“If my friends believe in me enough to see me this way, then... I don't know, maybe anything is possible” *

Funny how perspective changes things, how different points of view can see the same thing in such different light. It never stops to amaze me the huge gap you find sometimes between what people think about someone and how that person sees herself.

There are people with big egos, that no matter what will always think they're right, will always think they're better, even thought no-one else sees it and everybody wonders why.

On the other hand it's not unusual to find amazing people that seem to have no clue how awsome they are. And no matter how many times you'll tell them, or how many times they “win”, they will never be able to trully believe in it.

You can't change the way someone sees herself. You can help, you can provide them a favorable environment to improve their self perception, but ultimately the change has to come from the inside. Having said that, I still think it's important that you try, that you make sure they know how you see them, because wether people admit it or not, it feels good to feel the support., and even if deep inside it still doesn't make sense or you still can't believe it, if they keep saying it, eventually you start to wonder if there could be a chance that there's some truth in what they see.

* Title by Lea Michelle as Rachel Berry in Glee S03e19

A Glimpse of Happiness – The making of…

Find more about A Glimpse of Happiness

It all started as a joke, someone saw me writing and ask if I was writing a book, and the funny thing is that he was being serious. I had never pictured myself writing an entire book, but after that moment the idea started to linger in my head. I had just recently gone back to my writing, I was bored to death and  I had to sit 8 hours a day in front of a computer with little to do so I figure I could give it a shot. For years I had been hoarding these plots on my mind, so why not try to do something with them.

Very unlike everything I do, I didn’t put much thought in it, I didn’t plan ahead, I just started to put in paper what was coming out of my head, really just letting it flow.  I started it on the 9^th of September and 22 days later it was done. I never thought it could be so addictive but all I could think about, day and night, was that book and all that I wanted to put in it. It was all very clear in my head, it was just a matter of typing it and hoping it would make sense.

While I was writing the book, another friend told me I should publish it, which was something that would have never crossed my mind and that I had mixed feelings about, so I decided not to think about it until it was done. Oddly enough, once I finished, I was quite pleased with the final result and felt almost… proud for what I had done (which is very unusual). I was glad I had done it but I was yet to figure out that the biggest challenge wasn’t putting one of my stories on paper but to actually share them with other people. Therefore, I put my little project in a drawer, where it stayed for a few months…  Luckily the few people that knew that I had wrote the book didn’t let me forget about it. They kept pushing me, asking me about it, trying to allure me to let them read it.

There were moments I would convince myself to do it, but then I would change my mind, I needed a bigger reason, something that wouldn’t allow me to get cold feet, and that’s when the idea of making this a part of the Operation: Let's Build a House came up. I have been trying to raise money for this family in Mozambique and I figured I could use this book to try to get some contributions too. This decision forced me to publish it, because now not doing it, didn’t just mean I was losing an opportunity for myself, it meant that I might be wasting a chance to help someone that needed it. I also decided to translate the book to Portuguese in order to be able to reach more public and hopefully get more help to the family from Mozambique.

FINALLY: A GLIMPSE OF HAPPINESS!

It’s finally here! I could burst with excitement/nerves, it’s feels so surreal… but time has come for you all to meet A Glimpse of Happiness, the very first (and only) book I ever wrote. 


Aqui está ele finalmente! Não sei se excitada ou aterrorizada... mas finalmente chegou a altura de vos apresentar Um Vislumbre de felicidade, o primeiro (e único) livro que escrevi.

My first book is now available:

A Glimpse of Happiness (Original - English) – Order

Um Vislumbre de Felicidade (Portuguese) – Encomendas

The profits will revert to Operation: Let's Build a house, so you’ll be helping a good cause too!


Os lucros revertem para a Operação: Fazer uma casa, portanto também estarão a ajudar uma boa causa!

The moment is now, after all the struggling with myself it’s finally time that I share A Glimpse of Happiness with all of you, wishing only that you can enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think (or not, because I’ll be embarrassed lol). 


Depois de muitas batalhas comigo mesma chegou a altura de partilhar Um Vislumbre de Felicidade com todos vocês esperando apenas que desfrutem tanto lê-lo como eu desfrutei escrevê-lo. Digam-me o que acham (ou não porque vou ficar sem jeito lol).


