Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...

Have you ever stopped to think about how much in life you procrastinate? I LOVE this word. It's to me as difficult to type and to pronounce as it is to avoid doing it. No, really. Stop what you're doing right now (which is reading this great post hehe) and make a little (well, we can try to keep it little, right?) list of things you put off doing yesterday. Here's mine:

1) Calling my private student.
2) Going to the post office.
3) Updating my 365reasons blog, even though I've already got all the photos I need.
4) Calling my sisters.
5) Calling my dad.
6) Calling my mother-in-law.
7) Jogging.
8) Tidying my clothes.
9) Editing the last story from my novel to post it to my blog (hence this list...).

Uffff!!! I think it's enough, isn't it? I don't want you to think I'm lazy or anything. These are such small things to do and still... This brings me to the matter of what types of things do we usually put off doing? And why do we put off doing them?

I've always loved to read about psychology, time management and how-to-achieve-your-potential  type of stuff; so the other day I was looking for time management online and found this very interesting and complete article. It even has an "Are you a procrastinator" self test. If you can't be bother to read the article (ah, I see... you'll read it later, eh? Haha!), click here for the self test.

Yes, I've done it. No way, I'm telling you my results! Ah, ok. Let's do a deal then. I'll tell you my result if you tell me yours. Just leave a comment! :)

Just to finish this post, here are some "procrastination quotes":

This is for the creative people:
"You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. 
What mood is that?
Last-minute panic." ~ Bill Watterson

"Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well." ~ Mark Twain

"Procrastinate now, don't put it off." ~ Ellen DeGeneres

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." ~ Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married

"24 hours a day, ain't long anymore! But give some a century a day and procrastination would still be their undoing." ~ Nike Thaddeus.

"The scare thing is, the more I slack off, the more it piles up and the more it piles up, the more I slack off." ~ Amelia Mysko, Hold On

"The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up." ~ Unknown

"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week." ~ Spanish Proverb

"Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday. ~ Napoleon Hill

"The worst form of procrastination is reading a procrastination quote, feeling the guilt and not doing anything about it." ~ Unknown.

Ok, that was the last one. Come on, now. I bet you have a blog post to write? :)

Dani.

                                                                          (Picture source here)

Guilty Pleasures - music videos

   

Hi!

   This is the first day of the ultimate blog challenge, and as promised, my first blog post of the month will be about my music video "guilty pleasures".

   First of all, I'd like to give myself a pat on the back for posting this. A lot of my friends and family will actually see this and I'm not sure how they will take it. Why? I'll explain.

   You all know I'm Brazilian, right? No...???? Come on.... Green and yellow blood in my veins, man!

    Anyway, as I was saying, I'm a Brazilian and I know we have some really bad music in Brasil, and I mean REALLY BAD music. And I may even like some of it, but I won't post the videos here this time. It won't make sense. (or maybe I don't want to shock my Brazilian friends and family too much? :P) I've chosen to post about music in English. Music I used to listen to when I was a teenager (what was I thinking?) and some music I (still) like now. I've come up with a list of 19 songs. 

   Oh, my.... Here goes... Have fun! (and promise you won't laugh too hard...)

The hotties: 

1) I don't care - Ricky Martin - always hot, this Ricky Martin. I've liked him since he was in Menudo (!!! I guess I've just added another one to this list... :D)

2) Timber - Pitbull ft Ke$ha - I LOVE Pitbull. I guess he is more of a "guilty pleasure" than this song... ;)  I like every song he sings, especially the ones with JLo. Besides, how can you listen to this song and not get up and DANCE!!!!   Also, I love the country tune this song has (I always   new I had a bit of redneck in me! And I say that as a GOOD thing!), which leads to three my next  guilty pleasures...

The country:

3) Where the sidewalk ends - George Straight - yyyyhhhhhaaaaaa 

4) Nine to Five - Dolly Parton - You gotta LOVE this woman!!! 

5) Any man of mine - Shania Twain - this reminds me of my sister, "The Vet" ;)

Ok, now the reeeally bad ones... 

6) Play that funky music - Vanilla Ice - really, I was about 12, 13...

7) U can't touch this - Mc Hammer - Really, no comments.

8) Thong Song - Sisqo - :-&

9) Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice - Him, again? (hummm... I guess I fancied him back then... :-< )

10) You're the one that I want - Grease

11) Step by Step/Cover Girl/My favorite girl - New Kids on the Block - Why not a MEDLEY??? ;;) Donnie Wahlberg

12) Kiss me - Indecent Obsession - :-O please, what kind of band name is THIS???

13) Pump up the jam - Technotronic - for my dancing days... :P

14) Nao se reprima - Menudo - Heeeeelp!!!  

15) Electric Youth - Debbie Gibson

Just to finish this post, for the romantic in heart:

16) I want it that way - Backstreet Boys - this song reminds of my little sis, "The Doc" ;)

17) Baby I love your way - Big Mountain

18) Lost in your eyes - Debbie Gibson - I know, so corny, but I danced my first ever slow dance to this song, so...

19) Especially for you - Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue - This song is from a Brazilian soap opera... I can't stand Kylie though... and this video just makes it worse.

20) Love Bites - Def Leppard - my rocker chick side... ;)

Phew!!! This list was hard to put together! It made my afternoon though. I laughed so much! Mind you, I also liked other types of music! I'm very eclectic. I like classical, pop, rock, MPB (Brazilian popular music) etc. Maybe there material for another music post.... :)

How about you? Now that you've laughed (at me, I bet) and know some of my guilty pleasures, what are yours? Leave a comment with a little list of yours and I'll reply saying if they're part of mine as well!!!

Thanks for being with me on this first day of the challenge! Hope to see you tomorrow for more? :D

Dani.

Things that make my heart melt

Things that make my heart melt... I had the inspiration for this list when I saw the photo above on my friend's profile on Facebook. I thought it was so sweet and started to think what made my heart melt...

Here's my list...

1. Photos and videos of puppies and babies/children playing.
2. Disney cartoons.
3. Sunsets.
4. Lindt chocolate (Lindor).
5. My husband saying "amo voce"*.
6. Pizza margherita from Napoli.
7. Sitting by the sea in Napoli with a very cold Peroni in my hand.

8. Kindness from strangers.

9. Kindness from anyone, really.

10. A cosy night by the fire... doing nothing... listening to the rain outside.

11. Watching a beautiful film.

12. Praying quietly and gratefully.

13. Feeling the love of God enfolding me while I pray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another list... :)

     This morning I was talking to my husband while we were having breakfast and I had an idea for today's list. I told him: "Today my list is going to be about you. It's going to be 'The things I love about my husband'."  He laughed (not sure if he was happy or nervous... haha).
     When I came back from work, I stood there, in front of him, like you do in school, and read the list to him. We laughed so much, and it was even kind of romantic! I got a big hug afterwards and it was so worth it! :)
     Well, here it goes....

Things I love about my husband

1. His smile and his "dentinhos" (little teeth)

2. His dance moves.

3. When he waits until the time I tell him he can come to the bedroom and wake me up in the morning. (He has strict instructions not to wake me up before 8am at the weekend.)

4. When he gets too bored/excited and can't wait, so he wakes me up a bit earlier (you know I just pretend I'm annoyed, right beaut?)

5. When he comes to say goodbye every morning, and he smells so nice that I nearly sniff all his aftershave off.

6. The way his smell lingers on after he's gone.

7. That he can do nearly everything around the house. (I just won't let him do the electrics!)

8. That he makes me laugh.

9. Haaaaaaaroooooold!

10. "Santropeito".

11. His cwtches* are the best in the world!

12. He loves to be scratched and I love to scratch him.

13. That he calls me beaut, Jim, Jimmy, clonks, softy-wofty, and never Daniela ou Dani. And I don't care! 

14. That he always gives me something from his stash when I ask (a chocolate bar, a pack of crisps...)

15. He's my husband. :)

16. That he says my nose is a snub or a nose that's not worth having.

17. That he's great company to travel with.

18. That he protects me.

19. That he's so loving and kind.

20. That he's hard-working.

21. That he's good at inventing a meal when I'm uninspired.

22. That we have so much fun doing things together!

(* cwtches = hugs in Welsh)

See you all tomorrow with another list! Any suggestions?

Dani.

Journal writing class

    Hi everyone!
    Monday was a great day at journal writing class. We read some extract of "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon". She was a cortesan in Japan around the year 900 and this books is full of anecdotes and observations of her life in court.
   The entries we read are all in "lists" format. How cool is that! Our teacher, Briony, gave us some prompts (titles) from the book to write lists about. I never thought it'd be so hard! I'll post my lists here some other time. At the end of the class Briony invited us to make lists as our journal entries for this week.
   I was super excited and have written three so far (only now I had time to post them here... tsc, tsc)

   Well, here are my three first lists... (please, if you have any answers, or comments, or even suggestions for list titles, write them as a comment down there! I promise I'll try my best to use your suggestions... Thanks!!!
   Now, as I always say... grab a cuppa and make yourself at home! Mi blog, su casa! :)


24/25 Feb 2014

Things I think about when I can't sleep

1. It's still 0.40am!
2. I can't believe I'm writing under the blanket, with my mobile light on.
3. Damn you, pen charms! You're going to wake Craig up!
4. Mother, are you there? (reference to "Letters to my mother")
5. Uff! It's too warm! Feet out of the blanket.
6. I wonder what time exactly my mother breathe for the last time...
7. Great. Craig is awake. He's heard the clattering of my pen charms and asked if I'm eating chocolate under the blanket. Eh?!
8. Gosh! I haven't spoken to Pip for a week! Bad Dani.
9. I'm hungry.
10. Brrrrr.... too cold now. Feet back under the blanket.
11. I wonder whether my sisters are awake.
12. I'm getting up and having a buzumpa*.
13. What if I take one sleeping tablet?
14. Better not, What if I oversleep?
15. Aaaafffff....
16. What other lists am I going to write for my journal?
17. Ah... Idea! Let's check on Pinterest.
18. Oh my God! There are so many! I love all of them!
19. Hunf! Too many. I'll probably be writing lists for the rest of my life...
17. I give up. I'm getting up.
18. I'm up. Fire is on in the living room. Buzumpa in hand. Sissy on Viber! :)
19. Even my sister went to bed. I guess I should go back to sleep too.
20. Hey! A message from Emilia! Cool!
21. Puts! 3.34 already! Bed time. NOW.


*buzumpa: that's how Craig and I call milk with Nescafe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

25 Feb 2014 (a more decent time now)

Things I'd love to have answers to

1. Why does a single train ticket always cost only a pound or so less than the return ticket?

2. What happens after we die? No, I mean... really?

3. Can a white lie be justified, ever?

4. Which are those birds I love to hear very early in the morning and at dusk?

5. Why can't we lose weight just by wishing it?

6. Really, why is losing weight so hard?

7. What do I really want for my life?

8. What's the meaning of life?

9. What's happiness?

10. Why are there still so many people starving and living in miserable conditions, and yet, loads of money is spent on wars and world cups?

11. Why is there so much hate and greed in the world?

12. Is there ever going to be peace in the world?

13. When is Jesus coming back?

 
                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

26 Feb 2014

Things I'd love to have

1. An unlimited credit card without the need for a billing address.
2. A secret magic money tree - in case they don't take cards... :o)
3. A house in Santorini, overlooking the sea, and with steps to a private beach.
4. An appartment near Prague Castle.
5. A puppy. Charlie would be his name.
6. Twins: a boy and a girl.
7. My mother back. (I dreamed about her again last night)
8. A "The Flash" metabolism. (haha)
9. Good health, always, for me, Craig, our families and friends.
10. My family living here in the UK.
11. A private jet.
12. The ability to draw.
13. The will power to exercise every day.


                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See you tomorrow for another list!
Don't forget to post your comments or list titles suggestions! ;)
Dani.

11 random facts at Christmas

Hi all,

I'm here at Christmas time to post something that I found REALLY cool!

I was tagged by my dear friend and colleague Ana Maria, from Uberlandia, Brazil, who has one of the most brilliant blogs I've ever seen! =)

The challenge is called "11 random facts". This is how it works:

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger(s).

2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.

4. List 11 bloggers.

5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

First, here are some random facts about me:

Now, the questions Ana Maria has asked me to answer:

1. Where did you live as a child? 

I was born and lived in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brasil, until I was 29.

2. What was your favorite toy?                                                                                                            
 It was my Playmobil. I had a very big one: wild west theme, with a school and horses.

3. As a child, what did you want to be in the future?                                                                       I wanted to be different things, at different stages of my childhood and teenage years: teacher, doctor (autopsy doctor), archaeologist, lawyer, psychologist, writer.         

4. Tell us something you're afraid of.                                                                                                   Spiders and snakes. I'm TERRIFIED of them!

5. Tell us something you're good at.                                                                                                     Telling stories.  

6. Tell us something you're bad at.                                                                                                       Drawing.

7. Tell us about a place you'd love to visit one day and who with.                                                 Santorini, in Greece. With Craig.

8. What do you normally procrastinate?                                                                                             Housework.

9. If you could a place to live, where would it be?                                                                             Italy or Greece.

10. What would you like to get for Christmas?                                                                                
A phone call from Heaven.

11. What would you like to learn in 2014?                                                                                        
I'd like to improve my Italian.

Now the list of bloggers I tag for the challenge:

1. Caroline Pozzobon

2. Carolina Ribeiro

3. Ross Russo

4. Camila Flavia Brandao

5. Maria Cecilia Rocha Soares

6. Sarah Kang
7. Glenda Block
8. Philippa Watkins
9. Ruby Holmes
10. Briony Goffin
11. Melissa Ribeiro
12. Danilo Gentili
13. Ellen DeGeneres

p.s. these last two... because I think they are SUPER people and... a girl has got to dream high!!! ;)

My questions for them:

1. When was the last time you astonished yourself?

2. What books on your shelf are begging to be read?

3. What's the strangest thing you believed as a child?

4. What is one guilty pleasure you enjoy too much to give up?

5. If you could have tea with one fictional character, who would it be? What would you talk about?

6. If you could go back in time, which period would you like to go back to? Why?

7. What's the most irritating thing?

8. What's the most recent compliment you've received and savoured?

9. What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will?

10. Do you have a catchphrase?

11. What's the song that you consider "your theme song"?