Eggs in one basket

After a brief and insulting exchange last night I have come to the opinion that perhaps my parents (specifically my father) focused too much on raising me to be an independent, strong woman and neglected in raising my middle brother to become a decent, compassionate human being. He's also quite sexist but I don't think I can entirely blame my parents for that.

-Natalia

Over and over and over again....

I've realized I keep doing the same thing over and over. It's not healthy and not productive.

I'm stopping. Now.

I firmly believe that getting my psychology degree is the best thing I ever did. :)

I Found It!

I finally figured out what was missing from my life. A specific extra curricular activity, martial arts. :)

I recently started MMA (Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and couldn't be happier. It's been about 6 weeks and I've already lost weight and feel amazing! So much fun! As a kid (from 9-16) I did Tae Kwon Do and very briefly,  some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at around age 11 for about 6 months so martial arts isn't completely new to me. However, I've had an almost 10 year hiatus but things are starting to come back.

I finally found what was missing. :)

-Natalia

'Sup 2012! 'Sup?!

Ah, yes. It's the beginning of the last year of civilization (again) and with every new year comes those bullshit resolutions.Like pretty much everyone else in the modernized world I've come up with a list of resolutions that I hope to resolve or at least attempt. I don't even remember all of my resolutions (other than the stereotypical "Work-out, eat healthy, blah blah blah...") so hopefully by having this year's publicly written down I'll do a better job at maintaining them.

Now, for my 2012 list I'm not going to add working out or eating healthy to my list because I feel they're redundant and I'm always trying to improve my life in that regard. The list that I am going to create will have resolutions that I haven't attempted before. Here goes...

1. Drink absolutely no soda for the entire year. (*exception is Guarana, a Brazilian soda b/c I only drink it when I'm in Brazil and I'll only be there once this year)

2. Purchase no accessories (I have way too many hand bags and costume jewelry so I'm not buying anything new for at least an entire year. If I do, I'll write a post about it).

3. Purchase a home (With the money I'll be saving from not purchasing handbags and jewelry and my bad ass credit score, this shouldn't be a problem)

4. Get a promotion (I'm not sure how long it usually takes for my position but I've been there for 5 months and would love to have the "assistant" from "Logistics Assistant" removed from my title.

And for the goals I would like to not classify as "resolutions" I would like to list the following:

1. Work-out
2. Eat healthy
3. Watch at least 1 TED talk a week
4. Read at least 2 books a month (1 in Portuguese)

Anyway, we'll see how this all goes....

2012, here I come!

-Natalia

#BEDS Fail!

My daily September blogging goal was not achieved. Last week started off as being pretty busy for me at work and I was unable to recuperate until the weekend. On the bright side, the job is getting easier and I feel less bad for selling out. Oh, well.

You may be right, but I'm not letting you know.

One of the greatest things I ever improved about myself is the ability to recognized when I'm wrong or feeling jealous. I'll never admit it to anyone else though!

One thing I am willing to openly admit on my internet page so infrequently visited is that I feel unsure, confused, in the middle of a slight identity crisis, and lonely. I'm also extremely appreciative of every single thing going on in my life at the moment and also unbelievably happy. I just really hate not having my life figured out or at least outlined in some way. I work best with structure and this whole "learn as you go" process is frustrating until I eventually get the hold of things. Unfortunately, it takes time to get the hang of things.

Btw, I absolutely love someecards.com and saw this little gem today:

Fucking awesome! Ha!

"No, This Child Will Be Gifted..."

"... with love, with patience, and with faith. She'll make her way." This song popped into my head today and for the life of me I could not remember the artist name, the song title, or even the lyrics (I search for the lyrics when I don't know the song or the artist). It was on the tip of my tongue (all 3) so after a couple of searches of "90s Female Musicians" I finally saw Natalie Merchant's name and searched for her on Youtube. I always liked this song from the moment I first heard it but I really fell in love after hearing an interview with Natalie Merchant on NPR about a year ago where she talked about the true story that inspired her to write it. I'll update this post tomorrow with a link to that article tomorrow but for now here's her song "Wonder."

-Natália

Oops!!!

I missed yesterday's post for the whole #BEDS thing! I'll post another one later today to make up for it. -Natalia

Getting There.....and What?!

I'm starting to get the hang of things at my job. I'm also starting to feel like it's mine.

Awesome. =)

Oh, and an embarrassing confession on the 'net: I recently got into Sex and the City (watching edited reruns on E!) and I'm totally hooked. Yesterday I even purchased the complete series from Amazon and have watched a few episodes. I'd seen a few episodes before here and there (unedited) but for some reason never really got into it. At one point I even found all the characters incredibly superficial but now I find them all interesting with superficial tendencies. Almost everyone is superficial about something.

