Little Big Planet

Recently my boyfriend retired his XBox game system for a PS3

I wasn't so excited about the new PlayStation 3 in our lives,

I knew his time and attention would be all into his time-consuming

annoying shooting games like Call of Duty or Mortal Kombat,

but then, we found 

Little Big Planet.

One of the most popular games on PS3

suitable for people of all ages.

I am addicted to that cute little "Sackperson" character

This game is so awesome, the developers are brilliant to make such a thing.

And the fact it allows players to "built" their own, customized platforms to play in

and share in the LittleBigPlanet community, is a game that never ends.

You can never get tired of taking your little sackperson around to new worlds (levels)

full of creative ideas, from people around the world.

This game is just too good to put down

For more info

please check out 

www.littlebigplanet.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL WAYNE

I am a day late on this post.

But better late then never, right?

Just wanted to dedicate this entry to Weezy on his day!

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TUNE!

Wishing you many many more years of life

happiness, success, and health

from the bottom of my heart!

Wayne is a super influential person in my life,

A young man with an amazing, crazy talent,

a brain and mind out of this world

humble, down to earth

and money making machine!

Enjoy your day homie!

CHEAAA!

Stam Bag; by Marc Jacobs

I NEED MARC JACOBS

IN MY LIFE!

$1,395.00

My latest obsession is the 

Classic STAM bag by Marc Jacobs

(the grey one to be exact)

with the signature kiss-lock closure

and glamorous chain-link strap

I just love the quilted leather,
it is a perfect size, super trendy and eye catching
A perfect day-to-day bag for me

Hands down,
one of my favorite bag on the market right now
<3

Click here to buy your own STAM BAG by Marc Jacobs
Remember, Saks Fifth Avenue ships internationally

What is an APOSTILLE?

The annoying task of getting a document Apostille. Prior to leaving for Belgium, on a work-visa, we [[My boyfriend and I]] were asked to provide some original documents for immigration purposes, so we can legalize ourselves in the country.  Belgium is one of the MANY countries in Europe who will ask you to get all your documents (such as; FBI background check, birth certificate, marriage certificate, single status affidavit, etc) APOSTILLE. You would be surprise how few people who works in government buildings actually know what an Apostille is, and where to go get a document apostille. I had to learn it the hard way, as I only had 4 days to get it done at and nobody in South Florida actually knew how to go about doing so. So I had to learn it through the web and blogs like this one.

Basically an apostille doesn't certify that your document is authentic, but DOES certify that the notary who notarized it was, in fact, a real notary.  It is like a "fancy cover-page" attached to your original document that just says everything your document says, some has stamps others have seals of authentication.

If you happen to live in the capital city of your state, getting an document apostille on the same day is quite easy, you would have to go to the Secretary of State office, bring a checkbook or money order (usually ranges from $5.00-$10.00). If you not live in driving distance from the capital, than I suggest you must MAIL your documents (like I did) to the secretary of state of the state your document is originated from, and in the cover letter include, your name, name of document, service needed (whether it be notarization or apostille) money order or check, and the country your document will be used in.  Also include a stamped and ready-to-mail envelope so they can mail it back to you. [[I did everything via FedEx to expedite the whole mailing in process, since it takes up to 3-5 business days for them to actually mail it out back to you.]] Documents such as Birth certificate and FBI background checks which has a form of authentication already on it does not need to be notarized prior, unlike affidavits and any unofficial document.

If you are an American citizen, and do not have a fairly new copy of your original birth certificate at hand, and need it apostilled and mailed to you, here is a great government site that will do it all for you, just go to: http://apostille.us You pretty much knock two birds with one stone, get retrieve a copy of your BC, get it apostille and mail it back to you, they even mail it international, if you are already living abroad (for about 98$USD).

For everyone else, here is a super HELPFUL site, that will help you locate your secretary of state:

http://www.shirleylaw.com/en/resources/apostille_usa.htm

Obsessed with being Skinny

Ugh blame it on society,

but being skinny defines beauty

Clothes just fits and looks better

when you are wearing it at a

healthy weight.

So tomorrow I say, I shall start my diet

[[Nothing crazy]]

I just want to start with a cleanser

to flush everything out of my system,

and avoid the intake of carbs and sugar

while exercising for 1 and a half hours a day 

I know it will take a lot of self-discipline

and motivation,

but hopefully I will meet my goal,

of a few pounds lighter,

and stay there.

Family Day at the Lotto

 

Today is FAN DAY!

A day of fun at Lotto Arena in Antwerp

for fans of all ages

to meet and greet the 

Port of Antwerp Giants 

basketball players.

