on Friday 19th December 2008 and continuing through out the last weekend before Christmas.The performance is an attempt to highlight lonliness at Christmas, when lots of people instead of being happy are sad, due to circumstances. McGowan says,"Hopefully this art performance or sculpture will carry a message to the people of Lisbon and Portugal who are lucky enough to have their families and friends around them at Christmas, that there are some people who are less fortunate and maybe we could extend our goodwill to them as they find the holiday season quite painful and sad.It is particularly moving that this event should take place in Rua do Poço dos Negros, surely a horrible area to be in during the 15th century, when King D. Manuel I decided to built a well where dead black slaves were to be buried in piles.
Its going to be very very difficult to keep crying continuously for 72 hours dressed as a Christmas tree."
for more info 0044 7828524056 chunkymark1974@yahoo.com

A arvore de natal humana que chora.
Numa extraordinária performance artística, que terá lugar em Lisboa, Portugal, o artista Mark MacGowan vai estar vestido de árvore de Natal durante umas inacreditáveis 72 horas, enquanto tentará chorar continuamente. Lágrimas e choro convulsivo serão vistas e ouvidas vindas da incrível árvore de Natal humana na Rua Poço dos Negros, começando às 10h da manhã de quinta dia 18 de Dezembro de 2008 e continuando ininterruptamente pelo último fim de semana antes do Natal.A performance é uma chamada de atenção para a solidão de que algumas pessoas sofrem especialmente no Natal, em que em vez de felizes ficam tristes devido às circunstâncias em que vivem.
video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlAmHfTJ2_4
Diz, a propósito, Mark MacGowan:«Espero que esta performance artística, ou escultura, consiga passar a mensagem às pessoas de Lisboa e Portugal que têm a sorte de passar o Natal na companhia da sua família e amigos, de que há pessoas que são menos afortunadas e que talvez possamos ajudá-las a passar um Natal melhor.É particularmente tocante que este evento decorra na Rua Poço dos Negros, que há uns largos anos foi certamente um sítio horrível, pois foi por ali que o rei D. Manuel I mandou cavar um poço onde os negros que morriam eram sepultados às camadas.Vai certamente ser muito difícil chorar continuamente durante 72horas vestido de árvore de Natal.»
Para mais informações sobre este evento:0044 7828524056 chunkymark1974@yahoo.com0044 7821117043 cisca (portugese)www.markmcgowan.org http://aarvoredenatalhumanaquechora.blogspot.com

Visit to Portugal for Christmas

2008-11-18T16:29:00.003Z

Arriving Tues 16th night, coming back to London 31st morning.

On the 27th and 28th might go to Lisbon

Open to suggestions for meeting up in Porto and Lisbon.

And of course for New Year parties in the UK!

London like Sunday

2008-11-17T10:50:00.002Z

Had lunch with a friend at Le Pain Quotidien, caught a bit of the World Press Photo exhibition (as usual worth it for a choice few photos) and a free jazz big band at the Royal Festival Hall, popped into Dorothy Perkins to check out if they had some of the things I need (dresses for tango, black belt, brown boots, etc), went to a tango lesson at Danceworks where I tried to master the volcadas, not quite successfully, and then to a swing-lindy-hop lesson and dancing.

I'm a bit surprised that this all managed to fit into a Sunday actually, but isn't it a great little slice of London life?

Lovebox weekender 2008

2008-07-30T16:22:00.005Z

Manu Chao

Satin Peaches

Young Blood Brass Band

The Bad Seeds

The Human League

2008-06-27T15:43:00.001Z

I'm going to be in Portugal from Monday the 11th of August to Saturday the 23rd of August. Will probably have a birthday dinner on Friday the 22nd so add it into your diaries!

May in Porto

2008-06-22T14:41:00.002Z

Casa do Gato, a funky bar in Rua do Rosario, my cousing Joao and Susana:

Another addition to unbelievable british children's tv shows

2008-06-10T11:03:00.004Z

This showed in the 80s - yes it's true, and it is a children's cartoon. Make sure you watch all of it, the lines just get better and better...

Rainbow

Actually just found out that this is an adult version, made for a internal staff Christmas edition. However as it is now widely circulated on the internet, and shown in adult TV shows many people who saw the original Rainbow as kids have this episode firmly associated with the series in their mind.

How to spend a weekday evening in London

2008-05-16T09:57:00.002Z

Wellcome Collection exhibition on a work team outing

Go to the top floor of pub Jeremy Benthams for a true Cambridge-style experience and a half-pint of Rosie's cider

Go back to the Wellcome Trust's Oliver Peyton Cafe for the best fairy cakes ever

This programme allowed me to meet 7 of my friends in one evening! Enjoyable indeed

Won't you dance with me?

2008-04-21T16:37:00.002Z

Video-clip from Nouvelle Vague

Next trip to Portugal

2008-04-08T16:09:00.000Z

Porto from Sat 3rd of May to Mon 12th of May.

International estate agent

2008-04-06T11:54:00.001Z

A a summer flat to rent in NY, someone looking for a room in North London, a room in a Paddington Mews and a room to let in Porto.

2008-03-20T16:41:00.001Z

For those of you who haven't come across it:

The Flying Spaghetti Monster

film-like Paris story

2008-02-18T14:43:00.003Z

So, in a way, this is a continuation of my Paris trip post, but with such an interesting twist that I'm glad I just didn't have time to post it before.

In Paris I stayed at Olivia's and Arne's place, a beautiful studio flat that you accessed via a courtyard, near the Bastille. Upon entering the courtyard, I immediately thought that it was quite like the courtyard in "Before Sunset". You know, the grown-up continuation of the seminal European train romance "Before Sunrise" with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. You know, of course you do. Climbing up to the flat, and after greeting her properly, I commented on this, and on the fact that the flat was even decorated in a similar way. "Where a lot of places in Paris like this" I inquired. Olivia said very likely but she hadn't seen the film. When I got back I lent them the dvd by post. Here's her answer:

Yes, we got it a few days ago and watched it- appropriately- for Valentine's day! And by the way, it's not only like our building, it is our building! I can't believe we live in a *famous* Parisian building! The flat is not ours though, it's in the back, and the cat is different too... So it was surreal to watch it. By the way, they edit a lot of bits of Paris out between the walking scenes- ie in the film it looks like you can walk from Shakespeare and co to Bastille without crossing the Seine! I wonder if they thought they were making the film for people who'd never been to Paris.

I stupidly hadn't downloaded pictures from my camera before going there so couldn't take pics of the flat. Here's the film one anyway:

Worth going

2008-02-17T10:53:00.002Z

It is worth going to the Juan Munoz exhibition at the Tate, and possibly even coming to London, just for the opportunity of walking around Many Times: