biting the own tail

Irritability, stupidity, coarseness... It's a shot in the own foot.

Dogs do that, irrationally! (ok, but they are animals!)

That's nonsense... Take it easy!

too bad!

I can't get stressed nor topsy-turvy...

Sergio Mendes, mas que nada... salve Jorge!

Excuse me, but I have to confess that each time I heard somebody glorofies Sergio Mendes by his Jorge Ben(Jor)’s hits, I became a little upset. It hurts me the fact that abroad EVERYBODY knows him, while the other, the true musical composition and playing of “Mas que nada”, is completelly forgotten and ignored outside Brazil. Unfortunately...

Damn it! Jorge Ben is a classic, a knighthood. Besides this song, there are many others wich can enshrine him. A simple exemple, in 2008, Rolling Stone Magazine in Brazil built a list of their 100 most important Artists of Music, take a look here to see who is top 5. I’m not jocking: Jorge Ben(Jor) is there.

Actually I do NOT have anything against Sergio Mendes. On the contrary, I’m very glad about his partnership with Black Eyed Peas (that I could check live and totally free on Ipanema sandy at reveillon 2007). He is a good artist and they did a nice job together, which has promoted a lot our music... It's awesome! I just hate to feel people leave behind another (black) marvel artist of Brazilian Music, and, sincerely, I don’t understand why (and how) this (could) happend!

There is no party in Brazil where at least one song of Jorge Bem(Jor) plays and EVERYBODY dance. It’s great. I have already been in a place where with only one CD of him, we dance all night long (poor Jorge Ben, who became rough at that moment!). Furthermore, he is kind... In 2001, when I worked at Planeta Atlântida, I knew him personally and he was so gentle (my mother won a photo of us, inclusively!).

I think he is blessed by Saint George (and His dragon), as in Brazil we are used to do this link... "Salve Jorge"! By the way, today is a special occasion for this post: Jorge Ben(Jor) is turning 70 years old. To celebrate? I'll listen his music, of course...  Here, some of my playlist (all old and original versions, which I prefer):

Ponta de lança africano (Umbabarauma);
Zumbi;
Balança Pema;
Menina mulher da pele preta;
O telefone;
Minha teisomia, uma arma pra te conquistar;
Que pena; 
Ela é minha menina;
Os Alquimistas estão chegando;
Santa Clara clareaou;
Por causa de você, menina;
Bebete Vambora;
Cadê Teresa, among other tunes...

This is my tribute (my particular way to do people get to know him and more about our music... after all, who doesn't know Jorge Ben, doesn't know Brasilian music at all!). Read the complete Rolling Stone article about this 70-years old artist online.

the docility with which they follow the sun...

Today, World Down Syndrome Day: 

to these special people, my support!

spring time

Inspiring weather. 

Lovely days!

Spring time, almost there... 

Here we go ♥

more popcorn, please!

I'm really touched by Quebec cinema.

First of all, it was "Les Invasions Barbares" (2003), followed by its forerunner "Le Déclin de l'Empire Américain" (1986) and later by "L'Âge des Ténèbres" (2007), known as Denys Arcand's trilogy. Nausea feelings while watching them drew my attention to this interesting cinema.

However, I was far from getting into that... Only nowadays I can really affirm I felt in love with it.

Robert Lapage's "La Face Cachée de la Lune" (2003), and more recently Jean Phillipe Pearson's "Le Bonheur des Autres" (2011), Philippe Falardeau's "Monsieur Lazhar" (2011) and finally: Jean-Claude Lord's "Parlez-nous d'Amour" (1976), they were all fateful to crush on it.

Actually there are still some titles I'm very interested as "Québec sur Ordonnance (2007, Paul Arcand), "Jésus de Montréal" (1989, Denys Arcand), "Incendies" (2010, Denis Villeneuve), "Le vendeur" (2011, Sébastien Pilote), "Starbuck" (2011, Ken Scott), C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) and "Café de Flore" (2011) by Jean-Marc Vallée, "J'ai tué ma mère" (2009) and "Les Amours Imaginaires" (2010) both by Xavier Dolan, and so on...

Yesterday I was in delight watching their Le soirée des Justras, the Quebec Oscar. More than its winners, I was involved by the idiom, their culture, all proximity of being here, and also the similarity between them and our RS cinema... everything fascinates me! I could made out they love for movies, and mainly that they have a promising (prometeur - in French) and strong film business here, an excellent cinema trade... Not cold - not at all! 

Hmmm, I like it! Thanks, Pat, for introducing me all the magic of your cinema. 

parlez-nous d'amour

C'est un excellent classique du cinéma québecois. Remarquable.

Le film raconte l'histoire d'une émission fictive de la télé des années 70, présentée par le charismatique Jeannot, interprété par le vrai animateur Jacques Boulanger. Pouvoir, intérêts, glamour,  promiscuité, insatisfaction et vraissemblance... Il a touts les ingrédients nécessaires pour une bonne trame de l'époque. 

Et, en plus, c'est sur les coulisses du média. J'adore ça!

Regardez un petit extrait ici.

my plea for the Day:

Stop violence against women!

Sexual, physical, verbal or moral - It must end.

Let's start by basic rules: No means NO and yes means YES - wherever we go,  however we dress. Simply as that. Why does society teach us "don't get raped", instead of "DON'T RAPE(!)" for men? [Indignation.] 

Here we go... No to any kind of sexual abuse.

Another atrocity:

Do you believe that female genital mutilation  is still practiced in 28 countries in western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa, in parts of the Middle East, and within some immigrant communities in Europe, North America, and Australasia?! Unfortunately. Typically carried out on girls from a few days old to puberty, FGM is usual performed with no anesthesia, and all this paining process most part of time results in epidermoid cysts, recurrent urinary and vaginal infections, chronic pain, obstetrical complications and fatal hemorrhaging,  

The Human Rights with supported by United Nations have concentrated efforts to stop  this crime against women. By the way, February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. Excellent initiative which since 1979 makes  officially opposition to this complex cultural issue.

Numbers of World Health Organization.

Socially we have overpassed many issues, and that is awesome... Nowadays women and men are ALMOST in the same level, professionally speaking. Of course we still suffer some equality problems, which may include some kind of intimidation at work. However, it is at home where could live our worst enemy. That is is where the danger lies...

Lamentably, thousands of women around the world stand this cruel situation. I sincerely believe that is the most difficult to deal with, once the aggressor is who we love (and was also supposed to love us!). Just to make things clear: violence IS NOT affection, and the person who does it IS NOT good (even less IDEAL) for us.

Here I suggest a site for who needs help, or want just to get to know more about the issue. Anyway, here it is my way to “celebrate” this occasion so important for us: appealing for peace... (!) After all, world peace begins at home.