Contact me!

As you know, I created this blog in 2012 because I had just moved to San Francisco (the most amazing city) and I wanted to improve my english. Because of that I started writting posts about the city, its restaurants, landmarks, and things like that.

So, things moved on and I came back to my coutry in 2013. However, I can still give a lot of tips for you that is visiting or living there.

Please, just write me, email me clarabonadeu@gmail.com and I will help you out!

I have been living in Brazil, my native country! In addition to that, I will love to help you out with any information about Brazil too!



Hope to talk to you guys! :)

Sweet Ballet!

Ballet! I see it like a sequence of moviments where you have to control your body using your mind, in accordance with the rhythm of the music. Agreed?! I don't know about you, but when it comes to me it sounds just amazing! 
I dare to say ballet is the hardest kind of dance! That's because I've danced ballet for about 10 years. All these years made me get that Ballet requires you a lot of technique and control of mind. Technique because ballet is very classical and it has specific features, for example point work, turn-out of legs, precise movements and flowing. And control of mind because everything you do with your body you take the responsability for it, then when you don't succeed, or you think you aren't good enough, you blame yourself! That's why ballet is technique, but it's also mind control.
In my opinion, classical ballet is nothing but beautiful! It's nothing but so amazing! To be a ballerina is very hard and you gotta be born with the special technique! Few people have the knack of working hard, giving your heart and soul, and at the same time flowing on a stage, doing what you like (in pain).
When I watch performances of ballet, it really touches me, because seeing a baillarina flowing on the stage, like a flower flying in the wind is beautifully amazing! Seeing a baillarina dancing free while she hides her pain is beautiful. Ballet is pain, but beautiful.
I think this kind of dance gathers two extrems, both lightness and pain! It's painful because you gotta use point, several hours a day, and sometimes your feet might end hurt. That hurt wasn't so much, but was enough to realize how worth was that pain.
That's why to be a ballerina is to few people. It's for those ones who never give up and really love dancing! 

Here comes a video of both ballet dancers, Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg, performing Pas De Deux of Voices of Spring! Watch it! It's worth it!

Happiness

Happiness. That little word is what milion and milion of people look for. That little word. Is there a way to be happy?! Is there only one way to be happy?!
I think happiness depends on a lot from person to person. Each one of us has a story of live and even though you find people who went through the same situation you aren't the same, believe me. Even though every child go to school every day at the same time, wearing the same clothes, they will feel different feelings. That's because anyone is the same, we can be similar, but not the same. 
That's why I think to reach and feel happy is different for every single person! Depends a lot on how we see the world, too. I mean, if you like helping people, you'll be so happy doing that. But I am not talking about this happy. No, I'm talking about the feeling you have everyday when you open your window in the morning. I'm talking about what you feel when you pick your child up at school and they tell you what they did all day. I'm talking about what you feel when you first made dinner! All those situations like watching the sunset, listening to your favourite song, planning your travel, studying to reach what you want... All these situation and a lot more like those, make me feel only one thing. It makes me feel happy! These little things we do probably everyday, yeah, they might be so boring sometimes, but I gotta admit they make me feel happy! 

Have you found your happiness today?!

Unforgettable

Sometimes people try to present their loved ones, hoping they'll be remembered forever. People think that they deserve to have good memories and to be presented. However, the best and hugest present you can ever give to anyone is you presence when they need someone to lean on! If you are this person in someone's life, you'll unforgettable for her! Even more than that fancy gifts, or anything. Your presence is the best thing you can give someone.

After this, watch the video below! I wish I had put a glee version, but that video just was to small to be played :(

 

Love!

Few days ago I had the idea to publish some quotes and proverbs about love. Here it is!

"Love conquers all things." 

Virgil

"Love is blind."

English proverb

"Marry in haste. Repent at leisure."

English proverb

"When a girl marries, she exchanges the attention of many men for the inattention of one."

Helen Rowland, American writer

"Marriage is like a dull meal with the dessert at the beginning."

Henri, Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec

Moderation!

Humans have everything they could ever want. We are creatures very lucky that have plenty of opportunities and options right ahead us. What I am talking about is restaurants, squares, parks, movies and even stores.
We all live in a neighborhood, in a city, which is part of a country. In San Francisco, for example, there are a couple of neighborhoods and every single one has lots of different restaurants, stores, museums, squares and like so on. I'm sure all over the city there are restaurants of all kinds. Cheap, expensive ones, small, big, great, bad and like so on. Now my point is if you try to eat in every restaurant at one week, you'd be full and it wouldn't be healthy. So, you don't have to eat in every single restaurant to have a good meal, you only have to eat moderately. That's because you have to eat when you really want to have a meal, and that's when you body is ready to get the food. Otherwise you'll be even fuller and guilty.
The fact that every single neighborhood has lots of different and unique restaurants in one way amazes be a lot. However, you cannot eat in every single one. So, the most you can do is pick some up and try them moderately, because if so, you will value the experience and the food you have. Enjoy!

