Patria Amada!

"Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens plácidas
De um povo heróico o brado retumbante."

I was 7 years old, almost 8. A little girl with no worries about anything in the entire world, when those words started to mean something deeper to me. 1994, the first world cup I was old enough to understand. It was happening in the United States of America, and I thought, "some of family lives there"! I barely knew who Diego Maradona was. He was this man, who achieved so much for our rivals: Argentina. This was his last world cup but he would walk away with tears in his eyes, after failing a drug test.

We were placed in a fairly easy group which included Cameroon - we always face Cameroon for some odd reason. Yet, "This was going to be a tough one", our hearts told us. At the time I lived in Brazil, and the idea of soccer not being the most important thing during the month of June, every 4 years, did not exist. We won our group by a mere 2 points, and advanced to the playoffs. We played the USA and advanced to play the Netherlands. Oh those dutch... they have always been in our ways and people have always underestimated them. After beating them and whoever was next we faced Italy in the finals. Now, I am part Italian... this was weird. Italy had the most amazing soccer team of all times, and I adored them. I followed them. We had no idea that having our captain Dunga, our star Romario, and one of Italy's stars: Baggio, would win us the world cup. The match went to overtime and eventually to penalty kicks. As a 7 year old, I don't remember anything from those last 15 minutes besides 3 facts: 1. We had an amazing goalie, his name was Tafarel and the commentators always said "vai que e tua Tafarel!" (Go for it because it's yours Tafarel, which to this day my friends and I say it playing around when we wish someone to do something that they are great at). 2. Romario was our beast. The man made history, and it's not easy to make history as a Brazilian soccer player. 3. Baggio... Roberto Baggio was his name and missing the crutial penalty kick was what he did. And that was my first experience as a Brazilian soccer fan.

Four years after that I remember us preparing for another world cup. This is when we would win our 5th championship we thought. Coca-Cola sang in its commercials "O Brasil ta com fome de gol, O Brasil ta com sede de 5" (Brazil is hungry for goals, Brazil is thirsty for 5) and we all chanted it. But that was a disappointment. We watched as Ronaldo, the phenomenon, failed to perform and France took our fifth star from us.

2002 came quickly and we easily killed Germany in the finals with our phenomenon scoring two goals against nothing. Who would ever thought that 12 years later we would be slaughtered by the same country 7 goals to 1? I certainly didn't. If i did I wouldn't have painted my face yellow and green, i wouldn't have tied my hair with a Brazilian bandana and worn my country's colors. Or would have I?

That's the question us fans ask ourselves all the time. After living in America for 11 years I realized that America loves, but it also hates. Just like us Brazilians. The silly constant comments about soccer never, ever, made me feel anything negative. I love the sport. I think it's stupid when people compare it to football because it's soccer. The most ignorant comment of all times is: "the real soccer, football, starts in september". Ignorance is my least favorite human characteristic..  Come on everyone, there's soccer and there's football, and because the whole world decided to call soccer "football" (foot+ball, kicking, kicking the ball with your foot... etc) does not mean they are the same. So would I have dressed up for Brazil even if i knew they would have lost? YES! and I will repeat, yes. My heart beats green and yellow, my hands shake and tears come to my eyes when I hear our anthem. The passion and love I have for my country, my soccer team, my players, my brothers and sisters, will never ever fade. And if you, share those emotions with me, you will appreciate this video. At every beat your heart, as will mine, will move faster and in the end, with chills in your arms and tears in your eyes you will sing.  With all your might you-will-sing:

"Terra adorada!
Entre outras mil
És tu, Brasil,
Ó Pátria amada
Dos filhos deste solo és mãe gentil,
Pátria amada
Brasil!"

The bag and the beach.

After two long, life changing years, a special someone encouraged me to be back. With different goals in mind, I typed in the URL for my long lost blog and there it was. Colorful, full of details and fashion items. Quickly I thought: "I must change this if I ever want to write on it again!". Today I can say that I am a much more simple person, who can quickly distinguish from black and white. I'm here to share a story of a friendship that grew from nothing but random encounters to a bond that could never be broken. As A always says: "The universe has a reason for everything".

