Currently out

Unfortunately I’ve been having problems with my internet connection at home and very little time to solve them.

Nonetheless, big changes are about to take place.

Sickening middle class & the Soothing antidote

Brazilian middle-class makes me sick. With the enormous choice of national rhythms and music, they choose to go to the otherwise lovely Ouro Preto to attend a jazz festival amidst the 35° heat of this Indian Summer of ours. Not that I can’t appreciate that beautiful type of music, it is just that I get very upset and frustrated that there arelots of  funds and festivals to value something that is quite alien to most Brazilians.

Basically, everyone who knows how to read or at least those who have a fine ear know that Brazil is a very musical country. Apart from the world-famous samba and bossa nova there is also:

• maracatu
• frevo
• forró
• choro (ch = sh in Eng.)
• axé music (x = sh in Eng.)

All those music styles are quite popular, in the sense that the common man likes them. Quite interestingly, they are all heavily influenced by African musicality, thus dissociated from the richer, European-American upper classes.

In their attempt to distance themselves from the people, the uncreative dominant classes go on copying external cultural movements, ever trying and pretending to be something that they just are not.

On a much more positive note, here’s a taste of a band which in my mind was going to save Brazilian pop music from boredom and mediocrity with their mixture of rock and maracatu instruments. Enjoy:

Unfortunately, the lead singer and creative mind of the group tragically died in a car crash years ago.

Who’s to save us now?

PS: May the Jewish new year bring newness and novelty to all of us. !שנה טובה

Teenage angst

Working with teenagers is both fascinating and highly exhaustive, sometimes simultaneously.

I often choose to work with them, be it for later to regret or to rejoice. Sometimes they really awaken the darkest hate instincts in me – I can quite loathe them – but very often they astound me with their opinions and free views on life.

Today I had to put up with one boy who’s soon to be elected the city’s most adolescently annoying teen, with honors. Defying authority, trying to shock or just plainly playing stupid, he really got on my nerves.

Luckily, right afterwards, I met some of the coolest teens I’ve been dealing with lately and they even managed to surprise me. What a relief.

In the spirit of my fashion-obsessed week, here’s another adolescent-looking model who’s caught my attention:

Angus Whitehead, a teenager mirage

If only all were like this one, at least our eyes would be given a rest.

daily inspiration: Bat for Lashes

I’ve been listening quite often to Bat for Lashes lately.

She’s got a dark tone to her songs, even when the lyrics talk about something happy.

This is the video that made me like her the first time I saw her:

Then she came up wearing this boxer-inspired outfit in this lovely ethereal song:

I know I have a thing for female singers, but this one really won me over: voice, music (she plays multiple instruments), lyrics and purpose-full outfits. Way to go, Girl.

Tisci’s a genius

I just adore Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy. As one can see from one of his 2009 collections for the maison, he’s not afraid of color when it comes to menswear:

Spring-Summer 2009 in pink

The idea of tailored shorts is most becoming for guys in hot countries, such as Brazil. The choice of pink is really bold and arrived with perfect timing.

The new collection showed fewer colors but brings a lovely new inspiration using white-black-red and hoods:

Printemps-Été 2010

Tailored shorts are still going on strong:

Shorts worn with men's legwear

It is such a relief.

Let us get inspired NOW.

Eksotiske landskap

I have been to many, many countries and my willingness to travel around the globe continues to grow quite unexpectedly.

Everyone who knows me well is aware that I have a thing for the Nordic and Arctic countries in general. Being from Brazil and calling wonderful beaches and lush vegetation everyday landscape, cold and ice is what I consider exotic.

Keeping warm in the North with Vík Prjónsdóttir

When asked about my favorite destination, I often  say: Iceland. It was the second country I visited in my life, as a teenager (before everybody started going there, I must add) and it had such a huge impact in my life.

It is incredibly rough, cold, full of contrasts and surprisingly pleasant. Icelanders spend a lot of money and time trying to be out-of-this-word hip and modern, despite their rather rural and indoors-loving traditional culture. Add lava instead of ground, no trees, active volcanoes and untouched glaciers with hard liquor and you just might get an idea of what it is.

A lava flower by Guðrún Lilja Gunnlaugsdóttir

I long to go back there. One day maybe, after I go to Africa.

How to procrastinate

I’ve got the whole day free on Friday, which is both good and bad.

It should be advantageous because I could use this time to work on my master’s degree – I need the free time.

On the other hand, the less I work the less money I make (I’m still figuring out a way to become filthy rich without doing much, I’ll tell you if I ever find it).

When faced with a difficult choice, music is usually my way out.

I know it’s not a new song, but I listened to it today and it made me happier.

I particularly love the images. Enjoy.

Mood sagas

Love and hate are constant components of my everyday life. For instance, had my last weekend been a book, its title would have probably been The Emotional Yoyo, a Tale of Mood Swings. Not that I’m pregnant, it’s just that my humors change quite often, unfortunately.

Bearing that in mind, here’s my list of 2 things I hate, 1 I love:

2 Things I hate

• waking up early (the key to bad mood);
• being forced to be happy in the morning (when meeting clients, for example).

1 Thing I love

• having long breakfast any day of the week.

I had a lovely dream about my ex-boyfriend (not sexual, though). That also cheers me up quite a bit.

Endless creations

Ever since I came across Björk‘s second album Post back in 1995 (I was practically a baby), I’ve been most intrigued and fascinated about artists who go to great lengths to achieve something in their work. I have always loved intricate pieces of music, thought-of photography and eye-catching sculputure, but when I think about it, my favorite of all is words.

I say words and not literature because I think the concept of literature may be too narrow to encapsule all the possibilities art can be put into words.

My new wordmaster du jour is Canadian writer Christian Bök. I’ve been reading some of his books and just the thought of the work through which he went to write his poems makes me want to write endless lists of suitable words.

I have got to sweep the floor now.

Sad and poor in Brazil

Who would have known that I would commit the same silly mistakes concerning money again?

Overspending on trendy fashion items and luxurious São Paulo lifestyle can have but expensive consequences. Will I learn? Let us wait and see.

Meanwhile, to help me cheer up a bit, here’s my new favorite Swedish act, the lovely Little Dragon:

Although I quite like the song above, I’ve been listening a lot to one called Looking Glass.

To be enjoyed with a nice drink in the hand (if you have the money to afford it).

Enjoy the film

Independent movies usually have what it takes to convey ideas without much interference from the market. They are also great ways to give a new actor or director a chance to express their views and show the world their work.

For 9 years now, Belo Horizonte’s INDIE – World Film Festival has been a chance for movie-makers from all over the globe to screen their productions to an audience who is keen for it. Once again, from September 04th to the 10th, it’s independent movie time.

In their own words:

INDIE 2009 – World Film Festival is an annual event. This is the 9th edition dedicated to national and international independent features. In its last edition, the festival received more than 20.000 viewers. All festival screenings are free entrance. We are going to have venues in 5 different movie theatres around Belo Horizonte and a touring in São Paulo as well. Indie – World Film Festival has a hard work to form an audience for independent film in Brazil. In our recent history, we already brought more than 150.000 viewers among young students, adults and kids to see cultural films from all over the world. This is a non-profit event and we intend to have 20.000 people this year.

With the ease of sending large files through the internet, virtually anyone can submit their film to be shown at the festival. It is for free, for everyone.

INDIE Festival 2009