Kinda random stuff

Hi folks!

Just to keep talking about dad, Todd (2nd generation dad) is also a chocolate powder!



Toddy! Tastes really good.
We use to drink it a lot (milk here tastes better. And, yes, it is pasteurized)

Actually, milk here lasts for 3 months and 10 days without refrigeration. It's not because of conservatives, just this special 1-liter box on the top (that "Tirol" thing).

Yeah, spider man!



Just kidding. I am already learning new stuff on Kung Fu (finally, results! And exercises!). That's a one hand handstand.

And today I did my first Kung Fu presentation. It was small, I just performed Tai Chi Chuan:



(sorry, I don't have pics yet so I stole this one from another website. Thank you another website).
These are "slow motioned" movements.



I took this picture to show how cigarettes are sold here. By law, on the whole back of the match, it has to have this Health Ministry's message talking about what it can do for you. It has some worse ones, but I found those on the sidewalk. The first one is about kids that live with smokers, second about sexual impotence and third about getting your teeth all yucky.

OK, I hate cigarettes. I was amazed how many young people smoke over there. But I don't want to start on that... (please, no retaliating comments. I know problems there and problems here)

Now... DAVE!



Dave Bailey! Were you on Oprah and didn't tell us? lol
Well, that's GNT Brazil Channel. It's Oprah with subtitles!



I'm sorry, I don't like Oprah... I don't watch TV at all actually.

Now, the cat picture of the week!



That's my brother Gustavo and his love Livia.

Oh, and a mistake I committed over there. I had no idea why in English Brasil is spelled as Brazil with "z".

Now I kinda have a clue. (let's go to some history)
Brazil, like US, was a colony (but from Portugal, not England). Then we got our independence and then, we formed a Republic. I don't know why, sometime when we were a Republic, they have changed our name to Brazil! Look:



This is a silver coin from 1913 written "Republic of the United States of Brazil" with Z! (how did I get the coin? My friend Flavio collects it... thanks to eBay!)

So, maybe, they included in English this way of spelling and was like this after that, even though we changed back again (confused Brazilians...)

Ok, enough thinking for a Saturday.

Next week on Saturday I have the first level of the Brazilian Academic Olympics of Physics. It is 3 levels... I don't know if I'm going to get something this year but... I hope so. I heard that good students go to Paris, lol.

Alright. I know I'm not answering anybody anywhere. But, well, that's me. The only thing I can keep really well is letters! I love letters.

By the way, I never gave my address here:

Rua Ernesto Pincinato, 536
Quinta das Videiras
Jundiai, SP 13211-660
Brazil

Just throw it in front of the envelope. 14 days coming + 3 days writing an answer + 14 days going back = 31 days. I love old fashioned styled things... And everybody over there called me slow.

Ok, goin' to bed.
Drive safe.
cyall,
Gabe.

FELIZ DIA DOS PAIS!

YAY! It's father's day!
So, I'm just going to put a special post for my dads:



left to right: Todd (2nd generation dad), Elizabeth (2nd generation mom), Vivian (lovely and only sista!), a Brazilian guy, Dorival (1st generation dad), Judy (3rd generation mom) and Steve (3rd Generation dad).



That was today. Me, dad, Guilherme and Gustavo, my brothers.



We gave my dad a book and this Bonsai. It's a small Japanese plant, really cool.

So thank all my dads for putting me on this world (or at least putting me on US!)




cyall
Gabe.

School's on!

A brazilian thumbs-upped hi!
(Those are my bass-player friends, Heider and... well... Bass-player)

First of all, sorry about the blog's off-time. I forgot to pay my domain (www.usaexchange.us) so they canceled it, both blog and e-mail. Now, if you can read this message, everything is alright!



A nice 7a.m. picture on my way to school. That's to show our winter (and a Lions' monument). Right now I'm wearing my BUCKEYES shorts and a T-shit - by the way, no air conditioners, just opened windows. Just have to pay attention if any monkey get in.

My new school uses a pretty cool educational system. It's the best I've ever seen (we do have some crappy ones here, but not this one).