A Friday in July 2005: I wore a jean skirt and a brown tight polo, all from Abercrombie and Fitch. Where else?! That store smelled like good looking people and played the best music. I walked for the first time into the place where my home would be for the next 9 years. I carried my pink and white stripped bag with neon yellow handles that had some quote about the beach on it. Little did I know both the bag and the beach would bring us together at different times. The day went quickly and I met some friends. Some I still talk to, some I still carry in my heart and memories.

A Sunday in September 2005: I also wore a jean skirt, this time I paired it with an army green racer back tank top. My best friend and my parents moved me in to my first dorm room... I've always been a clean and organized person, I remember being a little girl dumping all my clothes on the bed because a skirt was misplaced in the wrong drawer. Upon walking into that room, desperation came over me. "I couldn't sleep in this messy room on a top bunk" I thought! Luckily before I even took a breath, I was moved to a different room due to knowing a friend who was joining the same dorm room (still I was placed in a top bunk, but this time around it was ok because I was with my friend). That night the most random girl came up to me and asked if I would like to go to a party, and to meet outside at 9:30. I quickly got ready and met her and a bunch of new kids. We walked to a place that has held so many memories to me and A throughout our lives. Once there I saw A standing by a table where people played a game called beerpong. A and I locked eyes and I think i can speak for both of us when I say that we knew we would get along. A spotted my stripped bag and ran to me saying she saw me walk during that July afternoon and had loved my bag! This is the moment the bag brought us together. We started talking about parties and school. We found a bucket full of watermelons where we stood by and munched on some delicious fruit. Then people were calling on others to play the beerpong game, so A and I said why not? Obviously we won, we were so good at it somehow. We shared laughs, hugs, and what would become a first night of a beautiful friendship.

A Monday in November 2006: A wakes me up to go to anthropology class. She was always the most responsible one. The one who never skipped class and made study guides before exams. After showering, I told A i wasn't feeling so well, she rolled her eyes at me thinking I was probably just skipping our class again, but still she saw in my eyes that I couldn't go. After a text message, A ran back to our room with medicine for the pain I felt. Once she walked in she was surprised to see that I had changed colors and no longer felt my limbs. That moment A and I shared something neither of us will ever forget. Thanks to A and a few other characters I survived safe and sound. As A would say "The universe has a reason for everything".

The memories A and I shared are immense and impossible to be written down by me solely. Things, people, obligations were put in our path but today we are stronger than ever.

A Thursday in May 2014: After feeling extremely sick, A convinces me that I should come down to the beach for memorial day weekend. She knew I needed a new scene, some fun... That weekend changed my life. There were other people involved in this change, they know how much they mean to me. But A, she knows how much my heart needed her and the beach. This is the moment the beach brought us together. As we held hands and sat by the water for the first time in so long, I looked at A and I said "Thanks, I am finally complete" and A answered that "the universe has a reason for everything".

Google Chrome.

For a while now, I have been seeing Google Chrome commercials and never shared them here with you. I absolutely love them and believe they touch me in such a special place. Bellow I have the ones I could find. Feel free to comment with other commercials you know about! If you have seem them already, see them again, it's worth it! Enjoy!

Just watched them again and without fail, got the chills.

Monday pictures.

This past week was a lot of fun. Although I felt a bit sick, I still managed to enjoy my down time at home and some time with my friends.

My nails this past week. "Minted" by Revlon and Aquamarine Crystal glitter by Martha Stewart.

Fun in the sun with some girlfriends.

Nothing more refreshing than the pool!

A little bit of the city of Newark.

Morning lemonade and a gift.

My new Gorjana heart necklace. I love it!

My most recent reading.

First attempt to a fishtail braid. Tutorial here.

My best friend.

Monday pictures.