See you all there

:)

Amadeus; The Place for Ribs

AMADEUS

"The Place for Ribs"

St-Paulusplaats 20 , 2000 Antwerpen

O.m.y.gosh

Delicious

Simply Delicious

Today we went to Amadeus

right outside the "Red Light District"

in Antwerp

And this restaurant is worth

blogging about.

I highly... highly recommend

anyone visiting the Antwerp, Brussels or Gent area in Belgium,

must visit this restaurant.

Unlimited! All-you-can-eat ribs,

served with a small salad

and a delicous baked potato with their famous butter curry sauce.

I just can't describe how delicious the ribs are,

and how amazing the service is

The place was full, line out there door,

reservation list ridiculously long

and by the grace of God

I begged the manager to find us a seat.

and lucky for us,

30 minutes later,

he did.

They definetely have a returning customer in me!

Missing Brazil

I can't help but to miss Brazil.

I miss the food,

the cutlture,

the people.

I miss the beautiful beaches,

and the way being in Brazil makes me feel.

Although I am very fortunate to be where I am today

and to have an amazing, loyal boyfriend.

I still can't get Brazil out of my mind.

Somedays I regret being apart from my family

and country

and other days

 I tell myself:

"Everything happens for a reason,

and everything comes with time,

sooner or later I will be reunited with my family,

and touch Brazilian ground."

even if its just for a few months, here and there

i'll be happy.

Moneyball

MONEYBALL

"The Art of Winning an Unfair Game"

I remember back in 2008

I was browsing through my local bookstore,

for a sports novel

One that really would interest me

and not bore me, in sports wording and statistics

All the sudden, I came across

MONEYBALL

by Michael M. Lewis,

It was based on the true story of Oakland's A's

general manager

[[BILLY BEANE]]

and his [unique] approach to baseball

(Analyze a players worth based on their stats)

I bought it, took it home, and couldn't put it down

until I read cover to cover

I remember finding the book to be very entertaining and enjoyable to read

both from the perspective of a sports fan and as a business book.

Billy Beane is a fascinating character as portrayed by Lewis' writing.  

And now, few years later

the movie MONEYBALL

starring Brad Pitt
as Billy Beane

is out on the big screen.

A guaranteed BOX OFFICE HIT

Here is your sneak peak:

     

Stop Bullying

The girl you just called fat? She is overdosing on diet pills.

The girl you just called ugly? She spends hours putting makeup on hoping people will like her.
The boy you just tripped? He is abused enough at home.
See that man with the ugly scars? He fought for our country.
That guy you just made fun of… for crying? His mother is dying.


I am against bullying...

Your mind makes you BEAUTIFUL

I found this quote on one of my friend's TUMBLR page

and thought it was sweet and super meaningful and needed to share.

"LADIES....

Your body makes you sexy....

Your face makes you pretty

Your smile makes you gorgeous

But your mind makes you BEAUTIFUL"

and in case you don't believe those words above,

the person's who's tumblr account it was on,

is a MAN in sports,

who has seen plenty of sexy, and pretty woman,

but is yet to find one who he feels is beautiful

inside out.

Louie Bag Swag

I am so happy TODAY!

My boyfriend took me on a surprise trip to....

the

LOUIS VUITTON

store

in downtown Antwerp

And this time we weren't just going to

"window shop"and drool over the amazing

leather goods.

He asked me to pick out

which Speedy bag I wanted.

As an anniversity gift

(1 year and counting baby)

And of course,

I had to go for the

Speedy 30

(actual picture above)

I feel like a new woman with my new bag!

soooo sooo sooo happy,

and I will have it for the rest of my life.

And I have my generous

and loving baby to thank

:)

Thank you Monkey

What Life Truly Means

So I have this friend, who is amazingly talented. A  true God fearing individual, who has an incredible gift to speak to people through words.  He is one of those people who was born to be a spiritual writer. I'd like to share with all of you one of his most recent poems.

As Christ spoke to him, the night before his birthday he writes...

As I look into the skies.
I look into your eyes.
Your love to me you have never denied.
Look up into your eyes you sense the fear of life from the tears of my cry.
Blind you help me see.
Weak I stumble you bring me to my feet.
Trying to walk by Faith I dont see a step ahead of my feet.
In the middle of my storm you run to me as I scream.
My heart you begin to comfort and meet.
The world around me stops while you speak to me.
So I break down to my knees
Tears Down my eyes cause I know its only you that I need.
I beg Father Renew me and wash me Clean.

