Yanni in São Paulo!! Looking forward to the concert!!

It has been quite a long time,  since I saw Yanni  live in concert in New York! Luckly,por sorte ,I had the chance to talk to him after the show when he told me he would be coming to Brazil on a South America tour 2 years later. It has been 12 years!!! Faz 12 anos!! For those who really enjoy instrumental music, specially his music which consists of a bunch of instruments being played by a great number of  musicians from different nationalities, I would recommend not to MISS IT OUT!! Não percam!!
His music really gets into you ! It is soothing and inspirational!
I can't wait for watching again one of the greatest MASTERS of "soul touching music" in the world!!!




Os pais de Yanni Chrysomallis eram artistas e fãs de música clássica. Filho de uma cantora e de um violonista, Yanni cresceu ouvindo Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Stravinsky e outros grandes nomes eruditos. Estas acabaram se tornando as maiores influências de sua carreira como tecladista e compositor de um estilo que ele prefere chamar de instrumental contemporânea.

Apesar de sempre ter sido um amante de música, Yanni passou a infância e adolescência dedicando-se à natação, e aos 14 anos já havia batido recordes na Grécia como nadador.

Aos 18 anos, mudou-se para os Estados Unidos, onde cursou psicologia na Universidade de Minnesota por três anos e meio. No entanto, ao terminar a faculdade, decidiu abandonar a carreira de psicólogo antes mesmo de iniciá-la, resolvendo dedicar-se apenas à música. Aos 21 anos, Yanni aprendeu a tocar teclado sozinho e passou a fazer parte de uma banda de rock local intitulada Chameleon.

Alguns anos depois, decidiu mudar-se para Los Angeles com o baterista Charlie Adams, que conhecera na época do Chameleon, e começou a gravar suas próprias composições pelo selo Private Music. Em 1986 lançou seu primeiro álbum, Keys To Imagination. O álbum trouxe a Yanni um impressionante séquito de fãs.
A partir daí, não demorou muito para o tecladista estabelecer-se como um conceituado músico de estúdio, compositor de jingles e produtor. Pouco tempo depois, Yanni tornou-se um dos artistas mais vendidos do selo Private Music.

Considerado um dos nomes de maior destaque no segmento instrumental, a fama de Yanni aumentou a partir de seu relacionamento com a atriz americana Linda Evans, no início da década de 1990. Por ser muito popular nos Estados Unidos na época, Evans foi a maior responsável pelo grande interesse da mídia pelo tecladista. Eles tiveram um relacionamento de amor que durou nove anos.

Por ser autodidata, Yanni não sabe ler ou escrever músicas do modo tradicional. Ao invés disso, inventou uma maneira própria de compor ainda na infância e continua criando suas músicas usando a mesma técnica até hoje, depois de quase vinte anos de carreira e mais de vinte e dois discos. Sua sonoridade é ao mesmo tempo acessível e elaborada, sempre unindo o pop e a música clássica. As composições de Yanni também ficaram famosas nos Estados Unidos após terem sido usadas em programas de televisão e na abertura dos Jogos Olímpicos. Yanni é adepto da Nova Era, ele e sua ex-esposa Linda Evans estavam envolvidos na meditação oriental.

Autobiografia
Em 2003, Yanni lançou sua autobiografia com a co-autoria de David Resin. No livro o músico relata suas memórias, partindo da primeira infância na Grécia, o início do aprendizado de piano, o amor de seu pai, considerado por ele uma lição para toda vida. Avança para sua mudança para os Estados Unidos, seus estudos em Minnesota e seu relacionamento de anos com a atriz Linda Evans. Ao tratar do sucesso que sua música alcançou em todo o mundo, fala sobre os percalços que enfrentou, a depressão que ameçou-o por algumas vezes e de seu empenho para não rotular de new age a música que produz. O lançamento do livro coincidiu com o lançamento do seu 13o. álbum, o Ethnicity, e foi considerado um best seller pelo New York Times[1].
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanni

Book launch!! Patrícia Gebrim lança seu mais recente livro! Congratulations!!!

                                                                   

Foi uma honra compartilhar com Patricia Gebrim o lançamento de mais um de seus livros:  "Enquanto Escorre o Tempo..."

Se existe alguém que sabe falar de coisas sérias com alma de criança e consciência de um sábio, é ela!

Patrícia diz: “Os desafios da vida moderna são cada vez maiores. As necessidades ilusórias, geradas pelo comportamento consumista, aliadas à velocidade da informação provocam a sociedade a buscar padrões comportamental, estético e financeiro inatingíveis."