This weekend I thought about a lot of new ideas for my blog. I wanted to add a day where I would post pictures from my own camera, including things I see, places I visit, or anything that catches my eyes. I picked Mondays because there is no better way to start your week than by reminiscing about how great the past weekend was and remembering it through pictures. So here are some of my favorite moments captured in pictures lately.

Me and my great friend Allie, plus my new Michael Kors sunglasses that I am obsessed with.

The start of a beautiful summer.

Just two friends hanging out after playing outside.

Delicious sushi for a special dinner.

Just two friends holding hands in excitement.

Dogs enjoy summer time too!

Reunited :)

Gold version of my DIY braided bracelet.

DIY Plastic string bracelet.

Lately I have been feeling creative and up for do it yourself projects. I have seen so many of these bracelets online and I must admit I never thought I would find a purpose for plastic string. These bracelets are adorable and I thought to give it a try and make my own. First, I had to find plastic string, which you can find online anywhere but I bought a pack of various colors at a near dollar store. Then I had to learn how to do "Cobra" stiching and then the "King Cobra" stitching. Tutorials for these forms of stitching can be found here and here. Then, I found a few pieces of jewelry I had that I did not use anymore, such as a long necklace that I broke to get the metal piece you see in the mint colored bracelet. After that, it's stiching away and connecting pieces to obtain a bracelet look.

Here is the end result for two different bracelets I made:

Summer readings.

 Today I am going to talk about a few books I have read since the last book post here.

First, I finished the Hunger Games Trilogy by reading Mockingjay. I hate to admit this but Mockingjay was my least favorite book from the series. Yet, it was still very good. The story is a bit different but it all comes together in the end. It was melancholic, tough and serious, with that amazing side of it that the Hunger Games has. Although it was sad and most people complain that they cannot read the series due to its sadness, there was a lot of happiness to it as well. I had a very good time reading the series and would recommend it to anyone. It is definitely worth the commitment!

 Secondly, I read The Virgin Suicides. What an amazing story. I had heard about this for a long time and have always wanted to read it. The story always sounded so delicate and extreme to me. This is definitely a book that I am interested in. However, I did not love the way the story was told. There were not that many details, but the tragedy of it was amazing. To imagine that this could happen to a family or anyone is insane and extremely sad. I would recommend this book to those who like to read tragedies and abusive stories. If you are a romance person, stay away!

 Third I have a great reading! If I Am Missing or Dead was another story about abuse. In this case, a woman who is abused by her significant others. I loved this book very much. It teaches you a great deal by showing you what others go through on a daily bases. This is my favorite book of this list, and although a little out of my league because there was some romance and things like that, it satisfied me very much and I would recommend it to any woman. Truly an amazing story that could happen to any girl out there looking for love.

Last, but not least is Fifty Shades of Grey. I was a little hesitant to talk about this book because of all the drama and dilemma out there but I decided it would not hurt to just post my opinion here.

I bought this book thinking it would have a bit more sexuality to it, but I have to confess, aside from a few parts, the story is pretty much a romance. I am currently on the second book of the series and I still feel that way about the romance of it. It was still a good story, even though it can be a little silly at times, the character of Grey is truly the reason why I am still reading it and would recommend it.

Nail polish summer trends.

I have not been very creative with my nails lately. Just never seem to find enough time to do different things. However, I still maintain them and make sure they have a cute color on. Lately I have been very into coral and nude colors. Mint and lilac colors are also very in for this season and the summer. I shall try them very soon, but for now I have a few examples of what I have been doing with my nails lately.

Essie "Cute as a button" and some gold glitter 'ombre' style from the bottom to the top.

To obtain this effect (which I found a bit hard) you must start from the bottom and brush it towards the top making sure the bottom has the most amount of glitter and the top the least.

Essie "Brooch the subject" and Martha Stewart glitter.

Essie "Cute as a button" plus a gold polish I got from Aldo.

DIY Braided bracelet.

