And the weather games just began in São Paulo once more. Poor me… 

I can’t even go to market buy me so ice cream since I just recovered from the flu, and am still coughing. Apparently, no one in my house seems to have a problem every time I go to the freezer to get ice for my water, but God forbid me to eating the ice cream.

Last week I was sleeping with three blankets, and now the only thing left for me to do is take my skin off and see if that makes the hot weather more tolerable. Years will pass by and I will not get used to it.

High temperatures, dry air… all situations where we can menage a solution, but don’t you dare to go through these days and still have the “monthly problem” with your baby box.

The devil himself would run off if he crossed path with a woman dealing with all of that.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmai.com

Remember when in medieval times people lived in the middle of garbage and was ok with that? Maybe this short observation rings any bells?

Recently I saw a documentary from Sir Roger Scruton about how beauty matters (you can watch for free on YouTube), and I found myself thinking how easily we get used to accepting less than we can actually do or have - you can’t even mention it without a mad person spit in your face the words “it’s not pretty for you” (in cases of an art work, for example) or “what matters is what is on the inside”.

The dust on the shelf, the dirty tea cup on the window by the sink that you’ll never wash, all things that make part of an imaginary “mess revolution” that says you can’t want something nice or perfect, or almost perfect.

Did humanity give up on the power of saying “I don’t like it?” 

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

So, I bought a new phone. And now I can finally use Instagram filters wherever I want – now you will need to make more effort to make my Android obsolete again, Google

This was not something I had planned to do this month - at all (a new phone in Brazil is so expensive... – should I be grateful to politicians and their exorbitant taxes?), but thanks to the queens Lauren Saunders and Tara Brunet I learned more deeply about the laws of manifestation and its techniques, and the money came. #MagicMoney

And yesterday I went to Rua 25 De Março, a cheap place in São Paulo to buy the plastic case and the glass film I needed to protect my new purchase – how fragile are today’s cell phones, right?

The glass film, which I intended to apply myself (you know, to save money) I applied just fine, but then 5 minutes later I broke the damn thing - you can barely see the broken part, so maybe I am gonna use this as an excuse to not change the glass film.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Ronald Reagan once said “freedom is always one generation from extinction”, and where is my freedom as a Brazilian, I wonder, if I’m forced to: or vote for those who should represent São Paulo, or to justify why I didn’t want to vote at all – try not to do one of those two things, the government can make your life a living hell.

Should I say that it is a good thing that I get to choose the candidate I’m voting for? And, that if I don’t want to vote for anyone, and invalidate my vote, that is an option too?

You should know that Brazilians can be as annoying as you can imagine in this time of elections, and speeches like “if you are not voting for anyone, you’re helping to give the country to (fill in here with the candidate you don’t approve)”.

As if any of these politicians would actually do anything to help who needs to be helped. People just don’t learn…

Today, on this beautiful Sunday of blue sky (feel my irony), I left to vote at 7:30 am, and it was already so hot outside (where did all the rain clouds go?). And, if being hot as hell was not enough, São Paulo also wanna be dry. So, if you are coming to São Paulo this week, make sure to drink a lot of water.

But don’t worry, this desert climate only lasts until Wednesday. For the political tensions, well, it seems it will last forever.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

I know it doesn’t help, but when I’m low I go to the market to buy some chocolate, and most of the time I pick up Hershey’s (‘cause it’s cheaper). Yesterday, no. 

I got out of my comfort zone and choose a pack of Bis Black, by Lacta, a chocolate brand born in Brazil – today it has more than 100 years of history.

And apparently it only sells locally – another day I heard from a fellow Brazilian who was homesick and wanted to make a pie with a Lacta bonbon that she couldn’t find it anywhere in the US.

Lacta chocolates has a reasonable price, and (here in Brazil) you can find in any supermarket. Better yet, if the place sells food, it will probably sell a Lacta chocolate. 

I could stay writing for hours about chocolate, but just allow me to give you one advice? When buying any Brazilian chocolate, choose the dark one.

Here in Brazil we have sugar as our main ingredient for everything, especially chocolate. 

Maybe we would only lose for Mexico in the sugar factor.

Once, Nilce and Leon from the YouTube channel Cadê a Chave? made a video trying Mexican candies and oh boy… It was like adding sugar to the sugar (and some of those candies had a lot of pepper).

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

I’m glad I had a few days of cold weather – sleeping with a cozy blanket in São Paulo in the middle of November can be considered a luxury. 

I can’t talk about others cities in Brazil, but in São Paulo you never know for sure if you need to carry a sweater in your bag. Something that can be a serious reason for the most funny memes – people had lived in this city for years and yet they never get used to it.

I’m relieved. For not having to drink something with ice (my fridge just broke this week), for not having to work with two fans blowing wind over me. Just yesterday, I went to the supermarket at 4 pm! - on a normal “summer day” this would be unthinkable before 5:30 pm.

- I’ll talk about what I bought in tomorrow’s post

What a challenge it must be to prepare a suitcase to spend a few days in São Paulo… 

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

In Brazil we have a bread that is only ours, and no child grew up without tasting at least one. But, how weird would it be if I told you that in São Paulo we call this bread “Pão Francês” (French Bread)?

- others regions call it different, but let’s get into that later

A long time ago, the richest Brazilians who could afford to travel across the Atlantic used to come back with stories about how cool Europe was, and wanted to eat the amazing bread they ate in France. A bread crusty on the outside and white and fluffy on the inside.

