I've always known Americans, Canadians liked to send cards on all occasions and that there is a huge market for it (see Hallmark).. They have cards for every, and I mean it, EVERY occasion. good or bad there they are to make a little profit. But only living here in the UK have I experienced such thing.

I am not saying I don't like cards, I do like them. What I don't like is the almost imposed obligation do send cards to people.Mostly because it seems people wait for it anxiously ( I have no idea why), and get very disappointed if they don't get one. I refuse to send cards to people that I can actually see and wish them whatever it is. Sometimes I do send cards, and enjoy it. I didn't enjoy it this Christmas. I felt like I HAD to do it... Oh, and don't worry, if you didnt' t send me any card I am not at all disappointed because sooner or later all the cards I've received will eventually end up in the bin, now all of you who sent me don't look so hurted because I know the cards I've sent will soon become garbage too.

I don't really know why people have this mania about it. it's pretty ugly when you add up how much you've spent on those cards that will not only be discarded, they will become waste.

Please do not get me wrong, I love all cards that Vince has sent me, they are all lovely and they are kept in our "Love" folder. This Christmas I told him Not to bother spending money buying me a card, because I wasn't going to buy him any. I didn't see the point of spending £3.00 on something that I could say myself, and much better, I could say it on Christmas day, first thing in the morning, in bed. So I really did not miss the card. I hope he didn't either.

I am just a bit concerned because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and I keep getting worried, thinking of people that I should have sent or not sent the silly cards.

To all of you who have not received a card from me, I am sorry, but you were all on my thoughts. Seriously, honestly. I was here, in my rainy and cold corner of the world thinking about all my friends spread around the globe, and wishing they could be loved and cared and spoiled like I am. I was in their hearts sending good wishes and warmth, and friendship.

I do hope that the cards I forgot to post or that I did not want to post won't affect the friendship and I love I so much care about. Those pieces of paper are only to remind them that I am still here. I only want to believe that even though I haven't sent the oh so called "you are important to me" cards, they will still be thinking of me and thinking of me like a friend.

I have a feeling my friends won't require a card to be reminded that they are loved. Simply cos they are. And I can show them. With a hug. With a kiss. With my own words. Cos after all, there is no better way to show " I care".

I don't want to become a part of that "time to send a card again"... what's the occasion now? death, birth, retirement, new boyfriend, new make up, changing clothes? I want to have the opportunity to decide if sending that card will make anny difference at all. Maybe a phone call would be much more appreciated, or a letter, or a hand written poem...

If one day I do become that senseless person, please snatch me away from the little world my life has turned into. Thank you.

posted by on 21:20

Hope everyone is ok, and ready for the New Year's Party now!! hehe...

I had a very nice Christmas, thanks for all messages and wishes and emails. On the 24th we stayed at home, Vince had to cope with my Christmas dinner... hehehe...25th we went to his parents for lunch and spent the whole day there! It was a much pleasurable family day. Cant remember exactly what we had, but I do remember we had a very nice cheesecake for dessert.

Jill, I think your daughter has the most wonderful name, and I do wish her all the best for the future! Unfortunately, I am not the one who creates all these gorgeous graphics no. I wish I was!! There are many artists that I like and that I use the graphics on my page. You can check at the bottom, under credits. Thanks for stopping by, and you are invited to come back!

Gem, thanks for the kind words :) I will pop and check you blog!

Michelle Happy New Year for you too!!!!! For all of us!!!!!

Jennie, funny as it can be, I didn't feel as much homesick as I thought I would. Maybe it's because in a couple of months I am going to visit them... Well, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss my family and friends. Being with Vince's family makes me think even more about my family, and what they are doing etc.

Lu & Miriam hope you had a greaaaaat time with your families. Besitos.

Ahhhhhhh, I am having fun staying at home and not doing anything AT ALL! I am trying to fix this page for new year's, hope I manage to do it!