By the way, I am absolutely in love with Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Oh. My. God. What a god!

-Natalia

Mellow Movie Moment

Talking to my coworker/supervisor yesterday had me thinking today about designating a weekly movie night for myself. I've gone to the movies twice on my own and although it may be a bit awkward (especially the first time), it's actually kind of nice. The first time I went alone to the movies I was 17 and was actually got stood up. I'd invited this idiot guy I used to be friends with to watch "The Punisher" and he didn't show (asshole had some lame excuse). The second time I went to the movies alone it was actually on purpose. Now I'm not a chick-flick kind of girl but I was dying to watch "Letters to Juliet." I had a Sunday with nothing to do so I just decided to get up and go watch (Also, no one willing to watch that movie was available). My coworker mentioned that she's gone several times to the movies alone and finds it relaxing. I pretty much had the same feeling when I watched that cheesy chick-flick (which, by the way, I loved).

The movie I'm dying to watch is "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Why?

Because I love monkeys! And apes!

You Gotta Fight For Your Right....

..... to partaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I work for a Brazilian company and we interact with people in Brazil on a daily basis. Today was Independence Day in Brazil so pretty much all offices were closed which meant that today was a pretty slow day. Being Brazilian I can speak for the country as a whole when I say that not a damn thing was done over there today. I'm sure everyone will be completely hung over tomorrow! ;-)

Congrats, Brazil!

And thanks for the break! ;-)

-Natália

BEDS Day #6: Dino-might!

I've begun to develop a superficial interest in dinosaurs and I would like to expand it to a more in-depth curiosity about the former tenants of our planet. I remember reading and learning a bit about them as a kid. My youngest brother LOVED them when he was a baby. He watched Jurassic Park god knows how many times! I actually have a pair of dinosaur earrings that I wear almost everyday, a couple of dinosaur necklaces (my T-rex necklace is totally bad ass!), and an awesome dinosaur decal on my car (though that decal has more meaning than just my affinity for dinos).

Anyone have any suggestions where I should begin my dinosaur education? Books, websites, Discovery Channel specials? =)

-Natália-Saurus Rex

Meme in my BEDS! #5: Favorite Quote

So today's topic is favorite quote and currently the most relevant one is the one underneath my blog title:

"Não sei onde eu tô indo, mas sei que eu tô no meu caminho." ("I don't know where I'm going, but I know I'm on my path.") -Raul Seixas

Raul Seixas was a very famous Brazilian singer (feel free to click on his name for his Wikipedia page) and I am a huge fan of his. I don't think I really need to elaborate too much on this quote. It completely explains how I feel about my own life and how I've felt about it for awhile.

I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm doing it the best way I can. -Natália

BEDS Meme #4: Favorite Book

Alright, so for this whole BEDS thing it looks like I'll probably just end up following the meme list. Today's meme is favorite book and just like favorite song, favorite TV show, favorite band, favorite movie, it's difficult to pick just one as a favorite. The book I'd love to briefly discuss is Our Inner Ape by Frans De Waal.

Most people acquainted with me are well aware of my superficial love for all things monkey & ape so when I saw this book on sale at a Borders (free with any purchase, so I purchased a coffee from Seattle's Best) I just had to get it. I finished reading in about 3 days and absolutely loved it. It's a book about bonobos, a species of ape similar to chimpanzees and just has genetically related to humans. It's an incredibly interesting read and not too technical. This book definitely impacted my views/opinions on human behavior. It was an eye-opener and I book I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in reading about explanations on why people are the way they are.

-Natalia

BEDS Meme Day 3: Favorite TV Show

My plan for this whole BEDS thing is to try and come up with my own subject for my daily posts as often as possible and use the meme list (found here). However, I don't really having something in mind to blog about tonight so meme list it is! :)

Today's topic is favorite TV show and like many people I have more than one. In no particular order here are the shows that I would actually pay to purchase the complete seasons (I currently own Cowboy Bebop and Futurama):

1. Cowboy Bebop (Anime, absolutely amazing! Even though it's animated this show is definitely not intended for a young audience)
2. Futurama (Makers of The Simpsons, 'nough said)
3. Dexter (For those with an interest in psychology and serial killers)
4. Criminal Minds (Again, for those with an interest in psychology (especially behavioral psychology) and serial killers)
5. Doctor Who (Fun British show that's been around for years. It's actually a family show about time travel with a ton of ridiculousness!)
6. Wilfred (Hilarious dark comedy)
7. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Total kids show! It's an anime written by Americans! I was hooked after 1 episode!)
8. Deadwood (One of the best shows I have ever seen, unfortunately it was canceled but it's still completely worth watching)
9. Arrested Development (Probably the funniest show I have ever seen. Usually with comedies they're not worth re-watching but this show has so many hidden gems that you laugh at something different every time!)
10. Tosh.0 (I love Daniel Tosh and stupid internet videos) =)