A while ago I started seeing these cute chain bracelets that had thread braided through them. I thought I could definitely use this as a do it yourself project because it looked easy and doable. So I went to the dollar store and bought a chain. The only thing they had available was one of those pants chains boys use on their jeans, so I had to break the chain into the size I needed and add the clasp, so it is much easier if you already have a chain bracelet and want to give it a new look. I found a tutorial with steps on how to braid it here.

I picked a pastel pink and a bright orange to make sure the colors were good for the summer. Make sure that you cut the thread very long because as you braid it will get shorter and a had to do it over because I ran out of thread.

Here is the end result, which i absolutely love:



All neon everything.

This Spring/Summer is bringing neon back to our outfits. Such risky colors, work best when paired up with nudes and whites. They add a pop to any outfit and somehow make whatever you chose to wear fun. I truly love neon, and although it can be tacky sometimes, if picked right, it can be chic yet spontaneous. If you fear neon, then start off by adding an accessory to your wardrobe. You will see that after wearing it a few times, you will want to add more and more. Below are some affordable cute neon items to give you some idea on what to pick.

1. Bracker Sandals - $48.74 at Aldo

2. Cambridge Satchel - $155 at Shopbop.com

3. Noir Jaipur Bracelet - $125 at Endless.com

4. Neon Scuba Skater Dress - $92 at TopShop.com

5. Skinny Leather Belt - $34.50 at J.Crew

6. Neon Yellow Vest Top - $11 at Debenhams

7. Moto Neon Leigh Jeans - $76 at TopShop.com

8. Helium Yellow Strap Gladiators - $60 at TopShop.com

Lipstain.

It feels good to be back. I have to confess I felt guilty all this time for not posting and putting my hobby on hold for so many months. However, I started graduate school and felt very overwhelmed by my new schedule/routine. Now that I am finally on my summer break from school, I would like to get back to this little old friend of mine and I hope you all will join me once again.

Today I’m going to talk about my favorite lip stain. I have been on the hunt for a long lasting lip makeup for a long time now and I could say that I am still always looking, but I seem to have found the best one so far. This marker style lip stain is very easy to apply and lasts for hours on end. The first time I used it was on New Year’s Eve and I did not have to reapply it at all. My lips stayed red the entire night, through eating and drinking. Although I had to apply it a few times when I was doing my makeup in order to obtain the color I wanted and to make sure the upper lip was even with the lower lip (the upper lip always seems to need more layers), it was all worth it because I was able to have color on my lips all night long. Below is a picture of one of the times I wore this lip stain. So for those of you, who have been looking for a good long lasting stain, invest on this one and you won’t be sorry.

You can buy this lipstain on their website here.

We heart it.

So... I am going away for the next two weeks and I figured since I won't be able to post from there, I would leave you guys with a last we heart it post and put some stuff together for when I get back. I hope everyone has a happy new year. Enjoy the last day of 2011 and start your list for 2012! Time flies so do not waste any time!! xoxo

Hello Kitty donuts!

Who does not love Super Mario World?!

Pink pumps work in any occasion.

Puppy!!

Cute idea for unique headphones.

The Kardashians are fab!

Hermione and Ron <3

All you need is love!

Cute baby costume!

In my vacation's honor: Brazilian Brigadeiro! Yum!!

Chocolate bacon.

For Christmas, my mom and I wanted to do a different dessert mixing salt and sweet. We used a recipe that we found here and the result was amazing. Everyone loved our chocolate covered bacons and we ate them all weekend. Besides, it was a very easy recipe with simple steps for a chic dessert.

Cat eye.

Although these have been popular for a while now, I have never thought about mentioning them on my blog until now. I absolutely love cat eye sunglasses. I find them very flattering and charming at the same time. I decided to do some research and combine my favorite picks that I currently have with some new picks I managed to find and here are my favorites. They range from different prices so that they are affordable for everyone.

Alexander McQueen $325

Jimmy Choo $265

Juicy Couture $120

Michael Kors $99

Ray-Ban $135

Tom Ford $360

Urban Outfitters $16