Hope you all had a wonderful and magical Christmas. HUGS!

posted by on 14:50

(Albanian) - Gezur Krislinjden
(Armenian) - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
(Bohemian) - Vesele Vanoce
(Brazilian) - Feliz Natal e Prospero Ano Novo
(China - Cantonese) - Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun Sing Dan Fai Lok
(China - Mandarin) - Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan Sheng Dan Kuai Le
(Croatian) - Sretan Bozic Èestit Boiæ i sretna Nova godina
(Czech) - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
(Danish) - Gledlig jul og godt Nytt Aar
(Dutch) - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
(Netherlands) - Prettig Kerstfeest
(Filipinos) - Maligayang Pasko
(Finnish) - Hauskaa Joulua Hyvää joulua ja Onnellista uutta vuotta
(French) - Joyeux Noël et heureuse année
(Gaelic-Irish) - Nolag mhaith Dhuit Agus Bliain Nua Fe Mhaise
(Gaelic-Scot) - Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur
(German) - Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr
(Greek) - Kala Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Ethos
(Hawaiian) - Mele Kalikimake me ka Hauloi Makahiki hou
(Hebrew) - Mo'adim Lesimkha
(Hindi) - Shubh Christmas
(Icelandic) - Gledileg jol og farsaelt komandi ar Gledlig jol og Nyar
(Indonesia) - Selamat Hari Natal Selamah Tahun Baru
(Iraqi) - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
(Irish) - Nollaig Shona Duit
(Irish) - Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
(Italian) - Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
(Japanese) - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
(Korean) - Chuk Sung Tan Sung Tan Chuk Ha.
(Norwegian) - God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar
(Philippines) - Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon
(Polish) - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia i szczesliwego Nowego Roku
(Portuguese) - Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo Feliz Natal e propero Ano Novo
(Romanian) - Sarbatori Fericite. La Multi Ani
(Russian) - S prazdnikom Rozdestva Hristova i s Novim Godom
(Serbian) - Hristos se rodi
(Serb-Croatian) - Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
(Spanish) - Feliz Navidad y prospero Año Nuevo
(Swedish) - God Jul Och Gott Nytt År
(Turkish) - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Yeni Yilnizi Kutar, saadetler dilerim
(Ukrainian) - Srozhdestvom Kristovym
(Vietnamese) - Mung Le Giang Sinh. Cung Chuc Tan Nien
(Welsh) - Nadolic Llawen. Blwyddn Newdd Dda
(Yugoslavian) - Cestitamo Bozic

Lots of LOVE, PEACE and HAPPINESS on Christmas and always...

posted by on 09:52

First I got this from Luciana It's soooooo cuteeeeeeee!

Thanks Lu, Loved it!

Then, I got this blinkie from Christina

Thanks Christina, it is just so very cute!

And Bill (who wrote on my comments thingy), thanks for visiting and tell your girlfriend that if she likes Summer Samba, she is a girl with a veeery good taste!!!!

I am feeling much better today. Still a bit weird, I think there are some residues of the flu still in me.. lol... ah well, but it was good today. People from my section at work went for the xmas meal, which was sort of ok... My dessert was gorgeous though. It was a chocolate cake type of thing, with an orange creammmmmmmmm... Just very nice. I was glad I had the dessert, because the meal was just ok, nothing marvelous. Lots of fun.

I have tomorrow off work, just cos I deserve it, HAHA, and I shall enjoy staying at home.

Anyways boys and gals, take care, and if you going to work tomorrow........ POOR YOU!! HEHEHEHE!!! (I ain't mean! hahaha)

Huggles!

posted by on 18:39

The lyrics:

SO NICE (SUMMER SAMBA)
Music by Marcos Valle / Lyrics by Paulo Sérgio Valle, Norman Gimbel

Someone to hold me tight
That would be very nice
Someone to love me right
That would be very nice
Someone to understand
Each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand
To be a team with me

So nice, life would be so nice
If one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me

Someone to cling to me
Stay with me right or wrong
Someone to sing to me
Some little samba song
Someone to take my heart
And give his heart to me
Someone who's ready to
Give love a start with me

Oh yeah, that would be so nice
I could see you and me, that would be nice

~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you like it too!

posted by on 13:48

I got a xmas card from lovely Miriam

Thanks Miriam!

I wanted to do Tuesday This or That, but I will leave it to later... my body is complaining and asking for the bed!

Laters all.

posted by on 12:23

I am feeling a bit better now, but I am afraid that it is only the "better" before it gets worse. Vince is also feeling ill, so we think it is this silly cold that is going around here...

Miriam you can change the blinky linky if you want to, I leave it up to you! That one and the "uma casa de campo" were done by me! Glad you liked it!

Unfortunately, Kamie and Lu no more snow around here, so I can't send any!! I can send ALL the rain though!! hehe!!

I am looking forward to the end of the week to go to the movies and watch Lord of the Rings. Hope it's as good as it looks.