Sua abordagem é a liberdade do ser autêntico em sua natureza , livre para viver e se relacionar no mundo onde inevitavelmente acabará atraindo situações e pessoas  que estão em sintonia e permanecem vinculadas pela mesma afetividade cósmica .

Patrícia:“A ideia é que o leitor se sinta livre dentro da narrativa. Que busque atividades que proporcionem prazer, entenda que não é possível dar conta de tudo e comece a fazer escolhas conscientes. Na vida moderna, não existirá mais o momento pacífico no qual teremos as sensação de que todas as pendências estão resolvidas”.

Com muita simplicidade, Patrícia transmite através de suas palavras mensagens que tocam o coração e sem muito esforço mantêem nossa mente alerta. O que é verdadeiro, é leal !!
Congratulations on your new book!!!

Vocabulary

Como eu sempre aproveito os assuntos postados aqui para  trabalhar vocabulário e estruturas em inglês com os alunos, abaixo: "Tips for a successful book launch"

Well, first and foremost, press coverage is pretty vital. The local media – especially radio – attract bigger fish like sharks around chum, but they might only attend if there’s a story within a story and nothing attracts a story as much as celebrity.

If you know one, get him or her there … even if you have to pay them. A big name controversial author would be good, but a boy band member or an actor or someone totally tallentless so you can shine in the pale imitation of their stardom, is all the better. So, in short, a reality show contestant failure who has just written an autobiography at the age of 20 exposing a torrid somewhat kinky affair with a leading politician, is a sure fire winner and pretty easy to find.

 For more go to the site:  http://www.findmeanauthor.com/book_launch_tips_advice.htm

Learning to ride a horse!!! Watch Seabiscuit !

Riding a horse:get on the feeling of what it feels like being taken off- road by looking at the picture below and learn some vocab.

Learning to ride a horse can be one of the most thrilling experiences of your life, as long as you do it safely. The payoff lies not only in the freedom of galloping across a field on the back of an animal but also in enjoying the wondrous bond between human and horse.

Instructions: things you'll need : long pants , riding boots, riding helmets

Choose an Instructor

1 Find a competent teacher by talking to friends who have horses, visiting boarding facilities or looking in the yellow pages under Horses, Lessons or Riding.

2 Talk to the instructor. Ask what type of lessons he or she gives. Make sure the instructor knows you are a beginner and need a well-trained horse.

3 Ask the instructor about his or her riding experience. Does the instructor have formal training? Seek out an instructor who has taught riders of all levels so that he or she can help you as you improve.

4 Discuss your goals with your teacher. Do you just want to learn to ride so that you can borrow a friend's horse or so that you can go on a long trail ride?

5 Watch other riders taking lessons to observe your instructor's personality. Does he or she give instructions in easy-to-understand language? Is he or she patient?

Read more: How to Ride a Horse

eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_10761_learn-ride-horse.html#ixzz0z8GQ2g8N

                                              I would highly recommend "Seabiscuit":

                    
                                          
Seabiscuit is based on the inspirational true story of an underdog who rises to victory and wins the hearts and minds of a nation.
In an era when Americans were in great need of heroic figures to help them forget their troubles, SEABISCUIT comes to the rescue. The picture relates a moving story of friendship and devotion in rehabilitating the main characters' fractured lives, as it interweaves the interactions between horse, jockey, trainer and owner and their adoring fans. The film accurately portrays the real people and events of those troubled times and how Seabiscuit "fixed us, every one of us."

Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933—May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred race horse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many US citizens during the Great Depression. Seabiscuit became the subject of a 1949 film, The Story of Seabiscuit, a 2001 book, , and a 2003 film, Seabiscuit, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture

Seabiscuit was foaled on May 23, 1933, from the mare Swing On and sired by Hard Tack, a son of Man o' War. Seabiscuit was named for his father, Hardtack; hardtack, or "sea biscuit" is the name for a type of cracker eaten by sailors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_o%27_War

Dan Millman, autor de "O Guerreiro Pacífico",em Águas de Lindóia for the VII Congresso Transpessoal!

Águas de Lindóia

Por coincidência  by coincidence o autor de um  livro o qual estou lendo , Dan Millman , irá  encerrar o  VII Congresso Transpessoal  next September 7th em minha cidade natal hometown em Águas de Lindóia  a se realizar to be held entre os dias from September 4th to 7th.

For people who are interested in attending the meeting, participar do congresso. I would recommend staying at the Hotel Mantovani, of course, and also enjoy the best the city has to offer.

