Garden Grow

Hey hey. These photos were taken before I went to dance class yesterday. By the time I got out of class a huge storm had begun. About halfway through my bus-ride it was pouring so hard that I couldn’t see clearly out the windows and water started to leak from the emergency hatch in the roof. I ran to the grocery store and then came home, completely soaked. I took a long hot shower and then was going to start cooking when all the power went out. I ended up spending the evening listening to podcasts … it was the only thing I could think to do without any internet or light! It reminded me of evenings with my grandma when she would stretch on a beach towel in the living room and listen to the radio. On my way to the gym this morning I noticed a few capsized trees and then I saw on the news that five people died in Rio yesterday due to extreme flooding in some parts of the city.  So much of Rio isn’t built to withstand common tropical storms and it’s so sad when people pay the price. I am getting out of town for the weekend tomorrow. I’m staying at an Airbnb in a little beach town close to Rio. I thought it would be nice to have some time to myself away from the city to reflect on this trip and just enjoy the last bits of Brazil, until next time. 

Ei ei. Essas fotos foram tiradas antes de eu ir para a aula de dança ontem. Quando saí da aula, uma tempestade enorme começou. Mais ou menos na metade do meu trajeto de ônibus estava derramando tanto que não consegui enxergar com clareza as janelas e a água começou a vazar da escotilha de emergência do teto. Corri até a mercearia e depois voltei para casa completamente encharcado. Tomei um longo banho quente e depois comecei a cozinhar quando a energia acabou. Acabei passando a noite ouvindo podcasts ... era a única coisa que eu conseguia pensar sem internet ou luz! Isso me lembrou de noites com minha avó quando ela iria esticar em uma toalha de praia na sala de estar e ouvir o rádio. No meu caminho para a academia esta manhã eu notei algumas árvores emborcadas e então vi no noticiário que cinco pessoas morreram no Rio ontem devido a inundações extremas em algumas partes da cidade. Muito do Rio não é construído para resistir a tempestades tropicais comuns e é muito triste quando as pessoas pagam o preço. Estou saindo da cidade para o fim de semana de amanhã. Estou hospedado em um Airbnb em uma pequena cidade de praia perto do Rio. Eu achei que seria legal ter um tempo longe da cidade para refletir sobre essa viagem e aproveitar os últimos momentos do Brasil, até a próxima.

xx

Mariamma

Pretty Little Bird

Hi loves! I have been in the mood to get rid of things lately and I think this romper is one of them! There are certain things in my closet that I never/rarely gravitate towards and others that I love so much I've worn them once ... which makes little sense. I'm making it a point to wear those items and I've found that, with the first category of garments, they are often ill-fitting and unflattering. I don't feel great in them. And this romper is one of them. I'm actually sitting at a coffee shop in it right now, wishing I was in something else haha. At least it's comfortable though! I went through a phase a long time ago where I got rid of anything that was even remotely small but then I started buying things that were too big for me. I feel like I'm finally balancing out and have become increasingly picky about fit and fabric content. I guess I'm growing up! I know and understand my body and what I look/feel good in and after making myself wear this romper today it's time to add it to the giveaway pile! And as for the items that I covet and never wear, I'm telling myself that it's time to put them on and flaunt them! There's no time like the present - as cliché as that is. And sometimes you need to wear them for a day to figure out which category they're really in.  

Cheers to shedding what you need to shed and savoring the good things!

Somehow this turned into a metaphor about life haha! 

xx 

Mariamma

Jungle Haus

Happy Friday folks! Today is my Sunday so-to-speak. There are free yoga classes outside overlooking the ocean every weekday at 11 in Long Beach and I've been going on my days off for the past month. It's becoming a bit of a habit which is nice.  I brought my computer and some documents with me so I could do my taxes at a coffee shop afterwards but I just realized I'm missing a W-2 form so I'll blog now ... do taxes later. I was scheduled last week for eight days straight and I was SO tired by the end of the week. I feel like I still need more sleep. Maybe nap then taxes ;). 

Peaches & Cream

I just sat down and had a delicious vermicelli rice noodle salad, complete with tofu and about a pound of sriracha. It's funny to think back to sriracha being spicy for me. I eat it like ketchup now. Ridiculous, but I think my worth as a woman is tied up in my ability to eat spicy food. It's something I'm proud of. My friend Francesca's mom told me last night that she can't handle eating chilis anymore. She said that when she was a teenager her mom would make a pork chili verde dish and one time she made it so spicy that it burnt a hole in the tupperware and did something similar to her esophagus. I hope I  never reach a point where my body says no but my mouth says yaaaas. Peaches and cream may not be a very fitting title for this post after all :). 

hoping you're happy, 

Mariamma