Those are just the shows that I still watch on a regular basis (minus the any show on that list that has been cancelled or finished). There are other shows that in the beginning I absolutely loved but after awhile things just started to get too ridiculous (House and True Blood). Criminal Minds is beginning to go towards that direction as well and even Tosh.0 hasn't been as enjoyable as I previously found it. Currently I'm being entertained by Wilfred (until next week when the season finale premieres) and it is absolutely hilarious. Doctor Who just premiered the first 2 episodes of its current season and so far I've loved both episodes. Soon Dexter and Criminal Minds will begin and I'll be back to watching more serious shows.

Annual Analyzations

"Today is the day that every year I feel obligated to take a moment to myself and contemplate where I'm at in life and wondering where I'll be in the future. On previous dates my thoughts

But this year I feel drastically different, especially compared to my 23rd and 24th.

This year I feel unbelievably content and almost worry free. This year all I want to do is take a nice, deep breath and keep soldering on."

That was suppose to be part of my post on my 25th birthday. I planned on writing more. I should have just posted it.

Also, I've been dragged into this thing called "BEDS" which an acronym for "Blogging Every Day in September." There's even a daily meme to follow! I thought about doing this over at my ridiculous sarcasm blog "Eh, Why Not?" but I feel this one would be more appropriate. I've been meaning to keep up with this blog and I'd like to keep the other for only the purely ridiculous. =)

Almost a year....

Wow. It's been almost a year since my last post on this blog. A couple months after that latest post I started a new blog reserved for my sarcastic and dry wit. My intention was to update that one at least once a week with quick, short posts. I was doing a decent job at keeping that one somewhat consistently updated until about late April/May. Around that time and since then I've signed up for the GRE, took a quick (and initially disastrous) trip to NYC, went on an interview, took the GRE, took the GRE again, and started a new job (I've just completed my first 3 weeks!). It's been a very busy last 3 months for me.

Anyway, I think I'm starting to manage my time a little better now. So not only do I plan on keeping up with my other blog but I think I'd like to keep this one up as well. I'll leave this corner of the internet for my more serious and contemplative thoughts. I don't plan on updating weekly like I plan with the other but maybe at least biweekly. My original intention for this page was as a therapeutic outlet. I'd like to continue with that idea.

Well, that's it for now.

-Nat.

As I approach the end of 2010....

I haven't been keeping up with this blog as much as I had hoped or would like but to be honest I just haven't had a moment where I felt inspired to write a fucking amazing post. I've been inspired to write one, just not a good one. I think this one will turn out okay though. This post is mostly to get a few things off my chest.

2010 hasn't been one of my favorites. In February I was laid-off from a job that I loved more than I realized (actually I think I just loved my co-workers), this semester was fucking horrible for me academic wise, had a friend of over 10 years gossip about me with the intent of damaging my reputation (fucking bitch tried to make me look like her), I had surgery during Spring Break, ended what could have been a decent friendship with an acquaintance I met 5 years ago, didn't get to go to Brazil in June like I had expected (and told everyone I was), felt depressed over the summer, have more follow up procedures related to my surgery (non-life threatening), I probably won't be able to apply for grad school until next year (a year later than I had planned), and I still don't have the support I want from my parents (my dad especially) to pursue my dream of being a psychologist (some day I want to be Dr. FunkyMunkyNaT)! There were also a few other personal negative experiences but since they involve people other than myself I feel this blog is not an appropriate place to disclose them.

But at the same time I can't say that 2010 has been the worst year of my life. My aunt wants me to be the Godmother to my new baby cousin, I finally graduated with 2 undergraduate degrees, my dad bought me a MacBook Pro as a graduation gift (I fucking love this thing!!!), developed new friendships with Brazilians that have recently moved to Houston (and are from the same cities my family is from), became closer to my friend Sarah (her father is a childhood friend of my dad's!), finally had a problem fixed that I've suffered from since I was 12, ending the friendship with the Gossip Bitch opened other doors, went on a small road trip to Alabama for a wedding where I met amazing people I had only heard of, stopped in New Orleans for a night on the way there, got a picture wearing my "Alabama Leprechaun" shirt under the "Welcome to Alabama" sign, enjoyed some world cup games, read books I didn't have time to read during college, met a friend for the first time after only speaking online these last 5 years, lost my fear of driving around Houston without another person with me in the car, learned my way around Houston a lot more, got involved in an exciting project with a friend, visited Washington, D.C., met some cool new people in D.C., saw Daniel Tosh live with my youngest brother (it was his first time at a live show), met Richard Dawkins (and got his autograph on a copy of his most recent book that I got for free), 12 days later drove to Austin by myself and met Sam Harris (I got him to autograph 2 books and spoke with him), gained some spiritual enlightenment (at least I think I was enlightened! =P), and I started volunteering at the Houston SPCA (quite an amazing feeling)! And one of those personal experiences is getting fixed. =)