Dan Millman é um escritor norte-americano que já publicou 13 livros em um estilo auto-ajuda místico. O mais famoso dos seus livros é "O Caminho do Guerreiro Pacífico", uma espécie de semi-autobiografia, no qual o autor relata desde a sua vida como jovem ginasta que se preparava para as Olimpíadas, até o seu encontro com o mestre Sócrates, que vai lhe transmitir ensinamentos de transformação interior, que muito tem da filosofia budista.
O livro também rendeu o filme "Peaceful Warrior" ("Poder Alem da Vida" no Brasil).

Dan Millman (born February 22, 1946) is a former Trampolining world champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor and college professor, and an author of fourteen self-help books, currently published in 29 languages, the most famous of which is the semi-autobiographical novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior (1980), which was adapted into a feature film, Peaceful Warrior (2006) directed by Victor Salva and starring Nick Nolte[1][2].


In 1964, he became the first World Men's Trampoline Champion at the 1964 Trampoline World Championships in London[3].


At the age of 17, he won the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF)'s Trampoline Championship and competed in gymnastics at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles. While a freshman at U.C. Berkeley, he won the 1964 Trampoline World Championships in London, also in same year, he won three All-American titles, including national titles in FX and V. Later in 1968, he recovered from his motorcycle injury, and co-captained the 1968 NCAA University of California gymnastics team; also in 1968 he was appointed as Director of gymnastics at Stanford University, here he coached U.S. Olympian, Steve Hug, and brought the Stanford team to national prominence, subsequently in 1972 he became an assistant professor of physical education at Oberlin College at Oberlin, Ohio.


His early background includes training in modern dance, gymnastics, and martial arts. He earned a black belt in aikido. Later he studied various yogas and other martial arts, and traveled around the world researching integrative disciplines, which resulted in his calling since 1980 — writing about and teaching an approach to living he calls the "way of the peaceful warrior" in his career as a motivational speaker. Due to the varied topics of his books, his work is difficult to label, but is generally connected to the human potential movement
 Wikipedia    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Millman


                                                         "Poder além da Vida"
                         

                                             Dan: Paradox, humour, and change.

                         

Inversion of the verb after certain adverbs! Inversão do verbo seguido de alguns advérbios! Bikeride under freezing weather in São Paulo!

Flirck

Hardly ever does the weather get that cold in São Paulo! Despite such  low temperature, it does not prevent a bunch of jolly bikeriders from enjoying a ride to its fullest!!

The mood warms up even more at the arrival of each biker  a few minutes before the departure to the unknown day itinerary through the surprinsing  slopes of the city.

Never had I noticed or even felt those charming roads "in the gardens"could be such a pain ! It hurts sooooooo much !! What a challenge to get over with and make worth the 7:00 o'clock rising time under such freezing gloomy day( NOT TO US though!!)
The falling down drizzle which we long for when riding on hot days, felt like a refreshment. The gray sky, like a  tree shadow on sunny  hot days.The wind, like a breeze we dream of when dying of the heat on these days.
It is always a true delightment for these many people who seem to have the sun in their soul and are heat up by the spirit and energy of one another, to go for it!
We were  about 100 people in the end!


Such adverbs (adverb phrases) can be placed first in a sentence or clause for emphasis. They are then followed by the interrogative (i.e. inverted ) form of the verb.

The most important of these adverbs include:
■hardly ever ■never ■scarcely ever■only by■in no circumstances ■only in this way on no account■hardly . . . when ■only then/when no sooner . . . than ■scarcely . . . when
■not only ■seldom■nowhere ■not till ■so ■neither/nor
http://www.eslmonster.com/article/inversion-of-the-verb-after-certain-adverbs

Maniac- Claudia Gerini!!!

Maniac Claudia Gerini

                Just a steel town girl on a saturday night                

Looking for the fight of her life

In the real-time world no one sees her at all

They all say she's crazy

Locking rhythms to the beat of her heart

Changing woman into life

She has danced into the danger zone

When a dancer becomes a dance

It can cut you like a knife,

If the gift becomes the fire

On a wire between will

And what will be

She's a maniac,

Maniac on the floor

And she's dancing like

She's never danced before [2x]

