FRIDAY'S POST:
Pretty routine day at the office... meetings and memos galore... Oh, except I sold my laptop! 700 bucks just like that... ka-ching! Now I can get a nice upgrade... and perhaps a camera...
Oh, I didn't tell you guys? My camera was broken shortly after the Europe trip... I lent it to a dear cousin of mine, and the dear dropped it and broke it irreparably. So I've been without a camera for a few months now... and very annoyed at that. I wasn't able to document the impromptu family reunion in Benguela, nor the inauguration ceremony of the African Soccer Championship, nor any other event I've longed to document since the unfortunate incident. I'm very upset, very upset indeed. But anyways, I'm gonna have to get a camera while in MX for sure... I'm not about to miss my chance to take pictures of that trip at all!
So now, the laptop money should be enough for a good camera AND a functional laptop.
Anyways, I'm just chilling with Eddy tonight. Well, to put it more accurately, I'm chilling watching Novo Tempo (Portuguese 3ABN kinda channel) while Eddy cries because he wants to watch his cartoons. No can do, little dude... tis the Sabbath!
So Happy Sabbath to all, tis all I have to say for tonight :)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Switching It Up
Today my routine was dramatically shifted: I started working out in the mornings instead of in the evenings. It's so much better this way... I get to work super awake and alert, because I've gotten my blood pumping and taken a shower... AND it gives me so much free time after work. I get home around 5:30 pm now... I don't remember the last time I was able to do that (if ever)!
Things at work are still hectic as I wrap up my duties in the contracts department. I'm trying to see if we can get someone hired for my position... only a week and a half more and I'm outta there! Oh, I cannot wait. I don't think eagerness is a healthy emotion. I consider myself to be a fairly patient person... but AAARGH! When will my vacation be here?!?!
Anyways, it was a good (albeit busy) day today...
But what's up with the random email distribution list members? Ya'll were all eerily silent today. Hmm... weird.
Ok, that's all. Much love to all... gotta get some sleep so I can wake up early to hit the track!
Ciao!
Things at work are still hectic as I wrap up my duties in the contracts department. I'm trying to see if we can get someone hired for my position... only a week and a half more and I'm outta there! Oh, I cannot wait. I don't think eagerness is a healthy emotion. I consider myself to be a fairly patient person... but AAARGH! When will my vacation be here?!?!
Anyways, it was a good (albeit busy) day today...
But what's up with the random email distribution list members? Ya'll were all eerily silent today. Hmm... weird.
Ok, that's all. Much love to all... gotta get some sleep so I can wake up early to hit the track!
Ciao!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Oui, Je Parler Francais Indeed
Today was one of the days where I had to submit some proposals for contracts for one of our clients... and everytime I have to do that I feel like I'm seriously in one of those action movies a la Mission Impossible or something. The documents are taken in high security briefcases or containers, or triple-sealed envelopes... depending on the size. So today we were taking the documents to a French client company. I went along with the account representative for that client. The rep is French, speaks English, and speaks a good amount of Portuguese. At the office, we communicate in English...
So we get to the client's office, we submit the top-secret files, and the rep decides that I should meet one of the top contract managers from that company... another Frenchman who has a long-standing relationship with the Rep. I'm gonna call him Mr. E. So Mr. E comes to the reception to meet us, and after Rep introduces me by saying something like 'This is Elisa from our contracts department, she speaks English and Spanish and French, and a bunch of languagues,' I was like 'that's not quite...'and they burst into animated French conversation... talking about upcoming projects and all this stuff. I was concentrating so hard trying to keep up with the conversation... reading their lips and trying to use every strategy in the book, lol. But at some point, Mr. E asked a question that went something like "What's the name of the guy that's responsible for the chemical solutions we're using for project such and such? I can't remember his name..." and I actually understood his whole phrase... without missing a beat I piped in "D.K" and they looked at me like if I had been part of the conversation all along and agreed "Ah, yes, D.K." and they totally kept going like nothing. I was like, Wow... I'm so mad at this situation right now. But anyways, I got the jest of the conversation and gave myself a mental high-five for following along just enough to not be totally lost, hahaha.
Anyhow, that was the most interesting thing that happened to me today... just thought I'd share.
So we get to the client's office, we submit the top-secret files, and the rep decides that I should meet one of the top contract managers from that company... another Frenchman who has a long-standing relationship with the Rep. I'm gonna call him Mr. E. So Mr. E comes to the reception to meet us, and after Rep introduces me by saying something like 'This is Elisa from our contracts department, she speaks English and Spanish and French, and a bunch of languagues,' I was like 'that's not quite...'and they burst into animated French conversation... talking about upcoming projects and all this stuff. I was concentrating so hard trying to keep up with the conversation... reading their lips and trying to use every strategy in the book, lol. But at some point, Mr. E asked a question that went something like "What's the name of the guy that's responsible for the chemical solutions we're using for project such and such? I can't remember his name..." and I actually understood his whole phrase... without missing a beat I piped in "D.K" and they looked at me like if I had been part of the conversation all along and agreed "Ah, yes, D.K." and they totally kept going like nothing. I was like, Wow... I'm so mad at this situation right now. But anyways, I got the jest of the conversation and gave myself a mental high-five for following along just enough to not be totally lost, hahaha.
Anyhow, that was the most interesting thing that happened to me today... just thought I'd share.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A-Huffin' and A-Puffin'
Huff- Puff, Huff- puff...
Just came back from running like 7K... I'm exhausted! I've always known that I get out of shape pretty fast... but a 3-week rest after 5 months of hard training? I figured I'd still be alright! But boy, I felt the difference... my legs were heavy as heavy can be!
And the air today was muggy, to boot (lol Sabs)... phew! I'm gonna sleep like a rock today. Better go to bed early or else I'm SO not gonna hear the alarm tomorrow morning.
And why was Edson eagerly watching through the window, just waiting for me to get home, so we could have a go at a game of foosball? The boy is 6-yrs-old, and he's such an avid player. Like, seriously, I don't even have to take it easy on him... that boy has some quick reflexes! I was so mad he was actually beating me while I put in real effort. Anyways, I ended up winning by one... but barely. We were head to head the whole game. And the fact that he lost the ball so we were playing with a small roundish potato didn't really help, lol.
On a totally unrelated note, today I bought an external hard drive so that I can clean out my personal laptop. I found someone who's willing to buy it from me for 700 USD. How cool is that? I bought the thing a year ago for 450 bucks, and now, after a year of wear and tear (well, not really because I barely use it... it's more for storage of non-work related files than anything) I can sell it for so much. The thing is, he's still getting it for a steal because anywhere else that laptop would cost him 1500-2000... so he's gladly handing over the cash without a second thought. No, I'm not becoming a dishonest hustler... that's just the way inflation works! I'm gonna take those 700, send them to Viva, and he can get me a WAY nicer laptop that I can use forever... or until I decide I need another upgrade :)
So, seeing as how I'm TOTALLY not updated on the latest releases from the top brands... what do you guys recommend I get with a $700 budget? No macs, please (although I probably can't afford one with that budget)... I'm a PC girl for life :D
Britney Spears Lullabies
MONDAY'S POST:
Pretty laid back day today... Just working and working trying to get everything settled before I leave. I have so much to wrap up in order to be ready to hand my position over... but I'm SO ready to move on to the next level. God willing, I'm gonna learn SO much in just a year to a year and half, judging by the training program the managers are putting together for me.
But more than anything, I'm looking foward to my vacation. AAAHHH! The days are dragging by SOOOO slowly. 9 days to go still? UGH! It seems like forever!
Anyways, I worked like a dog, got home, changed out of my clothes. Ate pb&j sandwiches for dinner (leave me alone... there's no need for gourmet meals EVERY day, lol) and then one of my friends from church came over and we exchanged some music material. After that, I pretty much entertained Edson (Elsa's away on vacation and the Tio and Tia are in their own little world most of the time... so Eddy and I are left to our own resources, lol) til it was time for bed. Then we went to bed. Oh, and he wouldn't go to sleep until I sang to him, and in my sleepy daze I came up with the most random playlist of songs from the hymnal, broadway, and I'm ashamed to admit... at one point I sang a chunk of that song "Sometimes I run, sometimes I hide, sometimes I'm scared of you. But all I really want is to hold you tight..." by Britney Spears. Then I snapped out of it and I was like, 'why in the WORLD am I singing this?' lol... but I have a perfectly good explanation! A little bit before going to bed I had checked some facebook updates and I believe someone (I think it was Hifsy) had posted something about that song being from back when she still liked Britney Spears... so I guess it somehow got into my subconscious and manifested itself as I was dozing off... lol. Just shush with your smart-aleck comments... it worked, ok? Eddy fell fast asleep!
Pretty laid back day today... Just working and working trying to get everything settled before I leave. I have so much to wrap up in order to be ready to hand my position over... but I'm SO ready to move on to the next level. God willing, I'm gonna learn SO much in just a year to a year and half, judging by the training program the managers are putting together for me.