Special Thanks to:

- Gonçalo, for stalking me unstoppably until I gave him a chance to read it;

- Annee, for all the comments posted here regularly that (almost) make me believe I can write;

- Sarah, for helping me reviewing the English version;

- Bagaça, not that she needs a reason, but for helping me reviewing the Portuguese version;

- Raquel, for not giving me the chance to not publish it and acting like it was the only natural thing to do.

Hiatus

I hate this part of the year when all my favorite Tv series go on hiatus. Maybe it's because it has always been so much easier for me to live other people's/character's lives than my own. Maybe it's because my quirkiness towards people and relationships arouses in me a fascination and almost obsession to analyze, dissect and desperately try to understand its logic, its meaning.

That's how I started to dream, and later to write, I think... at least that's how I remember it. By being inspired by those little details that in my head were never explored enough.

I like when a show grows with you, when it makes you think, when it's interesting enough to make you zone out, when it transports you back and makes you remember special moments and feelings you almost forgot.

I'm not one of those people you'll be desperately craving for the next episode to see what comes next (okay, maybe sometimes), usually I develop my own parallel stories, all I need is some fuel... I do however like how these things keep me entertained, more even, busy! So during these months I always have to work a bit harder to find a new things to keep this rambling mind of mine occupied so that it doesn't get (too) lost.  

Trips, hugs and missing you

Hi everyone,

First of all let me apologize for not coming here so regularly the last couple of weeks but there are moments in your life you really have to take a step back and enjoy the moment. As much as I LOVE to write I use it most of the time as an escape, a way to zone out of the real world. To me writing was never a hobby it was always a need, something I had to do to keep (some of) my sanity, so when I do have those rare moments when I don’t feel the urge, or even remember to do it I take them, because no matter how great of a dreamer or a writer a person can be, those thoughts will never warm one’s heart the same way a real experience will.

I just came back from my holidays, where me and my friend (who I met since I was 3!) spent 17 days in the USA. It was her first time out of Europe and she was really excited to get to know this “new world”, to me, more than the places (that I already knew) I was excited to be able to get to see some very special people.

I’m not the type who gets easily attached to people. I can go months without talking or seeing someone that I care and not really miss them. I’ve lived abroad before and even though I loved coming back to all my friends, I can’t say that being without them lingered around my head while I was gone. Now that I think about it I think it was because I knew exactly for how long I would be away, and I knew I would see them again after that, but there’s something about not knowing if, or when I’ll be seeing someone again that makes me miss them even before I have to leave them.

During this period that I was away, I re-learned something that somehow I seem to keep forgetting, and that is that you don’t have to be a contestant presence in someone’s life to matter or even be remembered, and that no matter how young or old the other part is, if you’re really important, no matter the distance, it will all come back to them once you’re there again. I didn’t expect them to remember me that well… I didn’t expect it to feel so natural, so…. Good! But it was almost like I had never left and as selfish as it can be, I can’t denied that a part of me melted when they asked me to come back and never leave again…

It’s funny because I tend to be really awkward around people I’m not familiar with or that I don’t see frequently. I’m not a people person, therefore, I need time to work my skills to build and maintain a relationship.  I don’t have that gift of always knowing what to do or what to say, but somehow with these 3 groups of people that we stayed with it has always been very easy to adjust.

I love to travel but hate that the world is so big! I hate that it’s not easy to find people so kind and that when you do sometimes you have to deal with the fact that they are miles away from you.  We had a blast during these days and what I loved the most is the feeling of growing a little bit closer to these people with each trip. It may seem silly but it’s reassuring the idea that it is possible to have long distance friends (almost second families).

Anyways… This was mostly to let you know that I’m back now and will most likely be posting more frequently and to thank once again to those who made this trip so fun and special. Can’t wait to hug you all again J

I remember you!

One sentence it’s all you need sometimes… 3 words it’s all it takes, and it doesn’t even have to be “I love you”. 

One quote and suddenly all the fears are gone. One second and it’s all perfect.The simplicity of how you said it, the timing, the smile on your lips as you pronounced it, not having a clue how much it meant to hear those words.

“I remember you”, sometimes we don’t need to hear we’re loved, or special… Sometimes all you need is to know you’re not forgettable.