Vampires and werewolves

By the end of the last book of Stephenie Meyer's vampire saga, I guess I will have to confess that I got kind of addicted to it. Even though I thought the first book was not that good at all and even a bit boring, it gets better, and the reader really start to gets curious about what is going to happen next.
My favourite book was definitely Eclipse, in which Bella (the human main character) had to choose between an astonishing beautiful, cultured, mature and wise vampire and an attractive, teenage, hot tempered and kind of crazy werewolf. Her indecision was interesting to follow. Bella was a wise young girl and she picked the vampire. I know I wouldn't have resisted the werewolf, and I do not want to know what that makes me...

Besides Bella's excessive wisdom, it is easy to see why the series has been such a succes. The books are engaging, filled with adventures and portrait in a symbolic but obvious and almost naif way the challenges of teenage sexuality.

Having said this, I must confess I did not actually read the books. I heard the audiobooks and would not take the time to read them, but they were still entertaining enough to make go over the whole series in a month.

Great things about America IV

When you buy your contacts and you pay $40.00 less than last time. Here they call this economic recession. Too bad it hasn't arrived to my home country yet.

Too much...

I cry a lot. That's a fact of life. I also laugh and smile a lot. I love a lot and I try not to hate a lot. I suffer a lot and a lot of joy fills my heart. I work a lot and after I feel so tired I could die. I am mostly a person of extremes. A lot of them.

For a long time I thought I would be better off being a more balanced person. I worked really hard on that. Recently, however, I realized that all the things that I regret doing in my life are not because I did them a lot, but because I didn't do them enough. I regret not having showed my love enough, my discontentment enough, I regret not having said all I thought, I regret not have complained enough, I regret not having tried enough, I regret not having yelled enough and I almost regret not having cried enough...

Moderate people can live moderately. Extreme people have to live extremely. Being wise and sensible is being authentic and this takes different forms for different people. People like me, that live everything intensely cannot pretend to be cool. I am not cool. I am a sea of lava waiting to explode.

From now on I am going to be everyhting a lot more.

Beware.

Really strange things about America II

Friday there was a Health Fair in my school.

In one of the booths some candy was being given. The wrapping said "Sex in MINT for marriage".

Despite our own opinions about the matter, what are the odds of this happening in an European country???

Obama is my uncle...

Before I tell this story, I have to say that in my family everyone is kind of dark. For American standards I am olive skinned and I am one of the fairest in the family. I think we must have Arab blood somewhere in our ancestors.

So this week one of my Arab-looking uncles gave a long interview in a well-known Portuguese newspaper with a bunch of pictures in it (Congratulations, uncle!!!). Arriving at his mom's (my grandma's) house, he showed her the pictures and asked her: "So, do you know who this is?"

" Hummmm" grandma hesitated "it's the US President."

Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is the last book I read.

I understand that this book can easily be accused of being excessively optimistic, romantic or idealist, but it is still a wonderful book.

It is a book about God and about love and on how both can change lives.

If you feel tempted to read it, try not to get disencouraged by the excessive romanticism of the first part, though. It is a book that I would strongly recommend to anyone who has enough of an open mind to question his/her own beliefs.

Awesome.

Heat Wave or How a Portuguese becomes American II

Today, to my astonishment, I felt so warm I had to take my gloves out.

In fact, the temperature was 0ºC. I am becoming an eskimo...