But more than anything, I'm looking foward to my vacation. AAAHHH! The days are dragging by SOOOO slowly. 9 days to go still? UGH! It seems like forever!
Anyways, I worked like a dog, got home, changed out of my clothes. Ate pb&j sandwiches for dinner (leave me alone... there's no need for gourmet meals EVERY day, lol) and then one of my friends from church came over and we exchanged some music material. After that, I pretty much entertained Edson (Elsa's away on vacation and the Tio and Tia are in their own little world most of the time... so Eddy and I are left to our own resources, lol) til it was time for bed. Then we went to bed. Oh, and he wouldn't go to sleep until I sang to him, and in my sleepy daze I came up with the most random playlist of songs from the hymnal, broadway, and I'm ashamed to admit... at one point I sang a chunk of that song "Sometimes I run, sometimes I hide, sometimes I'm scared of you. But all I really want is to hold you tight..." by Britney Spears. Then I snapped out of it and I was like, 'why in the WORLD am I singing this?' lol... but I have a perfectly good explanation! A little bit before going to bed I had checked some facebook updates and I believe someone (I think it was Hifsy) had posted something about that song being from back when she still liked Britney Spears... so I guess it somehow got into my subconscious and manifested itself as I was dozing off... lol. Just shush with your smart-aleck comments... it worked, ok? Eddy fell fast asleep!
That's pretty much it for my Monday. But fret not... my blogs will get much more exciting in just 9 days!!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
I'm Crying You a River
SUNDAY'S POST:
So sad. So, so sad.
Final Score: Ghana - 1. Angola - 0.
And just like that, our dream got stomped on. We're eliminated from the Championship! :(
We went too soon. Such high hopes, down the drain.
I actually feel a little bit like a traitor, because I was playing at a wedding and didn't get to watch the first half of the game. I almost feel like my absence from the watching-and-cheering activities somewhat affected the outcome of the game. I tell you... the team can hear me through the tv screaming, cheering, and carrying on. Sometimes I get a little melodramatic, during the parts when the game is just REALLY suspenseful... Like if Angola has posession and they're close enough to the goalpost and they can shoot at any moment... And they shoot, and it looks like it's gonna go in... but it just doesn't. That happened several times tonight. I almost had a heart attack like 3 times in 15 minutes. But alas, the ball just REFUSED to go in.
And man! What is up with Ghana's supernatural defensive abilities? They were a WALL. We could NOT break through them for most of the second half. How frustrating!
Also, I'm very upset with Manucho. He let me down! I think the pressure got to him... he was so spastic during the 3 chances he had for open shots. It was just him, the goalie, and the net. And he missed. Like, big time missed. Not like the goalie defended it, no... it was like he just did not control his kick and sent the ball flying in a completely pointless direction. Ugh.
Anyways... I'm going to bed. I'm gonna cry myself to sleep now. Ok, not really. But I really am tired because last night I ended up staying awake until the wee hours of the morning browsing the net and IM'ing. Maybe this free internet at home thing is not such a good idea... I'm gonna become an internet addict!
Oh, one more thing: You know how Angola has a bunch of national holidays and they declare new ones whenever they feel like it? Well, apparently they also CANCEL holidays whenever they feel like it. It's so weird. Tomorrow was supposed to be a national holiday (Anniversary of the establishment of Luanda as capital) and on Friday the government decided to cancel it as a holiday. They annouced it through the news on tv, newspapers, etc. All the companies immediately sent out general communications to all employees letting us know we have to work on Monday. What the heezy? I SO don't get it.
And I was SO looking forward to sleeping in...
So sad. So, so sad.
Final Score: Ghana - 1. Angola - 0.
And just like that, our dream got stomped on. We're eliminated from the Championship! :(
We went too soon. Such high hopes, down the drain.
I actually feel a little bit like a traitor, because I was playing at a wedding and didn't get to watch the first half of the game. I almost feel like my absence from the watching-and-cheering activities somewhat affected the outcome of the game. I tell you... the team can hear me through the tv screaming, cheering, and carrying on. Sometimes I get a little melodramatic, during the parts when the game is just REALLY suspenseful... Like if Angola has posession and they're close enough to the goalpost and they can shoot at any moment... And they shoot, and it looks like it's gonna go in... but it just doesn't. That happened several times tonight. I almost had a heart attack like 3 times in 15 minutes. But alas, the ball just REFUSED to go in.
And man! What is up with Ghana's supernatural defensive abilities? They were a WALL. We could NOT break through them for most of the second half. How frustrating!
Also, I'm very upset with Manucho. He let me down! I think the pressure got to him... he was so spastic during the 3 chances he had for open shots. It was just him, the goalie, and the net. And he missed. Like, big time missed. Not like the goalie defended it, no... it was like he just did not control his kick and sent the ball flying in a completely pointless direction. Ugh.
Anyways... I'm going to bed. I'm gonna cry myself to sleep now. Ok, not really. But I really am tired because last night I ended up staying awake until the wee hours of the morning browsing the net and IM'ing. Maybe this free internet at home thing is not such a good idea... I'm gonna become an internet addict!
Oh, one more thing: You know how Angola has a bunch of national holidays and they declare new ones whenever they feel like it? Well, apparently they also CANCEL holidays whenever they feel like it. It's so weird. Tomorrow was supposed to be a national holiday (Anniversary of the establishment of Luanda as capital) and on Friday the government decided to cancel it as a holiday. They annouced it through the news on tv, newspapers, etc. All the companies immediately sent out general communications to all employees letting us know we have to work on Monday. What the heezy? I SO don't get it.
And I was SO looking forward to sleeping in...
She says: Bom Djia, Posso Falah com a Elisa?
SATURDAY'S POST:
Today was aaight... I went to church in the morning, where the service was ok. No soul-shaking or earth-shattering sermon or anything... just aaight. The announcements took WAY too long, it was exasperating. Also, the church was half empty because there was some sort of camp meeting going on that I had no clue about... I'm so out of the loop sometimes because I live in the opposite side of the city.
Nina and Zermath (Tia Ivone's children) are both in town from Brazil and France, respectively. Nina brought her daugher Jasmine, who's 5 years old. I've seen pics of her and I've talked to her on the phone... she sounds like a mini-brazilian, lol, so cute. But I've yet to meet her... we weren't able to coordinate something this weekend because the phones lines were acting up. Anyways, hopefully we can meet up for lunch this week so I can meet my little niece!
I actually got to take a nap today. I can't remember the last time I got to take a Sabbath nap! It felt great. It's good to rest on the Day of rest.
Anyhow... that's it for today. Back to browsing the net for a bit and then getting some shut-eye so I can get up bright and early tomorrow for music class.
Today was aaight... I went to church in the morning, where the service was ok. No soul-shaking or earth-shattering sermon or anything... just aaight. The announcements took WAY too long, it was exasperating. Also, the church was half empty because there was some sort of camp meeting going on that I had no clue about... I'm so out of the loop sometimes because I live in the opposite side of the city.
Nina and Zermath (Tia Ivone's children) are both in town from Brazil and France, respectively. Nina brought her daugher Jasmine, who's 5 years old. I've seen pics of her and I've talked to her on the phone... she sounds like a mini-brazilian, lol, so cute. But I've yet to meet her... we weren't able to coordinate something this weekend because the phones lines were acting up. Anyways, hopefully we can meet up for lunch this week so I can meet my little niece!
I actually got to take a nap today. I can't remember the last time I got to take a Sabbath nap! It felt great. It's good to rest on the Day of rest.
Anyhow... that's it for today. Back to browsing the net for a bit and then getting some shut-eye so I can get up bright and early tomorrow for music class.
Friday, January 22, 2010
This one's for you, Sabs
Ok, it's not a tribute to you or anything (wait til your bday for that one, lol) but I promised you a shout-out (see comment on previous post) so here it goes:
Yo, Sabrina!
That was me shout-out-ing you. You're welcome.
No but for reals... Can't wait til we're painting the pueblo red in good ol' Mexico!! We're gonna have a blast :D
So today I found out when I start my new position: it's March the 3rd. As soon as I come back from vacation. How cool is that? In just another week-and-a-half, I'll be off gallavanting around Mexico, then I get back to a brand-spankin'-new job. That's so exciting. I don't think I'm gonna be bored anytime soon, lol.
Other than that, today was pretty routine. The workday was jampacked with back to back meetings... etc etc Et. C. T. Rah.
Ooh, and then I got home, and I saw that there was some pita bread in the fridge, so I got all inspired and made gyros! They turned out good, too! I'm not just saying that. I made some for the guard and he loved them! lol Maybe I should start a Celeste's Kitchen - Angola branch. Hmmm...
Anyways, that's pretty much it. The rest of the time I've been browsing the net and trying to get Dina to txt me but she's too busy cleaning up CK, lol. Now I'm gonna finish studying my lesson and get some shut-eye. Happy Sabbath and good night, my loves!
Yo, Sabrina!
That was me shout-out-ing you. You're welcome.