Whew. I tried to mention everything in chronological order and looking at this year so far by dividing it into bad/good is helpful for me. I believe it's unhealthy to not recognize the bad in life and that there is opportunity in every downfall. I don't believe that everything happens for a reason but I do believe that we can find meaning in everything that happens. I just needed to take a step back and analyze my experiences so far.

And in the spirit of the holiday, I am most thankful for the life that I live even though it almost never goes the way that I originally plan. =)

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Natalia

P.S.
No, I did NOT purchase the hat in the picture. ;)

Meeting My Academic Heroes: Dawkins & Harris

This has been the most amazing month of 2010 for me. On 2 separate occasions, and only 12 days apart, I met both Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris! Both of these men have had a gargantuan impact on my life and helped set me on a path of spiritual enlightenment (a path that I'm still traveling on and have a long distance to go before reaching the end). Theimportant thing is that their words have helped set me on what I feel is the correct spiritual path. Yes, it is possible to be spiritually enlightened as an atheist but I'll address that on another blog.

I met Richard Dawkins on October 5, 2010. A guy on my friend's list from Facebook posted a link to purchase tickets to hear him speak. I could not believe that THE Richard Dawkins was going to be in Houston to speak and would be signing books afterwards. Everyone attending was even given a free paperback copy of his most recent book The Greatest Show on Earth. My seat was not that great but I was able to hear him perfectly and just being there was enough for me. I was so excited that I did not even hear the first half of his talk because I was just so star struck. =P Ridiculous I know, but his book The God Delusion completely changed my worldview for the better. Anyway, when I finally got my opportunity to meet him I was so nervous that the only phrases able to escape my mouth were "uh, hi! Can a take a picture? Thank you!" and he appeared to just glance up, smile, and look back down to sign. I was towards the end of the line and the event ended up selling out so I knew he was exhausted from signing so many books (many people brought their own copies of his other works to be signed). I didn't even think of bringing my own copy of the God Delusion for him to sign but I got a free copy of his most recent work and got it signed!

As for Sam Harris, I met him October 17, 2010 in Austin at the Texas Book Festival! It was so great to be able to listen to him live and when I went to to get his autograph he actually looked at me and said, "Hello, how are you?" I was so shocked and, like with Dawkins, incredibly starstruck! I was able to reply and say "Fine, thank you. How are you?" and rambled about how happy I was that he was there and that I got to listen to him live. He responded kindly and politely and I cannot for the life of me recall his exact words because I sounded like an idiot, was embarrassed for not being able to speak coherently, and so happy to meet one of my greatest heroes. He seems to be an unbelievably compassionate and kind human being and his books, debates, and talks inspire me. If ever I have an opportunity like this again I will definitely take advantage of it.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. I met both Dawkins AND Harris 12 DAYS APART!!!!

-Natalia

Found in Translation

Today I finished my first translation piece!

A brief background of how I got into the translating business:
For those who do not know I am trilingual. My family is originally from Brazil and we moved to the United States when I was 2 1/2 years old so I was raised learning English at school and speaking Portuguese at home. In high school I took 4 years of Spanish which allowed me to add a 3rd language to my resume! In college I majored in psychology, a field that I am passionate about. Fast forward to this summer, a friend of mine who is a Brazilian psychologist had an idea of starting a website in English. With my degree in psychology and fluency in Portuguese she felt that I would be perfect to work with her on this project. Yesterday she sent me my first task and today I completed it! It was exciting and very enjoyable.

I really liked translating, it was mentally stimulating, like exercise for my brain! I am seriously considering doing this more. I did a little bit of research on it and it's common for people to do it part time. The only thing is that I would need to brush up on my Spanish since there's a higher demand for that over Portuguese. I scored a 5 out of 5 on the Spanish AP and received 13 hours of foreign language credit so I didn't need to take any foreign language for my degrees so it has been awhile since I've fully put my Spanish to work. I think a brush up would be very beneficial and worth it. =)

The project itself is also very exciting. I got in contact with an acquaintance of mine who is a web developer and he is currently in the process of creating the site. The topic is unbelievably interesting and something that my friend, Ludmila, is passionate and knowledgable about. I am so glad to be a part of it and I look forward to giving more details on the project as it develops and eventually sharing the site when it is finished.

-Natalia