But the national bakers had no idea what on Earth would be such a thing and tried their best not to let their customers down. And thanks to their attempt to “copy” the French bread they came up with the most beloved bread in Brazil.

Wait, do you think that the high society was being too demanding with their food? But love, copying France was kind of a “national law” in Brazil. Not long ago, even the dress code had to be French.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

A few years ago, the journalist Maria Prata (once the editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar Brasil) took viewers of her program to meet the Guest Urban Hotel, with its ahead of its time design decoration. And it caught my attention.

The hotel is based on an old house in Pinheiros, a fancy neighbourhood of São Paulo, and the owners, following an interesting idea, left the interior “unfinished” on purpose. You know how in some places in Europe people don’t care about painting and others things when the place goes to the market again? It looks just like this.

Reservations can be made again, and with all the necessary care to avoid the virus, I don’t see why not to stay there if you are coming to São Paulo. I myself was never there as a guest, but if I were a tourist in the city, at least a few days I would stay at the hotel. Even if it was to take some pictures to show to my friends on Instagram with the caption “how cool is this place?”.

The cool design didn’t stop in the decoration of the walls and the creativity expanded to the names of the rooms. And now, due to the situation we are living, they have a specific room for home office. Again, so ahead of its time.

If being one of the most chic hotels in Pinheiros was not enough, the Guest Urban Hotel also has a space for art exhibitions! – it kind of blows my mind how in a simple house can fit so much stuff, it doesn’t seen that big from the outside.

Around there you can find a lot of things to do (for free), a lot of museums and art galleries. And you can also go to Rua Oscar Freire. Ok, I confess Oscar Freire has been low for a while, but once this street had its name among the world’s 10 more expensive streets – and still is very, very beautiful.

But you know what? Visit the whole region if you can, it’s worth your time, and your money.

Guest Urban Hotel: Rua Lisboa, 493 - Pinheiros

Cep: 05413-000 • São Paulo - SP

Phone: 55 11 3081-5030

Site • Instagram • Facebook

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Another names worth of your time are Lauren Saunders and Tara Brunet. Trust me.

Look, I’m not much about sharing law of attraction content, mostly because for me it is not that easy to explain, but they do gracefully.

These girls put you up, they give you the tools. And for me, being surrounded by people with the same beliefs is part of the success.

I’m not gonna talk with you about manifestation techniques, Lauren and Tara do it better. But I will let you know how incredible these girls are and how thankful I’m for have meet them.

All of this, my blog, the tourism content, everything was only possible because they taught me it was (they and Zoey Arielle, another great human being). Well, and thanks to Ícaro de Carvalho and Lara Nesteruk too, but let’s get into that latter.

The world won’t trust you if you don’t trust yourself, love.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmai.com

I don’t know if this a regular brazilian thing, but a least in my house, no matter how bad (financially) things were, we never ate food on weekends. Never. It was always bread, ham and cheese (or the cheapest bologna, if money was tight).

Maybe that’s why my decision of eating regular food was so shocking.

But try to understand me, love. I wake up at 4 a.m., a time “normal” people are usually sleeping. And by the time I can go eat something, and make noise in the kitchen, I’m so starving that a simple cake won’t solve my hunger.

And I also wanna eat something strong, something that can carry me along my day of work.

And thank God I don’t stop for a minute.

This is the best thing that ever happened to me. Be useful to tourists, help them.

Can’t wait to wake up at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Another stamp on my passport, yey!!

Although I’m still sad for leaving France without knowing the fate of Nell and Fabien, I cannot help but feel excited to walk around the streets of Tumblr-Land again.

The last time I was here was only as a reader. Now, as part of my journey to improve my vocabulary, I am copying this book with stories about what happened after the happily ever after in Disney fairytales.

- Snow White does think she is the most beautiful chick in the realm.

I loved it the first I read it!! But unfortunately I “broke” my Kobo system while preparing everything to take a picture to illustrate my blog’s post and had to reinstall its operating system. Ugh…

Oh, and I already prepared the book I will copy after this one. A cute Christmas anthology with 12 stories named My True Love Gave To Me. 

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

We will have two more days before the heat wave find its way back to São Paulo, and I’m already prepared for that event (I’ll just never get used to how hot this city can be).

Although I cannot drink hot tea when the thermostat is up to 86ºF, a fresh (and little warm) beverage suits perfectly to deal with the hot weather - the ice in the cup can only do it for so long, darling. I guess that nothing better than the heat to hit the heat, right?

In my experience with tea (kind of a short experience, I confess), the brand that proved its value as the freshest one was Twinings. And the most important thing: a single bag makes a full cup without losing its flavor - such big a deal since each box can cost a fortune here in Brazil.

May God have mercy on my soul…

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

This was my chosen way so that every word I write does not have to pass by Google Translate before me clicking on the “enter” button.

I always had a quite good English, but after an important decision (I guess) I took, “quite good” wasn’t good enough. And I didn’t want to be embarrassed by who I care – just the cultural shock can do a lot of damage. All you have to do is imagine the following situation: “jeez, I didn’t know the toilet paper should go on vase, sorry”

For now I’m using this cute little book called “Paris For One”, by Jojo Moyes. But when I’m done with it, I’ll start copying books from my tablet since I couldn’t (yet) been able to buy myself a Kindle – thanks, Amazon, for books in English so cheap if not for free.

I confess I’m kind of nervous, not sure why.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com