No but for reals... Can't wait til we're painting the pueblo red in good ol' Mexico!! We're gonna have a blast :D
So today I found out when I start my new position: it's March the 3rd. As soon as I come back from vacation. How cool is that? In just another week-and-a-half, I'll be off gallavanting around Mexico, then I get back to a brand-spankin'-new job. That's so exciting. I don't think I'm gonna be bored anytime soon, lol.
Other than that, today was pretty routine. The workday was jampacked with back to back meetings... etc etc Et. C. T. Rah.
Ooh, and then I got home, and I saw that there was some pita bread in the fridge, so I got all inspired and made gyros! They turned out good, too! I'm not just saying that. I made some for the guard and he loved them! lol Maybe I should start a Celeste's Kitchen - Angola branch. Hmmm...
Anyways, that's pretty much it. The rest of the time I've been browsing the net and trying to get Dina to txt me but she's too busy cleaning up CK, lol. Now I'm gonna finish studying my lesson and get some shut-eye. Happy Sabbath and good night, my loves!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I'm So Ready
I've been going and going and going... Energizer bunny style... too much to do all day everyday. And even though I take random times here and there to stop and smell the roses, I need some real R&R before my head explodes.
My trip to Mexico is in two weeks and it CANNOT come soon enough. I'm so eager! I'm gonna get to chill with the poppa, see my long-lost childhood friends, run around my vecindario from the days of old... Plus do the whole exploring-of-the-city-like-a-tourist thing. It's gonna be so awesome.
Vacations make going through all the craziness that the working world consists of totally worth it. No doubt about that.
Off to sleep now... counting down the days til I have TOTAL FREEDOM!!!!
My trip to Mexico is in two weeks and it CANNOT come soon enough. I'm so eager! I'm gonna get to chill with the poppa, see my long-lost childhood friends, run around my vecindario from the days of old... Plus do the whole exploring-of-the-city-like-a-tourist thing. It's gonna be so awesome.
Vacations make going through all the craziness that the working world consists of totally worth it. No doubt about that.
Off to sleep now... counting down the days til I have TOTAL FREEDOM!!!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
...And in their Pain, Began to Sing...
Oh man, the crisis in Haiti is crazy... they just had a SECOND earthquake! As if they needed that! This world is getting harder and harder to live in. I keep hearing about these horrible events... it's quite frustrating to be unable to control any of it. Lord, please come soon! Take us home, where everything is better than any eye has ever seen, or any ear has ever heard, or any mind has ever conceived. Beyond anything we could imagine. I can't wait.
But in the meanwhile, I got things to do. Stay busy while I wait for our Lord and Savior to take us home. Let's do all we can to help those suffering in Haiti, and more than anything lift up prayers for them to find consolation and a feeling of security that I'm sure is nowhere to be found at the moment.
Some of the footage showed people getting rescued from the rubble... they had been stuck in there for a week, with no food or water, breathing nothing but dust and debris, and came out singing hymns or cheering. So awe-inspiring. What a corageous people.
May the Lord strengthen and protect those that are having to deal with these traumatizing events first-hand.
But in the meanwhile, I got things to do. Stay busy while I wait for our Lord and Savior to take us home. Let's do all we can to help those suffering in Haiti, and more than anything lift up prayers for them to find consolation and a feeling of security that I'm sure is nowhere to be found at the moment.
Some of the footage showed people getting rescued from the rubble... they had been stuck in there for a week, with no food or water, breathing nothing but dust and debris, and came out singing hymns or cheering. So awe-inspiring. What a corageous people.
May the Lord strengthen and protect those that are having to deal with these traumatizing events first-hand.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
It's been a good, good day...
Today was a good day. My boss and I reviewed the few resumes that have been selected as candidates for the person that is going to replace me in the contracts department. I also set up a meeting with the managers from the engineering departments and the manager from the operations excellence department so we can discuss what's going to happen next...
As things stand right now, the engineering managers are trying to create an intensive program where I would rotate between office work, rig work, and class work for an extended period of time until I became familiar enough with our tools and technologies. Then I could try and see what the next step would be for me to become operational excellence manager (That's the final goal in my career plan)...
On the other hand, the OE manager believes that I already have enough know-how to take on a higher position (something along the lines of OE coordinator for our Luanda branch), along with some higher level training. It's currently a non-existent position that they're trying to create, so I would basically start the sub-department from scratch and select the team that would work under me... as well as put together a training plan for them.
You know what I recently realized? I seriously think that growing up participating in church for special music has done wonders for my career... I have absolutely no fear/anxiety/nervousness when it comes to speaking in front of people... and that's something the managers take notice of. I attribute this completely to the fact that I've been playing/singing in front of large crowds ever since I can remember...
To quote the OE manager:
"When you speak, you have a way of not only capturing but also holding people's attention. And with just that, half the battle is already won..." We were talking about whether or not I'm ready to lead a team, and I had expressed my insecurity about my lack of technical experience when he said that. I just thought to myself "thank you Lord, and thank you Papi and Mami for forci--er, I mean, strongly encouraging me and my siblings to practice and perform music :)
Anyways... as I said, it's been a great day. The Lord just keeps on blessing... and I have a feeling that it's only going to get better...
As things stand right now, the engineering managers are trying to create an intensive program where I would rotate between office work, rig work, and class work for an extended period of time until I became familiar enough with our tools and technologies. Then I could try and see what the next step would be for me to become operational excellence manager (That's the final goal in my career plan)...
On the other hand, the OE manager believes that I already have enough know-how to take on a higher position (something along the lines of OE coordinator for our Luanda branch), along with some higher level training. It's currently a non-existent position that they're trying to create, so I would basically start the sub-department from scratch and select the team that would work under me... as well as put together a training plan for them.
You know what I recently realized? I seriously think that growing up participating in church for special music has done wonders for my career... I have absolutely no fear/anxiety/nervousness when it comes to speaking in front of people... and that's something the managers take notice of. I attribute this completely to the fact that I've been playing/singing in front of large crowds ever since I can remember...
To quote the OE manager:
"When you speak, you have a way of not only capturing but also holding people's attention. And with just that, half the battle is already won..." We were talking about whether or not I'm ready to lead a team, and I had expressed my insecurity about my lack of technical experience when he said that. I just thought to myself "thank you Lord, and thank you Papi and Mami for forci--er, I mean, strongly encouraging me and my siblings to practice and perform music :)
Anyways... as I said, it's been a great day. The Lord just keeps on blessing... and I have a feeling that it's only going to get better...
Monday, January 18, 2010
Round 2
bAngola is moving into the next level - quarterfinals!!! They've played really well, except for today's game... they were total slackers and they tied 0 - 0. You could tell the teams had struck a deal that they would tie so that they both could advance to quarterfinals... since they were both at the top of their group... which made for a boring and frustrating game for the fans. Glad I saved my seven bucks and just watched it at home on the tv... they were totally mediocre.
But the important thing is that they're advancing. Here we go, Round 2. More excitement to come as we aim for that trophy!
In other news, I got off at noon today from work with high hopes of getting all my laundry done and doing all the grocery shopping I need to do... but that did NOT happen... I got home and started playing with the baby (Chinha leaves him here so the maids take care of him during the day), and then I dozed off on the couch, and then people started arriving to watch the game... and then I just didn't get around to doing anything fruitful before gametime. So here I am, about to go to sleep, and my mind is busily going over mental to-do lists and I'm nearly kicking myself for wasting a WHOLE free afternoon. But oh well, it's good to sit back and relax every once in a while. I'll just have to make time for everything else as soon as possible :)
Today I saw the pics of CK's inauguration on fb and the vids on youtube. I LOVED them! Thanks for doing that my dears!!! I must've gone through them all like 5 times... QUE NOSTALGIA ME DAAAA!!!! But seeing the pics and vids definitely made my heart glad :D
Ok... let me get some sleep... this whole half-day thing just threw off my rhythm and keeps making me feel like it's still the weekend... but alas, tis a weeknight and I must get some sleep so I can be wide awake at work tomorrow.
Hasta manana!
But the important thing is that they're advancing. Here we go, Round 2. More excitement to come as we aim for that trophy!
In other news, I got off at noon today from work with high hopes of getting all my laundry done and doing all the grocery shopping I need to do... but that did NOT happen... I got home and started playing with the baby (Chinha leaves him here so the maids take care of him during the day), and then I dozed off on the couch, and then people started arriving to watch the game... and then I just didn't get around to doing anything fruitful before gametime. So here I am, about to go to sleep, and my mind is busily going over mental to-do lists and I'm nearly kicking myself for wasting a WHOLE free afternoon. But oh well, it's good to sit back and relax every once in a while. I'll just have to make time for everything else as soon as possible :)
Today I saw the pics of CK's inauguration on fb and the vids on youtube. I LOVED them! Thanks for doing that my dears!!! I must've gone through them all like 5 times... QUE NOSTALGIA ME DAAAA!!!! But seeing the pics and vids definitely made my heart glad :D
Ok... let me get some sleep... this whole half-day thing just threw off my rhythm and keeps making me feel like it's still the weekend... but alas, tis a weeknight and I must get some sleep so I can be wide awake at work tomorrow.
