love you too...

the family grows up and then the family grows apart

Helena, my sister, is going back to Canada... this time there's no turning back, she already bought her one-way ticket.

Joana in Lx

 

I stayed in Lisbon this weekend for a special reason. Joana came to visit.

Joana, Beta and I lived together, along with Mimi, in an attic apartment our first year at university. The four of us with different personalities, all with a different approach to life and somehow managed to make it through our first year.

What started off with a plan to be a girl's night on the town to remember those good old days, ended up more with long conversations about "gosh, we got this far in 10 years." Of the three, Joana is the  married one; Beta finally found her happiness and as for me, well, one thing still remains: they still think I dress funny, which is nice to know!

We spent Saturday afternoon geocaching and just walking around preparing for a night of poker with hundreds of pennies and oversized playing cards. Sunday started with brunch and a visit to the Lisbon's book fair. Then it was time to say bye to Joana who went back to Pombal but promised to visit us single girls again.
It was great to know Joana found her way.

In the mail

Receiving postcards from Postcrossing is fun but opening the mailbox and receiving cards from people you know is amazing! Pedro and his dad went on a father/son adventure to Switzerland to visit family, site-see, travel and do tons of geocaching.

Ah... but the best part is that these cards came with chocolate...dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate with nuts, chocolate raisins... Aren´t I the lucky one?

red string and white cotton

I used to have this hobby... embroidery.
I finished it a day before the wedding so I didn't get a chance to take a photo of it completed.

Ela disse SIM!

How wonderful it is when two people truly love one another unconditionally. For me Maria and Alex’s wedding was more than just a wedding, it was a celebration of their love and our friendship.

The sun was out and they looked beautiful and overwhelmed with happiness. Everyone seemed to contribute to this collective state of joy and in fact I had never been to a wedding were everyone attended the religious ceremony. And how to make 140 people cry? Easy: close to the end, Alex stepped up and read this wonderful poem, which was for me the highlight of the whole day.  

Everyone, in their own way, helped make this day very special: preparing a homemade video with very creative messages, red balloons, a unique cake topper, pretty pins, “bolas de berlim” and “bolo de bolacha”, a accordion player, hands filled with rose petals, special gifts and tons of hugs to go around.

What I cherish about our friendship is that I know we will always be there for each other where ever we are. And in a way I envy their love and who they are together but I am grateful to be part of it. So fortunately for all of us who love you guys, after Saturday, you’re still Maria and Alex no matter how married you may be!

To Alex and Maria

Not living up north has it's downturns, like missing out on Maria and Alex's "say bye bye to single life and hello to future married life" party.

From what I heard it was a surprise and of course I kept my part. But I also heard she cried of joy (and I bet he also cried of joy on the inside). And there was a treasure hunt, a yellow mexican shirt, an accordion sfrench song, a home baked cake and friends.

But this wasn't a real bachelor party because after they actually get married, everything will be exactly the same: they'll still love each other, still argue about stupid  stuff, still be there for each other, still want to hang out with us unmarried people, still buy cool sunglasses and put up posters on their walls and leave pretty thank you notes. You see, Maria and Alex aren't your average couple because after Saturday they'll still be Maria and Alex and so much more ....... and that's why I love them so much.

Wasn't there tonight, but won't miss Saturday for certain.

# 54 pinhole

While everyone else was embracing red carnations, holding up protest signs and singing Grandola Vila Morena, I was looking for the perfect spot to settle my pinhole camera. In Portugal, the 25th of April is national holiday in memory of the revolution, but for the rest of the world it’s International Pinhole Day.

Paper negative pinhole of the Avenida da Liberdade made with my tin can camera. (55 sec.)

 

Paper positive. The roundness of the can produces this 180º effect. This was my first shot and one of the most sharpest images of the whole afternoon.

The workshop was promoted by Movimento de Expressão Fotográfica who supplied the cameras, paper and darkroom. I brought along my tin can pinhole camera I had made about a year ago.

Pinhole is not new to me, but the cameras they supplied were extremely well crafted and hold medium format paper and I had never printed out pinhole images as big as these. I do have my very own pinhole made from an apple juice box which is always interesting to see people's reactions when I am photographing with it. Next I'm going to make one out of a match box. But my true goal is to have one like the ones we used during the workshop.
I had a great time and met some interesting people who are also very passionate about analogical photography, a rare thing nowadays...
  

Paper negative of the Comunist Party headquarters (where the workshop took place) made by a pinhole camera (1min 45 sec.)

Paper positive

Paper negative from tin can pinhole of the parade. The blurry effect are people walking down the avenue. (2 min.)

Paper negative with pinhole camera (5 min.)

Specific stuff

Loja Pariense. Arquivo Muncipal de Lisboa - Arquivo Fotográfico

The past few days, after work I have been going to the Baixa shopping for very specific things. In fact, this it’s the only place in Lisboa where you can find “very specific” stuff:

“Hi, there! I’m looking for this very specific thing. Do you have it?”

“Yes. We have it in all shapes and sizes and in ten different colors. Do you want it gift wrapped?”

It’s a whole different approach to shopping, more interactive, personalized and social!

I remember in Viana every Friday afternoon was to visit the market and shop for whatever was necessary for that weekend. I used to know shop owners by their name and my mom and I would spend hours in one place chatting while trying to pick out the best brand of detergent or socks.

But even though it’s an amazing place to shop the truth is this form of traditional commerce isn’t very user friendly: some shops close during lunch time and the rest all close at 7 o’clock. They simply don’t adjust opening hours to working hours, were most people get of between 6 and 7. I find myself almost jogging my way to the Baixa before closing hours. And they shop owners complain about shopping malls ... of course everyone goes “malling” they’re opened until late night.

Even so, I hope to be needing more specific stuff just to be able to return and shop some more.

Because of these ventures to the Baixa, I’ve discovered this beautiful candy spot and I’m dying to sink my teeth into one of these.

# 14 plant an oak tree

Yesterday I planted and oak tree, more precisely a quercus robur L. My little sister Luisa would be proud.

But not just any oak tree, a centennial tree, planted in the 100th year  comemoration of the portuguese republic, planted on the 18th of April, International Day for Monuments and Sites.
A tree to last at least another 100 years.  

It's a tiny acorn in a plastic vase which requires special treatment in the next six months: shade and plenty of water. But this isn't just any oak tree, this is my tree, one I intend to transplant later on in my parents fields and mabey, when I am old, carve my name on it and take a nap under it's shade.