He said to me "For now on I live in you.
open your eyes and things will be clear.
Son seek in me and you never again have to fear.
Listen when I speak to your heart and avoid the ones whispering in your ears.
Don't fear or Get discouraged.
I Will put you in the fire to build your faith,strength and courage.
My Promise is to refine you to the world.
So Keep close to my word!
They will see only me is what made you shine.
For now on Bring more to me and live kind.
I Will bless you with everything I can .
Just live for me and be a Godly Man.
Seek Heavenly Treasures.
The things of this world will bring Pain,Confusion and Greed.
They in my eyes are lesser!
How you live in your heart and steps you take is what I will measure.
Remain in me and Never again will you worry about anything.
I Will Bless you .
I am the creator of all things the Highest of all Kings!"


I felt his comfort and my spirit began to sing.
Took a while ,but Finally I began to see what this Life of mine trully means

Written by: JhV II...

Amazing huh?

Thank you Herby

for sharing this with me

and allowing me to share with

all my readers!

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

Today marks our 1 year (of dating)

Anniversary!

 Julian and I couldn't be happier

and more in love.

We have known each other since 2008,

but only took the leap of faith

in 2010

When we decided to move forward with our feelings

and give this love thing a try

and become an "item"

On September 14, 2010

I left my home in Brazil,

and boarded a plane

to Washington D.C

and what was suppose to have been

a 2 week visit,

turned out to be this amazing

 on-going romance,

We are 1 year in,

No looking back

(although I miss Brazil dearly)

We are still going strong.

And I've been rocking the smile he gave me

since September 15, 2010 baby....

I love you boo!!!

HUNTER BOOTS

I want to introduce to you my newest obsession

You might have seen it around, for awhile now!

Every smart person owns a pair....

HUNTER BOOTS!

"OUTSTANDING IN EVERY FIELD"

It fits like a glove,

keeps your feet warm and dry

Perfect for rainy places,

and the outdoors

Even more perfect

for countries like

Belgium,

where it is always wet and rainy!

I am truly obsessing over these,

and can't wait to get my hands,

or in this case, FEET on them.

I need some

HUNTER BOOTS in my LIFE!

I love the original ones,

I can rock either the black

or the dark green

anytime!

To purchase your own pair of HUNTER BOOTS

or a store near you,

click here

Queen of the World

I would like to introduce everyone to this new,

 [[[[hot, and super talented]]]]

new artist on the block.

(Drum rolls please.......)

AVA!

Here is her new single,

QUEEN OF THE WORLD!

Believe in the RUN!

It is true,

running is one of, if not

 the best exercise a person can do

and it is free!

You don't have to get on a machine,

or go to a gym,

you can do it anywhere,

in the rain, snow or sunshine

Running is good for your health,

You don't have to run a whole marathon,

you don't have to do any sprints,

you just have to RUN!

For beginners,

set small goals,

run small distances,

and soon enough

your body will thank you,

Turn running into a routine,

it might be hard at first,

but if you stick to it,

it will soon be effortless.

Think about the number of people

that are paralyzed,

or don't have any legs,

Think about how fortunate you are,

and how much they would give

to have health legs

to be able to

 RUN for FREEDOM!

If you can't run for your own health,

then run for that child, who is in the hospital

and can never run!

Running is rewarding

JUST DO IT!

Frequent Headache

Go away stupid Headache!

I have been having a mild case of headache

every day for the past 3 weeks.

My few attemps on self medicating

has failed.

"Damn it, what is the cause of this frequent headache"

I wondered.

Friends and family suggested I see a doctor.

But I'm not that type of person that runs to a doctor over a little headache

The pain isn't so strong that I can't handle it

It is mainly in the frontal part of my lobe

From 1 to 10,

I'd say it ranges from 4-6 in pain

Eh, why not! I decided to go to the doctor

someone recommened me, here in Belgium.

"You have extremely low blood pressure"

 said the Doctor

 I can't say I am surprised,

I have a history on low blood pressure,

I don't think my pressure has ever been at a normal range,

it has always been severly low,

but up to this point I never felt any symptom

So as doctor recommended,

I shall eat very salt meals

( i love salt, so that is not a problem)

and hydrate myself on sports drink

to replish the electrolytes

If that doesn't work,

I might have to resort to taking

drugs to increase my BP.

Pretty scary stuff huh?

Rihanna; Armani Jeans

As if she couldn't get any hotter

Rihanna is now the new face of

Armani Jeans

I don't care what people say,

but when it comes to this girl,

There is nothing she cannot do

She is in her PRIME,

and she will stay there for awhile

(get that money girl....)

Wether it's in music, or in fashion Rihanna is a

SOLID ICON!
a trendsetter
a influencial Goddess

Anything she touches [[wears]] turns to gold

It is just something about her 

that is so captivating,

She carries her beauty so well

You can't help but to admire her

Inside and Out

SHE'S RIHANNA

Inside a Girl

I can't say I disagree with the quote above,

But I can say it is hard to please a women,

I feel as if we [women] are never fully happy,

we are always and forever

LONGING FOR MORE

Maybe a little more of this...

and a little less of that.

but when we do get it,

we either don't want it anymore or we want something better.