Hasta manana!
My Thighs are Hot...
...From the laptop just sitting on my lap for hours, emanating all that heat, while I'm passed out from exhaustion.
I showered and got ready for bed, I got into bed, sat up with my laptop on my lap so I could write a quick post of the day's events before I went to sleep... and then I apparently passed out somewhere between opening Internet Explorer and logging onto blogger...
so here's SUNDAY'S POST:
48 hours are up and I was able to do most things on my enormous to-do list!
Today was another jampacked Sunday for me...
Woke up early (after sleeping for a couple of hours because I'd been working on printing and binding the last batch of music books) and headed to church for the music course. Oh, by the way, a new development in the music school: it has a name! The school is called Centro Muimbi Yethu... it means 'Our Music' in Kimbundu. Anyways, the students were very glad to receive their new material... they're excited to have some formal homework :)
After the classes, I rushed over to Tio Terencio's house where I showered and changed into the clothes for the wedding, and then I caught a taxi to the church where we were meeting to head to the wedding. The people already in the taxi were in the midst of a conversation in which one guy was describing a horrible accident between two other taxis that had taken place this morning. After some minutes of conversation, which included him describing all the gory details such as the people that died, the driver that lost an eye, the little kid that got ran over when one of the taxis lost control ( :( ), etc, he said 'Look! the taxis are still there!' and he pointed to the scene of the accident. Yeah, the road had been cleared, but the two taxis involved had been placed on the side of the road and we could all see the extensive damage to both of them... He then went on to say something about 'we got out through that side...' and that's when it dawned on me... 'Wait,' I said, 'You were IN the car? You walked out of that alive???' I thought he had heard about it or witnessed it or something... but no, he was telling the story from first-hand experience!... Wow, he had been immensely blessed. He walked out with not even a scratch!
Anyways, a little bit later the taxi ride came to an end and we all parted ways, but not without making sure we all stated that he was blessed, God was definitely looking out for him.
After that large dose of reality, I got to the church and found out the rest of the group was running late (of course). So I just sat in the shade of some banana trees and dozed off for an hour while I waited for the guys to get ready and our ride to arrive (I know, could I BE more African? lol).
Finally our ride arrived and we headed to the other church, where the wedding was taking place. When we got there, get this: Everything and everyone was running late... EXCEPT the bride. By this time we were already like 2 hours behind schedule. She was the only one that had been on time and she had just been sitting in the decorated car waiting for everyone else to be ready for the ceremony to start. She musta been hecka annoyed! At least she had AC in the car...
Finally the wedding started... we played the music, sang the songs, watched the seemingly endless processional (seriously, she had like a million people in her wedding party. And they all marched sloooowwwwlly up the aisle.), listened to the seemingly endless sermon, and then it was finally over. The wedding was nice... but I was tired and hungry so I was ready to get outta there. Then we headed to the reception where we were ushered to our VIP table (yay for wedding bands, lol) and ate some GOOD food that satiated our hungry stomachs. Finally, it was night time and time to head home. When I got home, I showered and got into my pj's, and I got into bed and pulled out my laptop so I could write a blog post.
But we all know how that ended... lol.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Too many things to do!
This weekend I have to do the following in the span of 48 hours (in no particular order):
-Go to church
-Cook
-Go to a wedding rehearsal
-Sit through a choir practice
-Go home (across the city) to pack up some clothes
-Spend the night working on the final printing and binding the last batch of music books
-go to the OTHER end of the city to teach the music course
-Stop by Tio T's to take a shower and change
-Go to wedding
-Play at wedding
-Find a ride back home
-Finish working on some end of year, quarter, and month reports (prolly stay up half the night again :S)
-Upload said reports into work network
-Get some sleep finally
TOO much to do... too little time!
P.S. Yes Rosibel, another post where I cheated by making it bulletpointed. Leave me alone :D
P.P.S. Umm, I do believe that 60% of the followers of this blog owe me some pics and vids from New Year's, GYC, and the CK inauguration. Thought I forgot, didn't you? ... les voy a cobrar!
-Go to church
-Cook
-Go to a wedding rehearsal
-Sit through a choir practice
-Go home (across the city) to pack up some clothes
-Spend the night working on the final printing and binding the last batch of music books
-go to the OTHER end of the city to teach the music course
-Stop by Tio T's to take a shower and change
-Go to wedding
-Play at wedding
-Find a ride back home
-Finish working on some end of year, quarter, and month reports (prolly stay up half the night again :S)
-Upload said reports into work network
-Get some sleep finally
TOO much to do... too little time!
P.S. Yes Rosibel, another post where I cheated by making it bulletpointed. Leave me alone :D
P.P.S. Umm, I do believe that 60% of the followers of this blog owe me some pics and vids from New Year's, GYC, and the CK inauguration. Thought I forgot, didn't you? ... les voy a cobrar!
Friday, January 15, 2010
How Great is our God...
God never ceases to amaze me. Today at work, one of the managers told me that he's pushing for me to be placed in an even HIGHER position than the promotion I'm about to transition into!!!!!
It really goes to show that trusting God to take over instead of letting my doubts overwhelm me was the best decision I made just a year ago when the whole Sabbath situation came up.
He proves faithful EVERYTIME. My GOD is an AWESOME GOD!
1O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
It really goes to show that trusting God to take over instead of letting my doubts overwhelm me was the best decision I made just a year ago when the whole Sabbath situation came up.
He proves faithful EVERYTIME. My GOD is an AWESOME GOD!
1O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!
...Ok, not really. I'm pretty sure the reunion with my mom when she went back to Mexico to get us was waaay happier. But I'm pretty ecstatic: ANGOLA WON!!! It was SOOO exciting... we had many close calls, and everytime it happened my heart would skip a beat (seriously guys, it's easy to get SO into these games when you're in the thick of it along with 50,000 other ppl... it's almost unhealthy...)
But in the end, Angola scored 2, Malawi 0. Oh man, it was exciting. Walking out of the stadium was a hoot... people were dancing, playing noisemakers, talking and laughing loudly... it was such a celebratory atmosphere! Then on the way back into the city, whole neighboorhoods lined the streets holding big flags, small flags, tshirts, hankerchiefs, ribbons, any kinda red/black/yellow paraphanelia and cheering the procession of cars coming from the stadium. I can only imagine what kind of scene they made when the bus with the team passed by... but alas, I wasn't there to witness it. Oh boy, this has been a fun week.
I have vowed to wear black and red to work tomorrow as tribute to the great Palancas Negras. They have done us proud.
As the cheer goes:
Aqui em Angola,
mambo e assim
Palancas Negras
Ate o fim!!!
*Special thanks to Flavio, my new favorite player, for making this victory possibleb. He's such a hero! lol
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Another uneventful day...
So umm... today I woke up, went to work... worked like a horse, took a long lunch, went back to work, headed to church for a practice... was informed halfway there that practice was postponed... then I met up with the cousin for some more instructions on finishing up the printing and binding the music books. And then I came home and tkotally vegged out... too tired to pick out clothes or do anything productive other than sit around and chitchat with Alice and be entertained by Edson. And now I finally got the energy to get up, get some clothes ready, change into my pjs, write a blog post (I should seriously get an award for dedication. I REALLY am too tired to be writing this... but here I am regardless).
The highlight of my day were the pic messages from Dina and Sabrina, lol.
Tomorrow is gameday. Stay tuned for an update on that!!
The highlight of my day were the pic messages from Dina and Sabrina, lol.
Tomorrow is gameday. Stay tuned for an update on that!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Bloodshot Eyes...
I haven't looked at myself in the mirror lately, but I'm pretty sure I have bloodshot eyes... too many late nights in a row for me this week! Sunday was the game, Monday I stayed up til 6 am putting together the music book for the course, and tonight I just came home from working on getting the books ready for printing and binding at my cousin's home office. I'm ready to sleep... and yes, RO, it's especially at times like these that I truly appreciate the blessing of being so close to work that I can wake up at like 7 am... or 7:20 if I decide to skip breakfast (it's a tough call to make...) and still make it to work on time.
Praise the Lord, it was arduous work, but it's all done now. The books came out really nice... I just hope the students put them to good use and learn a lot from them, so I didn't just waste energy, time and resources in vain.
Last Sunday, the three students that now own violins played a little trio I made up on the spot. They're reading notes (half notes and quarter notes only, but that's pretty good already) and training their ear to catch when they're playing off tune pretty well... At the end everyone else clapped enthusiastically as if they had just heard the greatest symphony on earth. It was quite moving. I'm loving the whole experience.
I'm off to bed now. A brand new day awaits tomorrow, and I can hardly wait :D
Praise the Lord, it was arduous work, but it's all done now. The books came out really nice... I just hope the students put them to good use and learn a lot from them, so I didn't just waste energy, time and resources in vain.
Last Sunday, the three students that now own violins played a little trio I made up on the spot. They're reading notes (half notes and quarter notes only, but that's pretty good already) and training their ear to catch when they're playing off tune pretty well... At the end everyone else clapped enthusiastically as if they had just heard the greatest symphony on earth. It was quite moving. I'm loving the whole experience.
