Mommy by Agnaldo Timoteo

She is the owner of everything,
she is the queen of the home
She's worth more to me
Than the sky, the land and the sea

She is the most beautiful word that one day the poet wrote
She is the treasure that the poor received from the hands of The Lord

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy
You're the reason of my days
You are made of love and hope

Ai, ai, ai Mommy
I grew up, I lost my way
I Get back to you and feel like a child

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy
I remember the slipper in hand
The apron all dirty with eggs
If I could I would, one more time, Mommy,
Start it all all over again

I wish, I wish with all my heart

... That I could hibernate from November to May.

It's cold out there. It is really cold. The thermometer reads 26 F. In my brain, that sounds kind of like this:
26 F! That's below zero in normal degrees!

By normal degrees I mean Celcius, the scale in which my mind was taught to think. In the scale my mind was taught to think anything below 25 (80F)  is too cold. In the scale my mind was taught to think, zero (32F) means the armagedon. Now 26 F? That's below zero! What comes after armagedon? the Mayan apocalypse? The end of the world? Fire and brimstone? .... no... no, fire and brimstone actually sounds better that what is outside right now.

That's when I think of bears. Bears are so smart! They don't have to deal with this whole mess! They go into their little lair and hibernate. I wish I could hibernate like they do.

Why? Because the simple thought of leaving my house is so terrifying that start to cry. No, I am not using figure of speech, I actually cry every time I have to leave the house this time of year.

As if the idea that I can't just put on a spagetthi strapped shirt and a pair of shorts and slip into flip-flops whenever I want to leave the house wasn't terrifying enough, there's the fact that, no matter what I put on, I will be too cold!

If I could leave the house in my cozy jammies, wrapped in my sleeping bag, which would be stuffed with cozy blankets, and I could keep my head buried in it at all times, maybe I would be fine. But I actually have to get dressed. And guess what! Every single piece of clothes I put on seems to have been pulled out of a freezer! Not to mention the fact that anywhere other than under my bed covers is way - way - way colder than the cut-off temperature at which I would even be allowed to play outside when I was a kid. So basically going outside at such horrific temperatures is going against everything I was taught to be the right thing to do.

Now put your brain inside my brain and tell me - would you not cry like a baby as well?

From a Proud Brazilian to Americans

I don't understand today's America. I'm originally from Brazil. My home country has been a mess for as long as I can remember. But it was ok to be proud of being Brazilian. The one thing we had to be proud of was soccer. We were proud of it. I'm still proud of being a Brazilian. I always will be. Just bc that is the place that made me who I am. The place where I'm from. The place where I've learned to be a person. It might not be the best place in the world, it might not be perfect. But I'm proud of it. We don't accept people coming to our country and saying our flag and our traditions offend them. So why is it not cool for Americans to be proud of their country? Americans, silly Americans, who said you're supposed to be ashamed of who you are? Who said your country isn't worth it. This is a great country. People from all over the world want to be here. To make it here. Be proud of being American. It's ok to be proud of your country. It's ok to love your country above all else. Even if you weren't that great. But you are. Look how much your countrymen have done through the years. Look how much they've brought to the world. It's ok to be proud of that. I'm am American today, but I know I will never have as much love for this country as those of you who were born and raised here. This place taught you to be who you are. So be proud. Be obnoxiously proud. It's your country.

what if you only had a day left?

I often hear people say, "live each day as if it were your last". With the whole end of the world hype that we had last week, a lot of people gave that thought a lot of consideration.
I did too. And I came to the conclusion that, if I were to live each day as if it were my last I'd be fat and unemployed. I mean, why would I hold back on chocolate and other yummy things if tomorrow i'd be gone from this body?And why would I wake up early and go to work and put up with everything one must put up with at work in order to keep being allowed to come back the next day? Someone answer me, please? Why?
"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die." That would be my philosophy.
Why should I live a life of responsibilities? Responsibility is all about the future. I will do A, B and C because if I don't I won't have a roof over my head, I won't have teeth, I won't have health, I won't have clothes, and I will need all of those things if I want to keep on living a few more years.
A care free life is not a life of happiness. Quite simply put, a care free life is an irresponsible life. Living for today ignoring the existence of a tomorrow is the stupidest thing anyone can do. Just about as stupid as a life that ignores that very real possibility of death.
I know I might die tomorrow. There is a very good chance that happens. But I also know there is a very good chance I might live a long life, and I don't want to live each day of a long life putting up with the consequences of living each day s if it were my last.
If I knew the world was going to end on 12-21-12, I would have quite my job. I would max out my credit card buying anything I wanted to buy, I would eat all the treats I typically control. Because I would know for a fact that there would be no pink slip, no bills, no extra pounds - none of that at the end of the month.
If you are a Christian, you know we'd be in heaven. If you're not a believer of any sort, that means we would all just be dead. So it doesn't even matter what you believe it would happen, one way or the other the consequences of all those wild actions would not be there.
Part of the reason why we lead responsible lives is that we know the consequences of an irresponsible, self-gratifying life.
Please, if you want to live a long life without getting yourself into all sorts of trouble, don't live each day as if it was your last. That's just stupid. Just live each day knowing there's a 50/50 chance you might live another 100 years, as well as you might be gone tomorrow. Prepare for both.