I guess, it is safe to say that

in our [UN]rational minds there is always something

better on the "other side of the fence"

We complain a whole lot,

We want the best of things,

we struggle and fight to get to where we "want to be"

only to find out where we want to be

is somewhere else

even better....

and that search for perfection

NEVER REALLY ENDS.

and that is the awful truth

of the life

inside a girl.

The End. 

Wish List, Wish List, Wish List

This is what my wish list consists of

Shoes,

&

Purses

(see pic above)

Wink Wink Wink!

Although a Hermes Birkin bag is wayyy out of my league

($$$)

 a girl can only wish......

:)

Sister's Keeper

Last night,

I watched the phenomenal 2009 box office movie

SISTER'S KEEPER

starring:

 Cameron Diaz

Abigail Breslin

Jason Patric

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

And WOW!!!

(as I wipe away a tear...)

This movie isn't the type of movie to shock people in the way that Avatar or The Hurt Locker did,but rather to show viewers what it is like for families around the world facing the most awful disease... CANCER

What a tearjerker this challenging and yet enjoyable movie is..It affects you so deep emotionally, with an Oscar winning performance on the awful subject, needless to say, you should watch it with a box of hankies next to you.

Immediately Start to Worry

It is in my nature to always worry,

"worry about this

worry about that

worry about this and that..."

Ah it would be nice to one day just wake up

free of worries,

but then again,

worrying sometimes keeps me humble,

grounded, and aware of the world

and all my surroundings

....

Correct Punctuation

One of my pet peeves in life is incorrect spelling

and lack of punctuation.

With internet being so popular

cyber-lingo has gone beyond the internet

Makes you wonder,

"Is it old fashion of me to want to use proper grammar

and to actually use PUNCTUATION?"

.............

9-11 We Remember!

2,977 People, 

10 Years,

 4 Planes, 

One World.

 R.I.P. to all the victims of 9/11, 2001. 

May you always be remembered. 

Expect NOTHING

Sometimes we expect things out of the people closest to us,

I guess it is because we would be willing to do that much for them...

But I have learned we can't set expectation for others,

whether we expect them to "return the favor"

"be thankful"

"grateful"

"respectful"

whatever it is that you are giving them

you automatically expect it back

but when not given we fall 

into this stage of disappointment

But who are we really disappointed at?

is it them or at ourselves?

My mind likes to think THEM

but my heart knows I am disappointed at myself

for setting up a standard

and having expectation 

for someone else.

We can't control others,

what they do, say, or think, is only up to them

we are only responsible to control ourselves.

So to avoid disappointments

have no expectation

and just take what they give you.

It is who they are,

not who you are.

I can only expect myself to do things,

and be the person I want to be.

THE END

Flat Water vs. Sparkling Water.

FLAT WATER

VS.

SPARKLING WATER

I admit, sometimes I neglect water, for days at a time

I tend to only drink water when I am thirsty

If I force myself to drink it when I am not thirsty

it doesn't go down smoothly, and I gag a little

So, my source of hydration would come from juices

or anything that is flavored like sports drinks,

But lately, I've been making a big effort to always drink a little bit of water

because water is like medicine, it can heal and prevent a lot of problems.

While in Belgium, I came to the assumption that is safe to assume

most people here loves to drink Sparkling water

aka carbonated water, club soda....bubbly water..

whatever you like to call it...

as opposed to drinking the good ole flat water.

Yuck, carbonated water to me, doesn't do it for me

I am much more low maintenance when it comes to my water

I like it flat, no lemon, and it can be from the tap.

But is Plain water healthier then sparkling?

Why do so many people in Europe prefer sparkling over flat?

Not only is the sparkling water, a lot pricier,

but also it isn't great if you are looking to quench your thirst fast.

It is rumored that carbonated water causes tooth enamel decay

because the bubbles can be acidic from the carbon dioxide. 

and it is also rumored that it can leach away calcium from your bones,

but that is all exaggerated rumors... so who really knows?

All I know is that my preference is flat water

but I can't help to wonder why so much people's

fixation with the expensive little bubbly water is.

I guess, regular water is boring for some...

Hi MOM

A big shout out to my lovely, gorgeous Mom!

HI MOM!

She is a loyal reader of my blog,

and a fan of my life.

and I love her dearly

:)

Missing you,

everyday!

The Smile, you gave me!

A smile is all a girl really needs to wear!!!