I'm off to bed now. A brand new day awaits tomorrow, and I can hardly wait :D
The Day I Screamed So Loudly I Thought The Veins In My Head Would Explode
MONDAY'S POST:
It was almost a perfect game-watching experience. It was so surreal. The weather was perfect all day, there was no traffic... can you believe it? NO TRAFFIC! Well, actually there was a lot of traffic on the brand new highway that leads straight to the brand new stadium... but my friend and I were smart enough to figure out that if we take the old road, we'd be clear. We were right. We made it to the stadium in a record-breaking 20 minutes. People that took the highway took 3 hours or more to get there. We arrived at the stadium with only 1 ticket, and there were 2 of us... but we felt fairly certain that there would be hustlers selling tickets at the door, as usual. Angolans never fail to have some extra on the black market, lol.
To our surprise, there WEREN'T any smugglers or hustlers or whatever you call them selling tickets at the door. In fact, this event had been so well-organized and controlled that noone has been able to falsify, duplicate, or smuggle any tickets. If you didn't get them from the official agency, you didn't get them at all. Dang. Looks like I was gonna have to find a way out of the stadium and on home while my friend got to go in and enjoy. However, we decided to stand around for awhile to see what would happen. All of a sudden, this guy just materializes in front of us and says 'hey!' all happily greeting my coworker, and they hug and chitchat a bit all excited about the game and all that. Finally the random guy says wistfully, 'Oh, I have this extra ticket for no reason... my wife changed her mind and decided not to come at the last minute...' My friend and I just look at each other and we're like 'We need a ticket!' He pulls out the ticket, and no joke, he had bought his tickets of the same value, in the same section, but a different row from the ticket my friend had. It was perfect! Finally we all had tickets and we got in line.
Now, waiting in line for big events in Angola has proven to be quite hazardous... people here are so accustomed to lack of organization that they don't know how to patiently wait their turn and basically trample each other trying to make it in first. Remember that scene from the Selena movie where some people were getting squished at the concert for being in the front row? Yeah, that's pretty much how it is here. When the pope came, two girls died in the stampede of people trying to inch closer to him. It's crazy... so we thougth we were gonna be in some danger of a stampede for the game as well. But no siree, not this time. It was SO organized. There were long lines, but they moved along, and they moved along FAST. We went through the metal detectors, scanned our tickets, and were on our way inside in about 3 minutes. It was so... evolved, lol.
Anyways, once inisde, we found our seats and got ready to wait forever for the ceremony to start. Angolan events are never on time. No, really they're NEVER EVER on time. It was about 15 til 5 pm when we sat down. The event was scheduled for 5 p.m. To our surprise it actually started at 5! (They might've been a few minutes late... but it was sometime around 5...) This was just a shock to us. But we were indeed pleasantly surprised!
Then came the opening ceremony. It was AWESOME. I always see these kinds of events on T.V. (Olympics, World Cup, etc) and they're always entertaining to watch. But to be there is a whole other level. It was AWESOME. The acrobats, the little kiddy acrobats, the traditional dancers, the light show, the people marching with the flags, the triumphant music, the contortionists, the history of Angola interpreted in dance, the grand finale, the firecrackers, etc. We were all pumped up and cheering just from the pre-game festivities.
And then the game started... dude, it is so awesome to be a 1 of 50,000 people decked out in full attire of red, black and yellow, doing the typical sports fan antics such as the wave (lol! I haven't done the wave in forever), the chants, and the screaming alternatively at the ref for what you consider to be a stupid call and at one of the team members instructions as to how to proceed in their game strategy... as if they can hear you...
The Palancas Negras played like champs the whole game. The very first goal was so surreal... because noone believed Angola could beat Mali going into this tournament... when Angola first scored we couldn't believe it. We screamed excitedly, hugged each other, patted each other on the back, high-fived each other.... Total strangers became buddies in a matter of seconds... we were there with one common goal: to cheer our beloved Palancas towards a victory.
But the second goal... Man, the second goal. This was the one that boosted our confidence. 2-0. That's it. There's no way they can catch up. Not at this pace. We SCREAMED. Like, veins were portruding on all necks and faces. We reached a mind-boggling amount of decibels... From there, we were just loud the whole time. People barely touched their seats... too much excitement flowing through us to sit down.
Then Mali started getting aggressive... I guess in their desperation to slow down our momentum. Well, that only backfired on them because the only thing that resulted from their aggression was two fouls, which means two penalty shots, which Angola scored. 4-0. Kaching!
By this point, I had ran over to a different section of the stadium where Quito, Alice, Celso, and Momas (Chinha's husband) were sitting and had watched as Angola scored their 4th goal and celebrated with them. We were all talking loudly over each other, laughing at Alice's silly screams and just having a grand ol' time. When I finally decided to go back to my section for the remainder of the game (this was at minute 88. There were 2 minutes left of the game) so I wouldn't get lost on my way out. I clearly remember chanting to myself as I ran to the beat 'Go start the buusss, go start the bus. Go start the buuussss, go start the bus!'
Victory was ours. It was over. Go home Mali.
That was the last time I felt the euphoria. Everything went downhill from there. As I reached my section, I heard people groaning in annoyance and looked at the scoreboard: Mali had scored. 2 minutes to go, and they decide to score. I hadn't even seen the goal, in my distraction to get from point A to point B. But the scoreboard don't lie. Well whatever... let's just let the clock run and it'll all be over soon.
Minute 90 came and passed. The officials decided to go for 4 more minutes to make up for down time during the game. Ok, nothing much ever happens in these post-90 minutes... right? Wrong!
I don't even know how to explained what happened next. All I know is that before we knew it, Mali had scored again. At this point, the screaming started up again, but this time it was screams of anger for the Angolans to get their butts and gear and defend their end of the field.
A few seconds later, Mali scored again. 4-3.
Guys, you don't understand. This NEVER happens in soccer. Scoring 2 goals per game is the norm. Scoring 4 or 5 goals is amazingly high. Scoring 3 goals in a matter of minutes? Almost unheard of...
But there they were. The numbers glowing brightly from the scoreboard. The Angolan crowd grew restlessly quiet. When would this game be over, for goodness sake? Haven't the post 90-minutes ran out yet? Hurry up, clock!
Finally... last minute of the game. It's just a matter of seconds now...
Just before the ref flagged the end of the game, a Mali striker got brave and tried for one more goal.
He scored.
If I were a cursing woman. Boy oh boy, the expletives that would have come out of my mouth at that moment.
Game was over. Score was 4-4. There were tears on grown men's faces, I kid you not. Although it was a tie, it was a tie that felt like a huge loss.
I looked over at the small group of Mali fans. They ERUPTED in song, dance, drumming, noise, and all kinds of nonsense of the sorts. Just a few minutes ago, they had been sitting so still, so defeated. Grown men cried on their side too. But their tears were tears of joy and relief. One Malian jumped the rail, ran accross the track, into the field, and threw himself on the player that scored one of the goals in a melodramatic bear hug. Security immediately rushed after him to peel him off the player, who was in turn telling them to leave him alone, it was ok, he could thank them. I was disgusted. I picked up my baggie of souvenirs and got ready to go.
It was a long drive back home. Tired from the excitement. Dissappointed with the final results.
But at the end of the day, I cannot fail to admit that it was SUCH a fun day.
Needless to say, I've already gotten tickets to the Thursday game.
Watch out Malawi, we're coming, and we're coming with a vengeance!!!!
P.S. Pics and videos to come as soon as I can get them!
It was almost a perfect game-watching experience. It was so surreal. The weather was perfect all day, there was no traffic... can you believe it? NO TRAFFIC! Well, actually there was a lot of traffic on the brand new highway that leads straight to the brand new stadium... but my friend and I were smart enough to figure out that if we take the old road, we'd be clear. We were right. We made it to the stadium in a record-breaking 20 minutes. People that took the highway took 3 hours or more to get there. We arrived at the stadium with only 1 ticket, and there were 2 of us... but we felt fairly certain that there would be hustlers selling tickets at the door, as usual. Angolans never fail to have some extra on the black market, lol.
To our surprise, there WEREN'T any smugglers or hustlers or whatever you call them selling tickets at the door. In fact, this event had been so well-organized and controlled that noone has been able to falsify, duplicate, or smuggle any tickets. If you didn't get them from the official agency, you didn't get them at all. Dang. Looks like I was gonna have to find a way out of the stadium and on home while my friend got to go in and enjoy. However, we decided to stand around for awhile to see what would happen. All of a sudden, this guy just materializes in front of us and says 'hey!' all happily greeting my coworker, and they hug and chitchat a bit all excited about the game and all that. Finally the random guy says wistfully, 'Oh, I have this extra ticket for no reason... my wife changed her mind and decided not to come at the last minute...' My friend and I just look at each other and we're like 'We need a ticket!' He pulls out the ticket, and no joke, he had bought his tickets of the same value, in the same section, but a different row from the ticket my friend had. It was perfect! Finally we all had tickets and we got in line.
