This is the Christmas lunch at my cousins Valeria´s place, in Niterói. She and her husband, Marcelo, invited all the family for a typical brasilian Christmas meal wich consisted on dried fuits, codfish with potatoes (this actually comes from Portugal culture), rice with raisins, turkey, smoked ham, couscous and a little salad. For dessert we had chocolate and walnuts pie, plus other fruit puddings.
On the night before we went to my fathers niece´s (Maria do Carmo) place and had a nice dinner. The dinner was far much better than the lunch. We also had lots of fun and got presents!
As usual, everytime we met is more than excellent! Its pure happiness. Having my husband here with me is me true Xmas present. Cam´s plane landed at 3AM on December 19th. The climate has been a bit crazy. Either we have exausting extremely hot sunny days, either we have rain and cool weather. So far we have been walking amnd going to malls and street shops. We went to see the Xmas parade at Copacabana beach. Also my father took as to lunch at a restaurant called Belmonte.
Time is running fast. Also, considering that we are going to bed so late (like 3AM) and wake up at 12PMm there´s not too much left of the day for us to enjoy. Looks like the rain has stopped so we could go for a walk. And doing some exercise would be quite good for us. I know I need to loose 5Kg.
Yesterday, at my fathers place, we watched a very nice movie called “Xangai Kiss”. It was awesome to see how modern and beautiful Xangai is.
I must confess, I am feeling a bit anxious today. The most obvious reason is that Cam will be going back to New Zealand and I will be back to work. Another reason is that, since my cousin Vera got pregnant (she will give birth to twin boys next January 23th), there is some pressure for me to get pregnant as well. I dont need any pressure, thats for sure. I have enough stress inside me.
Changing subjects, there is finally a Starbucks in Rio (in Leblon Mall). But it isnt much fun at all. First of all, here is usually too hot for this type of food and drinks. Also, the Starbucks is in a open area at the Malls ground floor and not like their usual branchs around the world.
Anyway, this is Sunday December 28th and I hope we have a very nice day.
Its my Sunday 11:16 PM. I was sleep before and I slep a bit. But Just woke up. Bummer! Last working week!!!! Next Friday my handsome husband will be here with me!!!
This evening I watched one of my ever favorite movies: “Whats Up Doc?! (with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O´Neal.
Such a GREAT comedy! I love it! As I just adore so many 60s and 70s comedies. Like Barefoot in the Park, Pillow Talk, The Party….. As I love the old TV series like Mary Tyler Moore, Batman, Get Smart, Bewitched, I dream of Jeannie and That Girl.
Here´s a good review about “What´s Up Doc”:
” What’s Up, Doc? (1972) ****1/2
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
What’s Up, Doc? (from this point on I am going to leave out the punctuation so that I can avoid Microsoft Word’s red and green squiggly lines) most likely works just fine on its own. After all, it’s action packed and very funny. What makes this movie wonderful, though, is the fact that it’s paying homage to some of the great screwball comedies from the classic years of Hollywood. What’s Up Doc not only pays respect to them, but it actually merits being seen alongside them as one of the greatest screwball comedies in film history. It’s actually better than some of the films it was obviously influenced by. My favorite screwball comedies of all time are probably The Thin Man and Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You (that is if I don’t include the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup, which I don’t). What’s Up Doc is now probably my third favorite screwball comedy.
It bumps 1938’s Bringing Up Baby to number four, which is ironic since What’s Up Doc pulls inspiration and plot elements from that film more than any other I noticed. I also gave Howard Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby four and a half stars, and the problems I had with it are the exact same problems I had with What’s Up Doc. Despite the fact that both films are uneven in quality, What’s Up Doc is better than Bringing Up Baby when comparing the high points of the two films.
Four identical luggage bags set the stage for the antics and mayhem that follow. Barbra Streisand plays Judy Maxwell, a seeming drifter who sets her sights on Dr. Howard Bannister, played by Ryan O’Neil (previously of Love Story fame). Howard’s bag contains rare rocks which he is using to test some bizarre hypothesis about music tones or something. His fiancée, Eunice Burns, played by Madeline Kahn in her film debut, is uptight and quite overbearing.
Judy begins to make Bannister’s life miserable when she introduces herself at a pharmacy. It’s obvious from the very beginning that she’s toying with him, which we see when she sneaks an expensive radio onto the cashier’s counter for Howard to purchase. Judy’s bag, which is identical to Howard’s, contains underwear. A third identical bag shows up along with its owner, a rich older woman. Her bag contains jewelry. A fourth bag also comes into play—that one containing top secret files.
