what's behind the hug?

maybe the following posting is a sign that i was REALLY bored at work today, but i was thinking about how intricate greetings are...

on one hand they seem so simple and easy, but on others they are quite complex...for example it seems for brazilians that it is the norm to go and hug every person in the office and wish them happy new year on the first day back in the office...but for me i felt very awkward doing this...

i love a good hug, dont get me wrong...but i felt like if i did that it would seem extremely fake because i dont know most of the people in the office...not that i begrudge them a happy new year...but feels awkward to me to go and hug people that i have never spoken to before...but do they all "know" each other?

but then probably to them i might seem snobbish, arrogant or really shy because i only gave new years hug to the people on my team...? are these kind of small acts essential in building our professional relationships?

or do they consider that i am from a different culture and it doesn't necessarily mean i am arrogant and dont want to get to know them?

this links to another thing i have been thinking about which is what happens when different cultures meet - and what should happen to maximise the creative potential of this diversity?

until now i have been sitting back a lot and observing...trying to see how things are done and why without judgment...but maybe now is a good time to start swinging the pendulem towards chaos and introducing some different ways of doing and seeing things...creating some new possibilities...?

2006 - 2007

2006 was a good year...i was lucky enough to travel to egypt, denmark, hungary, finland, portugal, england, ireland, brazil, slovakia, germany, australia and belgium...i graduated from university...i got a promotion at work and accepted an offer to work in brazil in the field that i am passionate about...my friends made beautiful paintings for me for my birthday...i saw several of my friends get married...i started to learn a new language...i shared great moments with friends and family...i never went to bed hungry...i wasn't sick or in danger...i always had a roof over my head...from a very selfish point of view, 2006 was a good year...in 2007 i am hoping to have more people in my life to share this goodness with.


i saw-in 2007 with some friends at an apartment overlooking são paulo and its fireworks...we must have had a good time because this morning i needed this really big coffee! :)

all in all i had a really relaxing trip back home...spending time with my family...margaret moments...watching the cricket with my dad and brother...reconnecting with some old friends...and their new babies!!!

i had a wonderful time at home, but it was good from another angle because it made me realise that my time in brazil is limited and re-motivated me to return to brazil and maximise the 20 months that i have left in south america...and for now, the sun set on redcliffe, but i will see it rise there again.

chrissy day

and of course there was christmas day itself - time to exchange gifts and spend time together...i really enjoyed sharing gifts from brasil with my family and also receiving their thoughtful presents...of course there was the mandatory over eating and drinking, the christmas crackers with bad jokes and paper hats, and also some rounds of pétanque (french bowls) in the backyard...and this year dad lashed out and bought kylie and i gluten free beer - also known as Silly Yaks beer ;)

"as margarets"::the margarets

one of the things i enjoyed alot during my holidays was spending time with my mum, my sister and my cousin, nichole...and all of us have the middle name of "margaret"... and we had a lot of fun together...mum, kylie and i watched some chick flicks together, painted our nails, read (and mostly laughed at) cosmo magazines and did face masks...simple things which made us laugh and connect...which made me re-appreciate how i was raised - mindful of my health, but not obsessed with outward appearances or boys' opinions...focused on happiness...

my sister is a great role model for me...she is confident and believes in herself...whether it is with her boyfriend or to complain about a cold meal...and she is proactive in trying to make a difference by standing up for issues she believes in...love you sis!

the other margaret that i spent time with was my cousin, nichole...we made a pact that if we are not married by the time we are 33.3 years old we will have a "please buy us all the white goods and appliances that we need" party to make up for the missing wedding presents ;)

finalmente::finally

uma coisa que eu celebrei com minha familia foi minha formatura de universidade... finalmente 9 anos depois eu começei...enorme agradece a meus pais, que me apoiaram o tempo inteiro...financeiramente e emotivamente...agradece a para Griffith University por sua flexibilidade....e agradece a restaurante Miccolini's que serviu pizzas sem gluten em meu jantar de celebração :)

one thing that i celebrated with my family was my graduation from university...finally 9 years after i started...huge thanks to my parents who supported me the whole time...financially and emtionally...thanks to Griffith University for your flexibility...and thanks to Miccolini's restaurant who served gluten-free pizzas at my celebration dinner :)

ooohhhh de casa::i'm home!

depois 27 horas...2 paragens...2 filmes chatos e uma falta distinta de alimentação sem gluten, finalmente o momento chegou...quando minha mãe foi para área de passageiros no aeroporto de brisbane e me abraçou! depois choramos lágrimas de felicidade e abraçando mais, nós fomos para casa e minha férias començaram...

em total, foi muito bom para relaxar totalmente e gastar tempo com minha familia....e seguinte são algumas destacas...

mãe, pai, kylie e eu fomos para ilha stradbroke, onde o namorado de minha irma, ryan, está trabalhando....é muito lindo lá e foi tempo bom...nós gostamos muito (apesar de falta de instalações para cozinhar peixe grelhado)...víamos golfinhos, tartarugas e o dugong no mar...não acredito que foi minha primeira vez lá!

alguma fauna local::some of the local wildlife

minha irma, kylie, e namorado dela, ryan::my sister, kylie, and her boyfriend, ryan

after 27 hours...2 stop overs...2 crappy movies and a distinct lack of gluten free food the moment finally arrived...when mum went into the passengers' area to hug me at the arrival terminal of brisbane airport! after a few happy tears and hugs we went home and my holiday began...

overall it was so nice to just totally relax and be with my family....and here are some highlights...

mum, dad, kylie and i went to stradbroke island where ryan, my sister's boyfriend, works....it is really beautiful there and it was great weather...we had a lovely time (despite the lack of local fish grilling facilities)...we spotted dolphins, turtles and a dugong in the water...i can't believe it was my first visit there!

festina de natal :: little christmas party

era minha prazer para hospedar uma festina de natal por meus amigos em são paulo, antes eu fui para austrália pelo natal de verdade...nós demos presentes que foram pre-amou, estavamos usando o método provado de familia Schroeder...e fizemos avore de natal internacional...só um jeito pequino para mostrar meus agradeces por meus amigos que me ajudaram acostumar de sampa


it was a pleasure to host some friends for a small christmas party in sao paulo before i went to oz for the real deal...we gave pre-loved gifts using the tried and tested Schroeder-family distribution method...and created an international christmas tree...just a small way to say thanks to these guys who have helped me to settle into Sampa