Now, waiting in line for big events in Angola has proven to be quite hazardous... people here are so accustomed to lack of organization that they don't know how to patiently wait their turn and basically trample each other trying to make it in first. Remember that scene from the Selena movie where some people were getting squished at the concert for being in the front row? Yeah, that's pretty much how it is here. When the pope came, two girls died in the stampede of people trying to inch closer to him. It's crazy... so we thougth we were gonna be in some danger of a stampede for the game as well. But no siree, not this time. It was SO organized. There were long lines, but they moved along, and they moved along FAST. We went through the metal detectors, scanned our tickets, and were on our way inside in about 3 minutes. It was so... evolved, lol.
Anyways, once inisde, we found our seats and got ready to wait forever for the ceremony to start. Angolan events are never on time. No, really they're NEVER EVER on time. It was about 15 til 5 pm when we sat down. The event was scheduled for 5 p.m. To our surprise it actually started at 5! (They might've been a few minutes late... but it was sometime around 5...) This was just a shock to us. But we were indeed pleasantly surprised!
Then came the opening ceremony. It was AWESOME. I always see these kinds of events on T.V. (Olympics, World Cup, etc) and they're always entertaining to watch. But to be there is a whole other level. It was AWESOME. The acrobats, the little kiddy acrobats, the traditional dancers, the light show, the people marching with the flags, the triumphant music, the contortionists, the history of Angola interpreted in dance, the grand finale, the firecrackers, etc. We were all pumped up and cheering just from the pre-game festivities.
And then the game started... dude, it is so awesome to be a 1 of 50,000 people decked out in full attire of red, black and yellow, doing the typical sports fan antics such as the wave (lol! I haven't done the wave in forever), the chants, and the screaming alternatively at the ref for what you consider to be a stupid call and at one of the team members instructions as to how to proceed in their game strategy... as if they can hear you...
The Palancas Negras played like champs the whole game. The very first goal was so surreal... because noone believed Angola could beat Mali going into this tournament... when Angola first scored we couldn't believe it. We screamed excitedly, hugged each other, patted each other on the back, high-fived each other.... Total strangers became buddies in a matter of seconds... we were there with one common goal: to cheer our beloved Palancas towards a victory.
But the second goal... Man, the second goal. This was the one that boosted our confidence. 2-0. That's it. There's no way they can catch up. Not at this pace. We SCREAMED. Like, veins were portruding on all necks and faces. We reached a mind-boggling amount of decibels... From there, we were just loud the whole time. People barely touched their seats... too much excitement flowing through us to sit down.
Then Mali started getting aggressive... I guess in their desperation to slow down our momentum. Well, that only backfired on them because the only thing that resulted from their aggression was two fouls, which means two penalty shots, which Angola scored. 4-0. Kaching!
By this point, I had ran over to a different section of the stadium where Quito, Alice, Celso, and Momas (Chinha's husband) were sitting and had watched as Angola scored their 4th goal and celebrated with them. We were all talking loudly over each other, laughing at Alice's silly screams and just having a grand ol' time. When I finally decided to go back to my section for the remainder of the game (this was at minute 88. There were 2 minutes left of the game) so I wouldn't get lost on my way out. I clearly remember chanting to myself as I ran to the beat 'Go start the buusss, go start the bus. Go start the buuussss, go start the bus!'
Victory was ours. It was over. Go home Mali.
That was the last time I felt the euphoria. Everything went downhill from there. As I reached my section, I heard people groaning in annoyance and looked at the scoreboard: Mali had scored. 2 minutes to go, and they decide to score. I hadn't even seen the goal, in my distraction to get from point A to point B. But the scoreboard don't lie. Well whatever... let's just let the clock run and it'll all be over soon.
Minute 90 came and passed. The officials decided to go for 4 more minutes to make up for down time during the game. Ok, nothing much ever happens in these post-90 minutes... right? Wrong!
I don't even know how to explained what happened next. All I know is that before we knew it, Mali had scored again. At this point, the screaming started up again, but this time it was screams of anger for the Angolans to get their butts and gear and defend their end of the field.
A few seconds later, Mali scored again. 4-3.
Guys, you don't understand. This NEVER happens in soccer. Scoring 2 goals per game is the norm. Scoring 4 or 5 goals is amazingly high. Scoring 3 goals in a matter of minutes? Almost unheard of...
But there they were. The numbers glowing brightly from the scoreboard. The Angolan crowd grew restlessly quiet. When would this game be over, for goodness sake? Haven't the post 90-minutes ran out yet? Hurry up, clock!
Finally... last minute of the game. It's just a matter of seconds now...
Just before the ref flagged the end of the game, a Mali striker got brave and tried for one more goal.
He scored.
If I were a cursing woman. Boy oh boy, the expletives that would have come out of my mouth at that moment.
Game was over. Score was 4-4. There were tears on grown men's faces, I kid you not. Although it was a tie, it was a tie that felt like a huge loss.
I looked over at the small group of Mali fans. They ERUPTED in song, dance, drumming, noise, and all kinds of nonsense of the sorts. Just a few minutes ago, they had been sitting so still, so defeated. Grown men cried on their side too. But their tears were tears of joy and relief. One Malian jumped the rail, ran accross the track, into the field, and threw himself on the player that scored one of the goals in a melodramatic bear hug. Security immediately rushed after him to peel him off the player, who was in turn telling them to leave him alone, it was ok, he could thank them. I was disgusted. I picked up my baggie of souvenirs and got ready to go.
It was a long drive back home. Tired from the excitement. Dissappointed with the final results.
But at the end of the day, I cannot fail to admit that it was SUCH a fun day.
Needless to say, I've already gotten tickets to the Thursday game.
Watch out Malawi, we're coming, and we're coming with a vengeance!!!!
P.S. Pics and videos to come as soon as I can get them!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Angola, do meu Coracao!
Oh man. I can seriously say that I've had the most fun day since I've stepped on Angolan soil. The opening game of the African Championship was quite a thing of beauty. The ceremony, the game, everything. I'm too tired to go through the details now, it's super late and I gotta head to work in the morning... but I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow. The results of the game were a disappointment: We tied 4-4 against Mali after leading 4-0 pretty much throughout the whole game... but I had a BLAST. Hopefully I can find some youtube videos to link to, but we'll see.
Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite :D
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Uneventful Day
Traffic in the city is already ridiculous and CAN hasn't even started yet. I didn't even make it to my church this morning. Granted, I was running a bit late to begin with, but it wasn't anything that a little upgrade in transportation wouldn't fix. So I booked one of the brand new, private taxis available in the city to drive me to church. It would cost me about 15 bucks as opposed to 2, but I really needed to get there and I knew I couldn't count on the regular public shuttles ($2) or the city busses ($0.50) because those are just too slow. Well, turns out that my effort was to no avail. The streets were COMPLETELY congested. On a Sabbath morning, at that. I don't know what's gonna happen during weekdays. I don't think many people will make it to work this week. I was in the car for 20 minutes and moved about 1 block. I finally gave up, told the driver to turn around and take me to the central church, close to downtown, because I was obviously not gonna make it all the way to my church (in the outskirts of the city... a 1.5-hr commute on a regular Sabbath...) anytime today. So I ended up going to central church and enjoyed the service there. As for my church? I texted Tio Terencio, the secretary of the church, and apologized profusely and said I wouldn't make it today to church because of the insane traffic. And the worst thing was that the other pianist of the church is out of town on vacation, so they were counting on me... so I guess they had to have service with no pianist today... oops. I should really start taking things like fluctuating traffic trends into consideration when calculating my time to leave home... I wish there was a traffic forecast I could watch, kinda like when people watch weather forecasts to know what to wear the next day. Wouldn't that be a neat idea? Turn on the tv or radio and hear how the traffic will most likely be tomorrow so you can know at what time to set your alarm clock. Hmmm, I'm such a genius. I think I'm onto something. Something great.
Anyhow, today was good. Spent the afternoon at home, listening to Cuarteto Decision (not my fault, Dina sent me their CD. It's nappily great, lol.) And napping, then went back to church after sunset for a wedding rehearsal in which I'm playing. Now I'm back at home. I'm sleepy... I'm starting to feel like such an old lady...
Anyways that's it for today. I don't know why ya'll want me to post every day for a whole year... my life is not interesting enough to post about every single dayb. But whatever. You made your bed, now you lie in it. So I expect you to keep reading every day no matter how pointless or uneventful my day was. Yes, I'm talking to you Sabs.
Oh, but tomorrow I'll definitely have a blog-worthy post: tomorrow I'm going to the opening game of the African Nation Cup. It's gonna be so much fun... I'll update you soon!
Anyhow, today was good. Spent the afternoon at home, listening to Cuarteto Decision (not my fault, Dina sent me their CD. It's nappily great, lol.) And napping, then went back to church after sunset for a wedding rehearsal in which I'm playing. Now I'm back at home. I'm sleepy... I'm starting to feel like such an old lady...