Sunrise!

Instagram photo: claranotes

 

Do you remember last time I was in SF I watched the sunset on my last days?

 

If you don't, here are the pics. So, this time I decided to watch the sunrise!

 

How did I have this idea? On my last days in SF last time I thought "what are some things that I haven't done yet and I have to do before leaving?" Watch the sunrise and the sunset came up in my mind. Last time I had planned on watching the sunrise too, but it turned out and I only watched the sunset. Which was magnificent!

 

So, this time I did watch the sunrise! It was an unique experience because I had to wake up really early, take more jackets than what I usually wear, take the muni, find the best spot to take pics and wait to see the beautiful natural phenomenon that happens every day! I had never seen the sunrise before!

 

The bridge that you see in the photos is the Bay Bridge. However the bridge in the photos of the sunset is the Golden Gate Bridge!

 

Have you ever watched the sunset? What about the sunrise?

Skill!

Growing up is the skill to accept your past and go toward the unknown future.

Worth Taking

Yesterday I changed some settings and in my opinion the blog ended up being much better. What a stupid person I was being. You know why? Because all that time, I was quite unsatisfied with the white-color of the letters and gray of the background. However, I didn't even try to change before because I was afraid everything would get even worse. I basically let the fear take over the situation. Bad.
But yesterday I thought that if I didn't try, it would never ever change. But if I tried to change, there would have a chance to get worse, but there would hopefully have a chance to get better. I would never have  found out, if I hadn't tried. Honestly I was afraid of losing all settings that were up.
Despite everything, I took the risk and changed practically every setting! Colors, background, added gadgets. Look at the result now! Much better, isn't it? It may not be the way I was thinking, but it is way better than it was. Do you know why it is the way it is? Because I knew there was a risk, but in the end I didn't let it keep me from changing. I risked and succeeded.
I can take a big lesson out of it. When you are in an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation, where you are unsatisfied with, you have to take the risk of making it better. If you don't, it will never change and you'll keep unhappy. Worse than it is, it won't get. The risk is worth taking.

:)

Goal

Life is definitely full of options as things to do, places to go, things to try and like so one. Once you are born you are supposedly the one who makes your choices and gets interest in specific things. My point is you can do, investigate, search for, whatsoever you want, because life is full of it. However, even with all those things to do, that you might be interested, you'll have nothing if you don't pick one. Setting goals and follow your interests are everything, because life is full of good things that you can search for, but if you don't set a goal, you'll have nothing.
2013 just began and it's full of opportunities. However it depends only on you to take them or not. What are you waiting for?

@sanfranotes

Little things matter

12.31.2012 The last monday of the year.

All mondays are known by the laziness feeling that the weekend always leaves behind. Mondays are the kind of day that no one wants to come, but today, this monday, is the last monday and also the last day of the year. People, or particularly me, love December, because it's time to celebrate and think about the whole year. It's time to realize that every single monday had an effect, and maybe if I had been just a little bit more responsible and interested in what matters, at the end of the year all the effort would likely result in a huge and much better year.
This year I definitely learned that little things matter and if you start doing little things every day, at the end of the week, month or hopefully year you'll have reached or gotten something you thought it was a pie in the sky. I know that it is the last day of the year and in few hours another fresh and new year is going to begin. Just all over again. Time is a little thing that we cannot stop, on the contrary, it can stop us, whenever it wants, but we can make our time whatever we want. So, why don't you start to take on that stuff that you've been dying to do so because you fear it? Or, why don't you start to read 10 pages per day, then at the end of the year you'll have read more than three thousand pages?
You still have few hours left to make a list of the things that will be changed in the next 365 days! Be careful not to set impossible targets, and instead, start writing simple things that really matter to you. After a while, you can add more things and little by little you'll have things done that seemed impossible before. Little things do matter. Think about it ;)

Happy New Year!

Buena Vista Park!

Hey! How have you been?

Few weeks ago I went to Buena Vista Park! I enjoyed very much because it was a beautiful day and I had a picknick right on the top! The park is very high and because of that it was kind of fresh. 