On the ice-build iron sanity

Is a place most never see
It's a hard warm place of mystery,

Touch it, but can't hold it

You work all your life for that moment in time,

It could come or pass you by

It's a push of the world, but there's always a chance

If the hunger stays the night

There's a cold connective heat,

Struggling, stretching for defeat

Never stopping with her

Head against the wind

She's a maniac,

Maniac on the floor

And she's dancing like

She's never danced before

She's a maniac,

Maniac, I sure know

And she's dancing like

She's never danced before

It can cut you like a knife,

If the gift becomes the fire

On a wire between will

And what will be

She's a maniac,

Maniac on the floor

And she's dancing like

She's never danced before

She's a maniac,

Maniac, I sure know

And she's dancing like

She's never danced before

She's a maniac, maniac [2x]

Maníaca Claudia Gerini Revisar tradução CancelarSalvar

Só uma garota da cidade de aço num sábado à noite

Procurando a briga de sua vida

No mundo real, ninguém a vê

Todos dizem que ela é doida

Acertando os ritmos com a batida do seu coração

Transformando mulher em vida

Ela entrou dançando na zona de perigo

Quando uma dançarina vira uma dança

Pode te cortar como uma faca

Se o dom se tornar fogo

Em um fio entre a vontade

E o que vai ser

Ela é uma maníaca

Maníaca na pista de dança

E ela está dançando como

Se nunca tivesse dançado antes (2x)

A sanidade de aço feita de gelo

É um lugar que a maioria nunca verá

É um duro lugar doce de mistérios

Pode tocar, mas não pode segurar

Você trabalha a vida inteira por aquele momento

Poderia vir ou te passar para trás

É um empurrão do mundo, mas sempre resta uma oportunidade

Se a fome durar a noite toda

Há um calor frio que conecta

Lutando, fazendo de tudo pela derrota

Sem nunca parar com sua

Cabeça contra o vento

Ela é uma maníaca

Maníaca na pista de dança

E ela está dançando como

Se nunca tivesse dançado antes

Ela é uma maníaca

Maníaca na pista de dança

E ela está dançando como

Se nunca tivesse dançado antes

Pode te cortar como uma faca

Se o dom se tornar fogo

Em um fio entre a vontade

E o que vai ser

Ela é uma maníaca

Maníaca na pista de dança

E ela está dançando como

Se nunca tivesse dançado antes

Ela é uma maníaca

Maníaca na pista de dança

E ela está dançando como

Se nunca tivesse dançado antes

Ela é uma maníaca, maníaca (2x)

http://www.vagalume.com.br/claudia-gerini/maniac-traducao.html#ixzz11mj6N2SO

Andar de bicicleta em grupos!! Bike riding in groups!! Watch out!! Cuidado!!

Challenge! Adventure! Energy!!

Despite the great pleasure of what it feels like riding across beautiful places while enjoying some freedom sensation and the beauty of the settings around, you should not  UNWIND a minute. Otherwise, someone may be likely to cross your way and cause you  a lot of trouble.

That was what happened : a guy , all out of the blue, decided to change lanes and crossed my way!  I ended up running into him abruptly falling off my bike.

Thanks so much to all  bikermates who I was riding with for their kind care,support and assistance to me on the incident which could have been much more serious if it hadn't been for my skillful protection instinct to smooth my fall. I really appreciated your careful attention!
Therefore, I found it would be helpful to list some tips  from the site below on how to bikeride in groups . You may also want to enrich your vocabulary.
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/chapter7a.htm)

RIDING IN GROUPS
Whether you're touring, training or just exploring country roads, riding with friends can add a lot of fun to your bicycling. With a local bicycle club, you can meet people and share information about routes, equipment and bicycling events. In addition, athletically inclined bicyclists often push themselves harder and improve more when training together.

But you can spoil the fun if you run into one of your companions. Bike-bike crashes are just as common as car-bike crashes, so it's a good idea to give some attention to safe group riding.

THE SAFETY COCOON
Imagine a "cocoon" of space around each bicycle in your group of riders. It's easy to think that you can safely pass closer to a bicycle than a car, because the bicycle is smaller. But the bicycle can turn to the side just as fast as a car. Keep 3 feet of clearance when you're passing another bicyclist - more at high downhill speeds.

At any time, one of your riding companions might be about to pass you, so be especially careful to ride in a straight line. You don't have eyes in the back of your head, and you can't constantly trace the position of bicyclists behind you as you ride.

When you're about to pass another bicyclist, it's your responsibility to do it safely. The other members of your group can't read your mind to know that you are about to change position in the group. Check behind you before you change your lane position. Call out, "On your left" to the bicyclist you're passing, and pass on the left.
Never sneak past another bicyclist on the right - if you do, you force the other bicyclist farther toward the middle of the road without warning.