We don't have those yellow, unconfortables - but free - School Buses (sorry, I hated those things). So we usually pay for private transportation, like this:



That's mine, the basic. The one below is fancier:



"Escolar" means "related to school" (like scholarship)

This is my classroom:



Differences you can see here: no obligated desk arrangement, no fixed desk-chairs, no teacher's customized room or cool - depends on the teacher, boring - posters (they change among classes and we stay there), bags everywhere (we don't have this school-terrorism concept), windows that can really be opened and opened door right over winter, no TV, computer or any technology and right outside the door you can see some plants (going up there we have a small vegetable garden project going on).

Other differences:
-Scores goes from 0.0 to 10.0. The effort here to get an 8.0 is the same as to get an A there, so no 10.0 students like the As students there.
-We have Philosophy.
-No picking classes. They give the classroom (mine is Third A) the schedule and it's the same to everyone because you don't change classrooms (so it's easier to get closer friends).
-No cool classes like wood/metal-work, french and some other ones, neither dumb classes...
-In Phys. Ed. we play... SOCCER! (Ok, sometimes volleyball, basketball and handball).
-No detention.
-No big drama plays :( - that means, no money for it.
-No teachers asking "Who's AC/DC's lead guitarist?"
-No cool crazy parties
-It's harder to skip classes
-No school lunch (THANKS!)
-School 'till 12:35 p.m.
-And... my English teacher has a British accent! (argh...) And his English is pretty good by the way...

Ok, let's eat now!



43 bananas of 3 or 4 kinds and 7 apples! (yeah, I spent some time counting... now you count and see if it's right!)
That lasted for a few days (like 3 or 4) here at my house. Yeah, we do eat more fruits.
And every day we have fresh bread, cheese, ham (fresh sliced, not packed).
Oh, and here we say that hot-dogs are made of recycled newspaper... and we still like'em! But American ketchup is better. And we also call it ketchup but nobody knows how to spell it, so it ended up being "catchup".
And it's really hard to trash food here. Like reusing food (like make cake or pudding from old bread), using to feed the dogs or even to feed teenagers (that's the most efficient one) is pretty common.



Random pic.



yay Rotary!



McDonnalds! (it's kinda bad pic, but you can see the "M" flag and the brazilian flag.

That's it by today.

It's 12:16 a.m. and I have school tomorrow morning (starts at 7 a.m.). Then I have Kung Fu from 1:30pm to 3pm, then Kung Fu from 6:30pm to 9pm. Then I'm in bed!
It's really hot in here.



That's my Kung Fu mattes.
We have a contest this weekend. And in a few months it's gonna happen in China the World contest, one of our girls is going! (actually, we hope so. We're not finding sponsors and it's 7000 reais - US$3,500.00 dollars. So if you know of anyone wanting to sponsor it, any help is useful, just email me). Then, after the world one, they'll get the best ones to go to the Olympic Games! Chine will include in 2010 Kung Fu as a new sport over there!

I heard about a heat wave over there and people dieing, is everything ok?
We also got about the bridge over Mississippi.

Ok, now about comments. First of all, thanks for everybody reading here!
Judy, I tried to call you today... How was talking to my brother? And I have just the no-bake cookies recipe, but I got them wrong (but still, people here loved it!) I'll try it again later.
Ryan, well, we have that one golf ball... we just need clubs... you know... here they are expensive... (cough, cough...) lol. Say bonjour to Vanessa.
Kim, yeah, because of what you guys said I'm trying to put some different things over here. But the guy from Denmark actually got a picture of a 2 ft monkey over my high school! I'll try to get one too just for you!
Sarah, I brought your books here! lol. It's right there with the other ones I didn't read!
Lyssa! Someday I'll answer your MySpace messages! I swear! (I miss your mom's food...)
Pegleg, Ok, sorry... Pegleg? Who is it? Thank's for the recipe anyway! lol
Eddie, I hope you like this book! And, you know... I really miss a corvette.... like a black one, you know... jk. Is your husband back home?
Debbie, Yeah, I have been Americanized.... and that's because I had a good time over there. I miss you (and your food). Thanks for going to the airport.
Jen, The messages you missed (after your connection got bad): (a long distance hug!) / I miss you too / I still have your pic on my desk here.

ok, good night everybody.
cya.
Gabe.