I had a short breakfast, headed down on Safeway and went all the way through the park. I picked up all you can see above. I've always liked parks because they are relaxing, wooded and nice. I've also liked to have the kind of strong breakfast in a relaxing place. So, I guess I just mixed both and liked so much the day! 

The park has a beautiful view of the city, including the Golden Gate Bridge!

Don't you know where it is? Click here to see the map.

Don't you think spending the day over there is a great idea? :)

Hope you can go there and enjoy as much as I did!

Shape

The funniest thing in this total mess, that some people call life is everyone has his unique life, but every single life is shaped by each one's experiences.

Will it!

July 2011

I was through a tough time. My grades weren't as good as I expected and I confess by that time I had given up on that. It was the middle of the year, so technically I still had time to change it, but the more I tried to do better, the more things turned to be harder. English was my worst mark. I had achieved my worst mark in all years of school. I really had no idea of what I was supposed to learn. I knew I was going to fail. There almost was nothing left to do. That's the point. Almost.

My parents and I felt we should make a decision. By that time, they had been called to go to school to talk to the teacher a couple of times. They already knew what they would talk about. That wasn't so difficult to predict at all.

Then, my father changed me to another school. This time, it was smaller one. Although it seemed to be nice. 

I knew that was probably the right thing to do. 

December 2011

After six months studying as hard as I should have studied in the whole year, I got all my grades very high. I even broke my record, since 2008 I hadn't had high grades at first. About english, I started having particular English classes with an awesome teacher. Which I am very grateful for had. Well, I guess that was the beginning of a new stage, I could feel it.
I took off vacation, saw snow for the first time in my life and relaxed. I knew there was a possibility of coming to U.S. to spend 2012 studying abroad. Although there wasn't nothing definitely set, I did know that even if I didn't go to study abroad, I'd have to starting taking English a little more serious. I knew I would have to change for the next year, because I had reached such a bad situation, that I will never want to repeat.

July 2012

I had been living in California about four months. I have to admit that the moment I knew I was gonna live in US I freaked out. My previous year hadn't been that great and I had no idea how things would turn out.
Since I got in SF lots of things changed. One of them, and I guess the first one off top my head, is that people speak in English and it's real. It sounds like the silliest thing in the world, but that's true. If you speak a good English, you technically are able to speak with other people from different countries. That's fantastic!
I decided to learn by listening to musics, watching movies, talking to people. Surprisingly, after few months I was able to speak English!!

December 2012

What else can I want? I speak in English, lived abroad, have read several books in English, have two blogs and a lot else.
When I look back to what happened to me I though if that really had to happen, to change me. I don't know the answer. Maybe. I am sure about one thing, which is everything happens for a reason. Even though you are through a though time, things can and will change.
By the time my grades were as bad as it had never been, I figured I had to focus on changing me and them, instead of wasting my time with regret.
One year after that experience, I can say that things happen with you to make you be a better you. Instead of looking down, I admit I had to change. That's sometimes what needs to happen, admit your situation and focus on changing it for better. You can change anything you want, you just have to will it. ;)

The pain of today might make you smile tomorrow.

The Choice!

Every time I pick up some book and start to read it, I hope that after the last word some good message is added to me. I've read many books by Nicholas Sparks and I've got completely involved with all of them. The last one I read is "The Choice"and I was playing until the last word. All the time I thought "Oh, that's the big choice!" another one came up making me realize I was wrong. After words, chapters, pages and tears I got what's the choice.
Even if you have never been through anything similar with the book, which is unlikely, I doubt you wouldn't like this book. It amazed me since the first word!!!
I remember when I took the book, and for the very first hours it was heavier in the right side, because most pages hadn't been turned over yet. And I also remember the last minutes of reading, when there weren't almost any pages left, and the book was heavier in the left side. I guess I kind of like this kind of thing, even though in the beginning I want to read fast to get it over, and in the end I want to slow down and make it last a little more.
I could spend hours writting about how much I like this book as I like Nicholas Sparks, but I don't want it to last longer. Just one last thing. The whole book turns around this question: How far should you go to keep the hope of love alive?
Read the book! It's worth it!