Anyways that's it for today. I don't know why ya'll want me to post every day for a whole year... my life is not interesting enough to post about every single dayb. But whatever. You made your bed, now you lie in it. So I expect you to keep reading every day no matter how pointless or uneventful my day was. Yes, I'm talking to you Sabs.
Oh, but tomorrow I'll definitely have a blog-worthy post: tomorrow I'm going to the opening game of the African Nation Cup. It's gonna be so much fun... I'll update you soon!
Friday, January 8, 2010
CAN 2010. CAN'T believe it.
Some random thoughts from a Friday afternoon...
- The African cup of nations is going to be hosted here. It starts on Sunday... it's gonna be pure madness. Some people are concerned that it's gonna mean increased security risks. I think it's gonna be a whole lotta partying going on in every street and every home. Angolans love to party and find any excuse to do it. I want to attend the opening game, but so far I've had no luck finding tickets. They were sold out almost as soon as they became available for sale, so I had no chance to get any. But I'm keeping hope alive. I'll definitely post pics if I get to go :D
- Although being chosen as the country that hosts the African championship brings great pride to every Angolan citizen, it places greater pressure on everyone here to be on their best behavior and to change the impression that the world has of Angola. We already started on the wrong foot: earlier this afternoon, the team from Togo was cruising through the northern state of Cabinda, the one we consider paradise, when their bus was gunned down by some rebels. A few players were injured and are currently hospitalized. What a shame. We were doing so good, rising so fast in the eyes of the modern world. And then they had to go and do something so savage like that. I feel so bad for the Togo team... what a way to be welcomed... needless to say, they want to forfeit from the tournament. I'm pretty sure this is the first time in the history of the African soccer championship that a team wants to forfeit. I mean, after the World Cup, this is the second biggest event in the world of soccer in Africa... and just like that the terrorists had to go and ruin it. I'm seriously ashamed.
- I've kicked it with Isaac, Quito, Solange, Alice, Dede, and Nado in the last 3 days. It feels like old times, I tell ya... it's been great.
- Isaac flew out today. Elsa leaves for a vacay in Europe tomorrow. Solange leaves on Sunday. Quito leaves on Monday, Alice leaves on Wednesday. This feels like spring break in jr. high and high school when everybody would leave for vacation or something and Crestwood would be SOOO empty. It was just Dina and I blinking at each other. And gobbling up Winslow books, of course :)
- I've been putting on a broadway-style show for Edson (Elsa's son) by singing and gesturing wildly along to Arautos do Rei and Gaither vocal band songs... I think I'm having more fun than him...
- So may things to do! There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything one needs to get done. I know everyone says that, but seriously, there just aren't!
- Happy Sabbath my dears!
Yaaawwwnnnnn...
THURSDAY'S POST:
Oh me, oh my... today was a loooong day. Well, it was more of a double-day. You see, Wednesday and Thursday kinda merged together to form an extremely long, activity-packed, period of time. This is what happened since yesterday's post:
After I got off work, I went to the Tadeu's house to see about getting a ride to Tio Jolly's to pick up my bags. Well, when I got there, they were in the thick of it, organizing the party. I was immediately recruited to help out with the decorating, and off I went to do my task. Well, before I know it, a couple of hours have gone by, and it's time for everyone to get showered and dressed for the event. After speaking to the cousins, it was decided that they would attend the party, and at the first chance (when there was a lull in activities, or when it started quieting down) we would leave the party and go to Tio Jolly's. I figured that's the best we could do... and it HAD to be done on Wednesday... I couldn't leave it for today, because by then the house would be filled with rubble from the construction. Tio Jolly is running tight schedule...
So the party starts. I stay busy for the next couple of hours... alternating between trying to hide away from the noise in the upstairs part of the house, and coming down and becoming the self-appointed official photographer of the event. It's the only fun thing to do at these parties, lol.
So time goes on... and no lull in the activities. In fact, it seems like the later it gets, the more people arriving to join in the festivities. I can't bring myself to give up and go to bed, because then I'd have no ride and my stuff would get lost in the debri of construction mayhem that was to become the house at Gamek...
So I wait, and wait, and wait. Finally when the clock strikes 4 a.m. the party slows down enough for the boys to come up for air. I immediately remind them that they still have a pending appointment with me... and it cannot wait. I gotta get my stuff out before the construction workers start their shift in the morning. So we haul hiney through the mean streets of Luanda, and I was pretty amazed, it's so rare to see these streets so congestion-free... but anyways, we made it to Tio Jolly's... I keys to get into the front gate but no keys to get into the house, so I had to bang on his room window to let me in the house to get my stuff out. Poor guy, he was all sleepy and dazed when he came to the door. But hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do in order to save her stuff from the soon-to-occur construction mayhem!
I was in and out in 15 minutes, and then it was another drive back to the Tadeus' and some more manual labor unloading the truck before I finally got to crash exhaustedly into the couch that I claimed for the night.
2 hours later, which felt like 15 minutes, I was up and running around, getting ready for work. That was this morning... and now the day has dragged on until the end of the workday. I'm back at the Tadeus', which will henceforth be called home in subsequent posts until further notice. And my body is just about ready to shut down.
I'm so tired I don't think I can fini
Oh me, oh my... today was a loooong day. Well, it was more of a double-day. You see, Wednesday and Thursday kinda merged together to form an extremely long, activity-packed, period of time. This is what happened since yesterday's post:
After I got off work, I went to the Tadeu's house to see about getting a ride to Tio Jolly's to pick up my bags. Well, when I got there, they were in the thick of it, organizing the party. I was immediately recruited to help out with the decorating, and off I went to do my task. Well, before I know it, a couple of hours have gone by, and it's time for everyone to get showered and dressed for the event. After speaking to the cousins, it was decided that they would attend the party, and at the first chance (when there was a lull in activities, or when it started quieting down) we would leave the party and go to Tio Jolly's. I figured that's the best we could do... and it HAD to be done on Wednesday... I couldn't leave it for today, because by then the house would be filled with rubble from the construction. Tio Jolly is running tight schedule...
So the party starts. I stay busy for the next couple of hours... alternating between trying to hide away from the noise in the upstairs part of the house, and coming down and becoming the self-appointed official photographer of the event. It's the only fun thing to do at these parties, lol.
So time goes on... and no lull in the activities. In fact, it seems like the later it gets, the more people arriving to join in the festivities. I can't bring myself to give up and go to bed, because then I'd have no ride and my stuff would get lost in the debri of construction mayhem that was to become the house at Gamek...
So I wait, and wait, and wait. Finally when the clock strikes 4 a.m. the party slows down enough for the boys to come up for air. I immediately remind them that they still have a pending appointment with me... and it cannot wait. I gotta get my stuff out before the construction workers start their shift in the morning. So we haul hiney through the mean streets of Luanda, and I was pretty amazed, it's so rare to see these streets so congestion-free... but anyways, we made it to Tio Jolly's... I keys to get into the front gate but no keys to get into the house, so I had to bang on his room window to let me in the house to get my stuff out. Poor guy, he was all sleepy and dazed when he came to the door. But hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do in order to save her stuff from the soon-to-occur construction mayhem!
I was in and out in 15 minutes, and then it was another drive back to the Tadeus' and some more manual labor unloading the truck before I finally got to crash exhaustedly into the couch that I claimed for the night.
2 hours later, which felt like 15 minutes, I was up and running around, getting ready for work. That was this morning... and now the day has dragged on until the end of the workday. I'm back at the Tadeus', which will henceforth be called home in subsequent posts until further notice. And my body is just about ready to shut down.
I'm so tired I don't think I can fini
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Moving Madness
WEDNESDAY'S POST:
Today is moving day! But I don't know when it'll happen... the day's schedule is packed, and although Isaac and Quito have volunteered to bring the truck and help me load up and move accross the city, there's just too much going on today. I don't know when we'll be able to go and pick the stuff up, especially since there's a big birthday party being planned for the oldest daughter (the one that lives in Portugal... she's here on vacation...) So there'll be lots of organizing, picking up cakes, decorating the area, cooking, cleaning, etc. Have I mentioned that parties here are quite a big production? It's not just a gathering of the near and dear ones commemorating the event, it's a whole reception with lights, draping decor, catering, the whole nine yards.
I'll have to see if somewhere amidst the madness I can get one of the kiddos to drive me to Tio Jolly's to pick up my stuff.
I'll keep you posted...
Today is moving day! But I don't know when it'll happen... the day's schedule is packed, and although Isaac and Quito have volunteered to bring the truck and help me load up and move accross the city, there's just too much going on today. I don't know when we'll be able to go and pick the stuff up, especially since there's a big birthday party being planned for the oldest daughter (the one that lives in Portugal... she's here on vacation...) So there'll be lots of organizing, picking up cakes, decorating the area, cooking, cleaning, etc. Have I mentioned that parties here are quite a big production? It's not just a gathering of the near and dear ones commemorating the event, it's a whole reception with lights, draping decor, catering, the whole nine yards.