RIDING SIDE BY SIDE
Bicyclists often like to ride side by side so they can talk with each other. Riding two abreast is legal in most places. It's okay on a straight, flat road. There, drivers can see you from behind, and you can usually see or hear them approach.

Side-by-side bicyclists occupy a whole lane. On a multilane road with light traffic, cars can pass in the next lane. On a narrow road or with heavier traffic, be courteous! Don't make drivers wait for you. Pull into a single line well before cars reach you. It takes only one thoughtless rider out to the left of the group to endanger the whole group. Call out, "Car back" to let the group know it's time to single up.

A rear-view mirror helps you to check on the cars behind you. With a mirror, you can ride side by side more often and still pull back into a single line to let the cars pass you.

Never ride side by side on a hilly or winding road. Don't make yourself into a last-moment surprise to a motorist coming around a curve or over a hilltop.

INTERACTING WITH OTHER ROAD USERS
Some bicyclists fall for a "herd instinct" when riding in groups - as if the group protected them, or there's nobody else on the road besides the group. It's tempting to play "follow the leader" in a group of bicyclists - tempting but dangerous.

When preparing a lane change or turn, you must look out for yourself. It can be safe for the bicyclist ahead of you to change lane position, but not safe for you, since cars or other bicyclists could be approaching from the rear. You must look back for them just the same as when you ride alone. Look left, right, and left again for traffic at stop signs - don't follow the rider ahead of you into an intersection.

The only exception is in a tightly organized, small group that moves completely as a unit. The first and last riders are understood to be on the lookout for the entire group. Don't count on this service unless it's understood in advance.

When crossing lanes, a line of bicyclists should "snake" across, one at a time, each rider in turn. This way, you leave a safe passage for cars. A ragged line of bicyclists blocks the entire lane.

Snaking" across a lane, the cyclists can allow the passing car to make its right turn, while they turn left. Each cyclist looks back before crossing the lane.

Make a neat, straight line when waiting at intersections. Groups of bicyclists who pile up at intersections block the road. This practice is unnecessary, discourteous and dangerous.

When you stop to rest, to read your map or to wait for companions, pull completely off the road. It's surprising how many bicyclists fail to observe this simple caution.

DRAFTING AND PACELINE RIDING
When you ride close behind another bicyclist, you don't have to work as hard. The bicyclist in front of you serves as a windbreak, reducing your air resistance. Experienced bicyclists take advantage of this effect, drafting each other in a paceline.

In a paceline, each bicyclist works hard for a little while at the front, and then drops back to the rear along the left side of the line of riders. Large groups may ride in two lines side by side - a double paceline, with the leaders dropping back along the outside, right and left.

A well-coordinated paceline is poetry in motion, but drafting is always a little risky. To take advantage of the windbreak effect, you must follow the rider ahead of you closely; but you must never let your front wheel overlap that rider's rear wheel. If the wheels touch, you suddenly can't balance and you'll almost certainly take a quick, hard fall. Other riders behind you may land on top of you. Ride in a paceline only if you've developed good control over your bike, and you know that the other bicyclists can also manage the situation safely.

Everyone in a paceline must ride smoothly, with no quick braking or swerving. Look past the rider in front of you: Don't stare at his or her rear wheel. Try to anticipate the moves the lead rider will make. The lead rider should announce road hazards: "Glass," "Dog right," "Car up," and maneuvers: "Slowing," "Left turn." The last rider should announce "Car back" when a car is about to pass the group. Hand signals aren't a good idea in a tight paceline group - it's more important to keep both hands on the handlebars.
When you pull in behind another rider to draft, call out "On your wheel" so he or she will know you're there.

RACING
There's a major exception to these rules of cooperation: In a mass-start road race, riders often swerve deliberately to make it hard for others.
Meanwhile, other riders lurk behind, drafting each other until the final minutes when they sprint all-out for the finish line. The tactics of a race - drafting and solo sprints, cooperation and competition - make it exciting for the racers and spectators.

But leave this kind of excitement for the racers. When riding in a group, focus on cooperation, not competition. Relax and enjoy your ride!

SUMMARY
Group riding can add a new dimension to your bicycling. Except in the special situations of the paceline or mass-start race, the rules of the road apply to you with other bicyclists just as they do with motorists. Remember to keep the safety cocoon around you, be predictable, and don't follow another bicyclist into a dangerous situation. The rewards of increased enjoyment of bicycling with others are well worth the extra attention.