Friends

All my life, many friends have come in and gone out of it. There are the ones who I haven't talked to for four years or so, there are others who I have seen for eight months. Doesn't matter what was the reason of the drift, all of them has taught me that life is much more funny when you have someone to share things with. They might have brought on some sorrow to your life, but the great moments were worth it! Weren't they?! Believe me, that's what matters! Even though you brought some sorrow onto their lives. You know, anything is everlasting, but if it made you feel good even once, it's worth it!
If I had a chance to live all the experiences again, I guess I wouldn't do that. You might be thinking "isn't it worth it enough to go through again?!" Yes, but life has to go by, and as it does we have to go on, too.
People will go out of your life and then, when it happens you've got to let anothers come in there. Moreover you have to let yourself believe that new good experiences are coming! You have to remember you cannot know how long someone will stay with you, but you cannot use that as an excuse to isolate from others. Moments are much more funny when you have someone beside you. And if someday this one is not there anymore, it's time to let others cheer you up again.
I dare to say it's like a circle that you cannot stop nor predict it.

What do you think!? Have you let people cheer you up lately?!

@sanfranotes

Camera Obscura!

I wrote about Fort Point here and over there, there is a camera obscura! On this post I am explaining why the image turns over!

In the past, the people didn't have cameras to take pictures, so the solution to record things was by drawing!

If you escaped of the physical lessons, don't worry, The first image that I put,  can help you to understand what I'm going to explain. When you're in a room with a small hole, the image gets in, and after that it turns over and ends up upside down!! It is a optical phenomenon and that's exactly what happened on the second pic!

I promised that I had come back to the Fort Point and I'd taken a picture inside the camera obscura! So, the second photo is the Golden Gate Bridge upside down! That experience for me was strange because it looked like a painting in motion! It's unique!

This exhibition in the Fort Point is over, however there is a camera obscura near Cliff House!

Hope you got my explanation! @sanfranotes

Legion on Honor!

Hi!

I have been to Legion of Honor and it's such a beautiful and amazingly incredible place!! There are beautiful paintings in realistic style. There were a couple of paintings, that were so realistic, that I felt like that images were real. There are many sculptures too, but I am not a big fan of them.

What I most liked is definitely the amazing pairings and the big rooms where they were.

I truly recommend you go there!! It's so worth it; and even if you aren't a big fan of museums, I think you should go.

Here are some pics!!

If I could choose only one museum to go again, I'd choose Legion of Honor surely. I love so much that place!

Free Monthly Museums Day!

Free Museums on Tuesday 12/04/2012:

• SF Museum of Modern Art (MOMA):

Where: 151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
What time: 11am - 5:45pm
Exhibition: Modern art including paintings, sculpture, photography, design, architecture and like so on.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Fq15q

• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA):

Where: 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

What time: 12pm - 8pm

Exhibition: focused on contemporary and emerging artists, performances, film/video and community engagement programs.

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/oZiJQ

• Contemporary Jewish Museum

Where: 736 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

What time: 11am - 5pm

Exhibition: audiences and programs that explore the Jewish culture, history art and ideas. 

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/4AiJ9

• Conservatory of Flowers

Where: 100 John F Kennedy Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118-4504 (at Golden Gate Park)

What time: 10am - 4:30pm (last entry at 4pm)

Exhibition: there are over 1,700 species of rare, exotic and endangered plants from different countries.

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/PBTp8

Other post about it: here

• de Young Museum

Where: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA

What time: 9:30am - 5:15pm

Exhibition: collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries. Besides, art from Africa and the Pacific. 

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/3NKFd

• Legion of Honor

Where: 100 34th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121

What time: 9:30am - 5pm

Exhibition: displays of collections of 4,000 years ago of ancient and European art.

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Ni1tu

Map with all locations is right here! 

Hope it's useful! Hope you have fun today! :)

Feelings

Why are some events so unforgettable?! Why are there days that people never forget?! Why are there these outstanding days in everyone's life?! Well, I guess I know the answer. Let me explain, but first let's imagine we are robots. We are built to do tasks and whatever we should do. When a mission fails, we are programmed to do the next thing right. Occasionally, if we do something unneeded, we can just erase it in the blink of an eye. It sounds very easy to forget wrong things and to reach new goals, once you are made to do only what has to be done.
Let's imagine humans now. We all know that everyone does make mistakes, even though it's the last thing we want to happen. So, let's imagine that someone makes a mistake that is very serious. How do you think this person will be?! At least disappointed. She might want to forget it and move forward, but my question is: is that gonna be as fast as the click on a botton?! Absolutely not. You know why?! Because humans have feelings and this eight-letter-word changes everything! If a robot makes a mistake, which would be rare because it is not made to do so, it would forget it in the click of one botton, yes, delete it!
There are some days in everyone's life which are very special, because they involved our feelings. Doesn't matter wether you cried or laughed, if it can be forgotten, that's because it involved your feelings so much. That's why it can be hard to just forget things, because we probably did that with our heart and soul, and if it fails, we want to know why. It's the nature of the humans.