fica na cabeza

I once read somewhere that if you have a song stuck in your head, perhaps not only is it catchy, but there may be a hidden message that you're trying to tell yourself through the lyrics. What about words? Do you ever get words or phrases stuck in your head? Sometimes my mind works so fast (and is filled with too many words in too many languages and alphabets) that I find myself with a single word playing on loop in my brain. A handful of times I've had dreams that are just phrases against black backgrounds, how interesting, right? Anyway, my Portuguese professor introduces us to a few Brazilian slang expressions each class, but my favorite expression thus far is: Dar um jeito = To find a way. It has been playing over and over in my head for a few days now until the meaning as some sort of weird subconscious mantra kicked in.

I have been (not so) secretly planning a trip to Brazil mid-March, but all my plans have been thwarted by random interference (a.k.a. senior thesis) and other things. My original plan was to go to Brazil after graduation; to spend some time teaching English or working on development projects. This may still be part of my plan, somehow, but recently I've been exposed to another opportunity in الشرق الأوسط, which I may take this time. But that's a different story completely.

So yesterday, I found out that my good friend from high school, Marcus, had been featured in a Brazilian fashion blog under "Moda da rua" or, Street Fashion. I got a little overzealous and wound up showing the piece in class--which was especially (in)appropriate because we just started the chapter about clothing. You can read Marcus's blog here.

To round up the trio of semi unrelated Brazil things, I just discovered Sheila Fajl, a Brazilian jewelry designer, who makes the most beautiful organic-looking pieces that look like they could be straight from Sao Paulo. I especially love how she incorporates the Figa, a representation of a hand that symbolizes good luck and protection in traditional Brazilian folklore, into her designs. Not only do I sometimes wear a figa (that someone gave my mom in the 70s), but it reminds me of the scene in the film Black Orpheus where Euridice receives the figa as a gift upon her arrival of Rio to bring her luck.