The rest of the film involves Judy making Howard’s life more difficult as the bags continually get switched. Eventually, everyone involved in the situation ends up part of a huge car chase sequence which results in a laugh out loud funny appearance before an annoyed judge, played by Liam Dunn.
I felt a bit frustrated during the first hour of the film. At first, Judy feels like quite the nuisance—possibly sociopathic. Therefore, her presence on screen made me a bit uncomfortable. Further, Streisand begins the role with this arrogant, sneaky smile on her face, which made me not like her at all at first.
Obviously trying to play his role similar to Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby, Ryan O’Neil gives a performance that in comparison to Grant’s can be described as pathetic at best. He’s mannered, stiff and irritating. Add Madeline Kahn’s grating character and you’ve got a first hour that wasn’t a great deal of fun.
Thankfully, there’s a second hour in What’s Up Doc which is both brilliant and hilarious. As I began to follow the AMAZING car chase sequence, I started feeling quite a lot of affection for both Judy and Howard, and Streisand’s performance won me over completely too. Even during the most over the top sequences, Streisand brings an exceptional comic timing mostly seen in one liners and facial expressions.
I personally love how Bogdanovich doesn’t hold the chaos back during the second hour of the film. I almost felt like the first hour stifled the anarchy that could really make What’s Up Doc special. The anarchy is let loose and then some all the way to the final scene on the plane where Streisand says Ryan O’Neil’s iconic line from Love Story, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” O’Neil responds with, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”
That last scene on the plane shows images of Bugs Bunny cartoons, obviously connecting with the title of this film. In one sense, especially in the elaborate chase sequence, What’s Up Doc does seem to be paying respect to those great slapstick cartoons. Of course, Bogdanovich, who, along with Martin Scorcese is considered among the best film historians that are also directors, obviously knows about the sheer escapist entertainment of screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. It’s more Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby that are honored in What’s Up Doc than Bugs Bunny. Though, as I said at the beginning, one doesn’t need to know about screwball comedies to enjoy the laughs and the action within this movie. What’s Up Doc’s second hour is one of the most fun sequences I’ve seen in all film!”
Hey everybody!
I have mentioned “The Girl´s Guide” Blog, by Jane Yee (New Zealand).
Anyway, in her post: “Jane Meets Shane” she uploaded a picture or Rio and she probably has no idea… This pictures shows the statue of a very famous late brasilian writer called Carlos Drummond Andrade and a bit of Copacabana beach. I tought this is cool. Wonder how she found this picture???
Hey, my handsome husband, you are the coolest guy tiger tiger in the Universe!!!!! I love you.
Hey everybody!! My husband bought me this fancy high tech microphone! 
Yayyyy!!!!! Thank you, my beloved. So now we wont have the sound problems like the crackling and such…
Thank you, my very inteligent geek husband beloved. Well, you are my greatest Christmas present. You are my greatest blessing. I LOVE you so much.
It feels so good that Cam and I have thhis blog as its our place to express and sometimes it works like therapy and feels good after I´ve written!
I was invited via email to a little gathering with my old school mates next Tuesday, at 6 PM, in a restaurant very close to my fathers place. Well, I think I will stop by for a quick hello as its so close to here and the time is appropriate as I shall leave work at 5:30PM. The only thing is: its kinda weird metting up with people I never did really get along with in the first place and used to tease me for my braces, my glasses and for being extremely shy at the time. Ok, they are 40 something years now and they wont tease me anymore. But still… I feel like an E.T.
And, after almost 30 years, I am not so sure I will be able to recognize anyone. Weird. But I´ll stop by for a little hello. If it gets too strange, I will just get my purse and leave the place. No looking back. Never meeting up again.
Did I mention I dont have to work tomorrow (my Monday)? Awesome, isnt it!? The best part is that its actually a regular day for shops ans business. Only the federal courts will be closed and it will be “Justice´s Day”. Hurray!!!!!
After so many months living as a couch potatoe, I decided to go for a walk this morning and that was just a little walk. I went walking along the beach, but just until the Natural restaurant at Ipanema. I wasnt feeling hungry when I got there, so I got a take away. Also a bottle of organic coconut water.
A cousin of my mother and the aunties, is spending a week here with her husband. The aunties were asking and insisting for me, my father and my brother to go visit them today. I am not going, nor my father or my brother as they are not here at the moment. My brother is swimming and my father went to supermarket. You see, this cousin used to be one of my mother´s best friend. But since my mother died, I dont see her making any efforts to get in touch with me or my father, so…..
I´m feeling a bit sleepy. I´ll have a nap.