I'll have to see if somewhere amidst the madness I can get one of the kiddos to drive me to Tio Jolly's to pick up my stuff.
I'll keep you posted...
Home Sweet Home... For Now
TUESDAY'S POST:
So I found a place to live... for an indeterminate amount of time. I'm back at the Tadeus'. They have plans to rent out the place to a company looking for housing for their expats... so I might have to move again in a few months. But this will do for now, especially since Tio and Tia refused to let me pay rent, lol. Well I have nothing left to do other than praise the Lord for always providing and thank the Tadeus for their generosity. Now I'm gonna have to see about getting a little fridge to fill with food and veggie meats and all that so I don't have to freeload off their fridge as well.
The best part about this arrangement is that I live a 4-minute walk from work. NO MORE COMMUTING! YAY!!! Luanda commutes are just NOT fun, I'm so glad I wont have to deal with that anymore.
So that's the update... now I just have to find the time to pack up and move all my belongings sometime between today and tomorrow :S
So I found a place to live... for an indeterminate amount of time. I'm back at the Tadeus'. They have plans to rent out the place to a company looking for housing for their expats... so I might have to move again in a few months. But this will do for now, especially since Tio and Tia refused to let me pay rent, lol. Well I have nothing left to do other than praise the Lord for always providing and thank the Tadeus for their generosity. Now I'm gonna have to see about getting a little fridge to fill with food and veggie meats and all that so I don't have to freeload off their fridge as well.
The best part about this arrangement is that I live a 4-minute walk from work. NO MORE COMMUTING! YAY!!! Luanda commutes are just NOT fun, I'm so glad I wont have to deal with that anymore.
So that's the update... now I just have to find the time to pack up and move all my belongings sometime between today and tomorrow :S
Monday, January 4, 2010
No Seriously, I AM a Nomad
Today was a great day. We spent all morning at the beach enjoying a gloriously sunny day with the kiddos, and then we came back, ate, and lounged around for a couple of hours until it was tiem to go to a sacred concert. The concert was really good... it featured all the best singers from the churches in the city, and some groups that came from as far as Benguela. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
So I received some news last night: Tio Jolly told me that there are construction workers moving in this week to take over the property and start building a new house in the front yard. What does that mean? The current house in the land, the one I'm living in, will become unlivable for the next 6 months or so. The family is packing up and spending the rest of their vacation here in Luanda at Tio Jolly's mother-in-law's house. Meanwhile, Tio asked me to find a place to stay for about 6 months and then I'm welcome to move back in. Well, being a nomad is cool for a blog name and all, but I'm trying to get something a little more permanent... moving 4 times in 1 year is not as fun as it may seem...
However, I can't afford any rental property here. Luanda is famous for its astronomical prices, especially when it comes to renting and leasing property. I also don't want to live somewhere as a freeloader anymore... I mean I'm not complaining at all, it's been such a blessing to have such generous relatives that let me live with them or at their house for free... but the problem with that arrangement is that BECAUSE I'm freeloading, I'm simply a disposable tenant. Whenever an opportunity comes along, the relative kindly suggests I find other arrangements so that they can do whatever it is they need to do with the space. Well, no more. I'm hoping I can find a way to rent a room from a friend, a relative, a church member, anyone. That way, I can have a little more security that I won't be politely asked to find another place to call home at the homeowner's whim.
Please pray for me that I find something soon... or I'll have to change the name of this blog to "homeless girl engineer". Boy, wouldn't THAT be quite an adventure? Maybe I should give it a go! You know you'd love to read blog posts about my life as a homeless girl in Luanda. But I'm pretty sure being homeless in Africa is no walk in the park... so scratch that. Let's not get all thrill-seeker and go for that sort of adventure. Maybe next time. lol.
So I received some news last night: Tio Jolly told me that there are construction workers moving in this week to take over the property and start building a new house in the front yard. What does that mean? The current house in the land, the one I'm living in, will become unlivable for the next 6 months or so. The family is packing up and spending the rest of their vacation here in Luanda at Tio Jolly's mother-in-law's house. Meanwhile, Tio asked me to find a place to stay for about 6 months and then I'm welcome to move back in. Well, being a nomad is cool for a blog name and all, but I'm trying to get something a little more permanent... moving 4 times in 1 year is not as fun as it may seem...
However, I can't afford any rental property here. Luanda is famous for its astronomical prices, especially when it comes to renting and leasing property. I also don't want to live somewhere as a freeloader anymore... I mean I'm not complaining at all, it's been such a blessing to have such generous relatives that let me live with them or at their house for free... but the problem with that arrangement is that BECAUSE I'm freeloading, I'm simply a disposable tenant. Whenever an opportunity comes along, the relative kindly suggests I find other arrangements so that they can do whatever it is they need to do with the space. Well, no more. I'm hoping I can find a way to rent a room from a friend, a relative, a church member, anyone. That way, I can have a little more security that I won't be politely asked to find another place to call home at the homeowner's whim.
Please pray for me that I find something soon... or I'll have to change the name of this blog to "homeless girl engineer". Boy, wouldn't THAT be quite an adventure? Maybe I should give it a go! You know you'd love to read blog posts about my life as a homeless girl in Luanda. But I'm pretty sure being homeless in Africa is no walk in the park... so scratch that. Let's not get all thrill-seeker and go for that sort of adventure. Maybe next time. lol.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Kids Say (And Do) the Darndest Things...
As I may have mentioned before, Tio Jolly and the family are visiting for Christmas break. It's been fun to have the family around, especially my 4-year-old shadow, Little Elisa. Little Elisa is known as Izzy at home.
So the other day we're chillin' on the couch and Izzy looks up at me and says: 'Elisa, how come you have boobs?'
-'Because I'm a grown up' I say, trying to suppress my laughter.
-'Everyone has boobs except me,' she says with a long face.
-'You'll have boobs someday too. And it's good that you don't have boobs now, you would look really weird with boobs at your age...'
-'I want boobs now!'
At that point Tia Filo walks out of the kitchen and says something like 'Izzy, stop wishing for boobs and go pick up your toys.'
Later that evening, Izzy was spotted traipsing around the front yard with two round objects under her shirt, held tautly at chest height.
She had climbed the guava tree and chosen her own custom-made pair of boobs, put them in place, and gone on about her business content and satisfied.
Good Service, Many Blessings
SATURDAY'S POST:
Tio Jolly preached at my church today... it was a VERY dynamic sermon, the likes of which I haven't heard in a long time. He pretty much told it like it is, talked about how fakeness is killing our church, how too many Christians nowadays are hypocrites, what the Bible says about wolves in sheep's clothing. It was very captivating, I enjoyed it thoroughly and agreed with mostly everything he said.
The congregation seemed to soak up his words and get quite a blessing out if it. I believe the Spirit moved in the hearts of all the hearers and encouraged us to do some self-assessment to see where we fall short when it comes to genuine Christian living.
It was the first time that the speaker goes way over the allotted time and noone grumbles or complains about it.
It was a great church service, I definitely got many blessings out of it.
Tio Jolly preached at my church today... it was a VERY dynamic sermon, the likes of which I haven't heard in a long time. He pretty much told it like it is, talked about how fakeness is killing our church, how too many Christians nowadays are hypocrites, what the Bible says about wolves in sheep's clothing. It was very captivating, I enjoyed it thoroughly and agreed with mostly everything he said.
The congregation seemed to soak up his words and get quite a blessing out if it. I believe the Spirit moved in the hearts of all the hearers and encouraged us to do some self-assessment to see where we fall short when it comes to genuine Christian living.
It was the first time that the speaker goes way over the allotted time and noone grumbles or complains about it.
It was a great church service, I definitely got many blessings out of it.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010
This is Friday's Post:
Dude, it's the first day of the new decade. It's just so crazy how time flies by. It seems like a split second ago we were hearing all those paranoid rumors about Y2K and the end of the world and all that mess... and just in the blink of an eye, here we are. 2010. CanNOT believe it.
So many things have happened from last year til now, and I can only thank God for how far He's brought me. I pray that He continues to lead my life and that He keeps this journey I call life as adventurous as it has been thus far.
The new year found me celebrating with some friends from church who share a love of music. We talked, laughed, ate too much, and jammed complete with singing, guitar-playing, and acting as if kitchen utensils were percussion instruments. It was great...
I hope and pray that 2010 will be filled with joy and surprises for you all. Much love!
Dude, it's the first day of the new decade. It's just so crazy how time flies by. It seems like a split second ago we were hearing all those paranoid rumors about Y2K and the end of the world and all that mess... and just in the blink of an eye, here we are. 2010. CanNOT believe it.
So many things have happened from last year til now, and I can only thank God for how far He's brought me. I pray that He continues to lead my life and that He keeps this journey I call life as adventurous as it has been thus far.
The new year found me celebrating with some friends from church who share a love of music. We talked, laughed, ate too much, and jammed complete with singing, guitar-playing, and acting as if kitchen utensils were percussion instruments. It was great...
I hope and pray that 2010 will be filled with joy and surprises for you all. Much love!
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