Anyways, I am gonna go, and see if I rest a bit...

posted by on 17:26

The winter has arrived for sure. We had snow today! Enough to make the streets/pavement/sidewalk all slippery and slushy. It was nice to see snow again. I miss the piles of snow I had to face in Canada!! So this bit of snow here just came to remind me of how real snow should look like!

I am going to have a week off for xmas/new year, which is great cos I do need some days to do absolutely NOTHING! I am feeling a bit weird... It's not that I am homesick (I might be a bit, but not too bad), it's just a weird sensation that I am living in a dream, if that makes any sense at all. Maybe it's because I just completed a year living here....

Vince and I decided to go to Brazil next year.... First because I need to get the rest of my stuff that is there, and second because I need to go. Just an urge.

I am a bit sad too because it's been 4 years since I last spent new year's eve in Brazil. I miss all the fun of having this huge party with all the family together, not to mention all the food and the carnaval songs!!

Quote of the Day

"Two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
- Albert Einstein

posted by on 18:03

Self-Pity
By D. H. Lawrence

I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

When I start feeling sorry for myself, this is the poem I remember, and I recite it like a prayer, and that gives me the courage to stop being stupid, and to go on with my life... Because I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me, so I won't do it either.

I think I need ro exercise my brains. I was thinking about picking a subject, and writing and essay about it... Let's see if I can think of something interesting. I miss all my stuff, and my poetry book mainly. Good thing we are going to Brazil next year, so I can bring it aaaaaaallllllllll with me! HAHA... dream dream....

We had a Girly lunch time today at work... all "girls" from my section decided to go to a pub for a pint. So I went along, and we had a good time. They are fun.

I can't beilieve how crowded the streets are with people doing their xmas shopping!!!! It's just very annoying to have all that crowd around you when all you want to do is to get home!!!! I know more or less what I am going to get for xmas, so I don't need to worry.

Ohhh, I went to rackhams one day this week and I saw a multitude of panettones!!! YUM!! But it's just so highly expensive here!! Even the ones at Tesco are expensive! I can pass without panettones,.but a chocottone would be great!!!! Panettones are usually with dried fruits, like raisins and chocottones are, obviously, chocolatey!!

I know what I want fox xmas. A pashmina. hehehe. Santa Claus, do you read my blog????? I've been a good girl, seriously.

Ok, I must go now... bye allll!!!!!!

Have a happy friday !!! yay!!!

posted by on 19:10

1. Go out and buy gifts, or shop online/mail order?
Go out!! Always like to buy stuff myself.
2. Gift cards/certificates or pick out gifts?
Picking gifts is always more fun, and shows you care.
3. Pay cash or charge holiday gifts?
Cash, whenever I can.
4. Are most of your gifts mailed or given in person?
In person. The best gift is to see their expression when they open the present!
5. Are you an early-bird or last-minute holiday shopper?
Early bird.. I hate the Christmas crowds
6. If you shop in stores...big chain stores or smaller specialty stores?
Both. Depends on the gift I am looking for.
7. Wrap gifts yourself or have them wrapped at the store or mall?
I wrap it myself! it's fun and I like doing it!
8. Shopping on *Black Friday* (day after Thanksgiving)...did you or didn't you?
Hmmm never done it.
9. Is your holiday gift list large or small?
Small... I cant afford a big list!! lol!!
10. Is it better to give or to receive?
GIve, and receive a big hug and a huge smile back.

Oh I received this cuuuuuuute adoption that was sent by Luciana

Lu, I loved it, thanks honey!!!!!

Anyways I better go now, and help Vince with the dishes!!

Bye!!!!

posted by on 18:53

Thanks a looot Andree, I loved it!

Don't have much time to write today, just wanted to show off my award... hehehe... Write more later...

BEAR HUGS!!!!!!

posted by on 19:56

It's our 1st anniversary. I still think I might be dreaming this crazy and too good to be true reality. We haven't done much today, just went for a walk outside, cos the sun is up for the first time in weeks. Vince gave me Harry (a very cute lovely soft toy dog) and the overcoat I've been wanting for months and months and never got around to buy it. I gave him Romance by Ralph Lauren to make him smell even better.. hehehe

We took some pics of us with Harry:

I am gonna cook something different tonight, and have a great meal with my hubby to celebrate our anniversary.

Thanks for all messages gals!

*hugs*

posted by on 13:46