Scary dream

So, going to bed late isn't enough, I have to wake up half way through my close-to-nothing hours of sleep with a scary dream.
It was a confusing dream to start with. It was all one building - the school, my house, the mall, a dining lounge of a hotel with a swimming pool downstairs... And it seemed like the place was haunted. It had an aura like the one of that Tower of Terror ride from Disney Holywood Studios. First I was scolding some students for getting themselves in trouble. Next I was in this dinding lounge. For a minute there it seamed like I was in a train's dining lounge. Well, since it was haunted, there were monsters and ghosts around. By the end of the day, I was at home with my husband in the computer. Then we heard steps coming into the computer room. It felt normal. When it's night time, people are supposed to be arriving in the house. And, in our house, when someone arrives they walk into the room where there are other people. What didn't occurr to my dreaming mind was that , the only person that should be arriving in my house and walking into my computer room should be my husband. My husband, however, was sitting right at the computer with me. So we heard the steps and waited for a familiar face to show up at the door as if it were the most common thing in the world that someone else arrived at our house. Dad walked in and looked at us. No, the fact that dad passed away last year did not freak me out. It is common for children to be home and dad to arrive from work at night. That was all I had in my mind.
But here's when I freaked out:
"hi, dad," I smiled.
No answer. Just a blank stare. That was when it occurred to me, maybe dad was a zombie. He just stared.
"dad, for real, you're freaking me out. It seems like you're a zombie. ... Dad, just say something. .... ... D-Dad, quit the blank stare and say something. You're really scaring me. ... Dad? ... Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" That's when I realized he was some sort of zombie and that we had no place to run, considering we were on the second floor and the only thing dad wasn't blocking was a window. That's when I heard Dean's voice, "Sweetie,wake up! You're having a scary dream."
I had woken him up with my heavy breathing, and it was still a while before I was able to calm down.
And then he wonders why I freak out when he does zombie sounds!

Don't politicize this

From the beginning I and several others have been asking people to avoid politicizing this tragedy and make it about gun control. Many people strongly believe one way or the other. I do too. And I have been trying hard to avoid making political statements. I have even deleted a repost after thinking it might be too political. Is it the time for that kind of discussion? Lives were lost and families are mourning. Should we use their pain to serve our agenda, instead of simply joining them on their mourning? They are not statistics. They are not a parable. They are real people in real unthinkable pain. They need comfort and sympathy. Something any of us would want at a time like this.
Unfortunately the president of this country has already set the bad example with his speech yesterday. I wish for once, he could give a speech of comfort and didn't try to push an agenda. When you are elected by a divided nation, you should try to bring people together, not put them up in arms (forgive the unfortunate figure of speech) against each other. I'm very disappointed at how that which started a beautiful speech ended as a political statement. He missed a good chance to bring his nation together. Instead, he used others' pain to introduce his plan. How unworthy. Never let a good crisis go to waste, eh, Mr. President.
But I still hope other people will allow families to mourn before they start with the we should/not have guns discussion.

Cruelty

Cruelty is always an evil thing - against property, against plants, against animals, against people... But cruelty against children is about the worst thing I can think of. Why do people do that?
Shooting a kindergarten class? I know humans are fallen sinners but I keep finding myself amazed as to how low we can fall.
Most of us have children, or younger siblings, or some of us are teachers (according to what I was taught - moms from school). I'm sure we are all crushed by such a horrendous event.

I'm look back at the awful event in Brazil, when carjackers dragged a little 6 year old boy for about 3 miles just bc he had gotten stuck by the seat belting the car they were trying to take. How low can we fall?

How low can a race of sinners fall? The amazing thing though shouldn't be that we can fall that low, but that most of us actually don't. God's mercy still keeps in humans the ability to care for each other.

In this fallen world nothing should surprise us. But it still hurts. Nothing but the assurance that God is greater than all evil and that he is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalms 46:1 KJV) will keep us from despairing at times like these.

Gems from school

Sometimes we hear funny things from little people. Here's a few select ones from school:

---

Student: This is torture! (after hearing several compliments about her hair)
Me: do you know what that means?
Student: no. It's from I Carly.
Me: it's something bad that someone does to you over and over and over again.
Student: oh, like what Sam does to Freddie?
Me: well, more like when you guys talk non-stop all the time that the teacher is trying to teach. THAT is torture!
Student: oh.

---
I say I don't think it's appropriate to say I love you I a student. I love my family, my friends. I care about my students. Love? No, love is something else. But every now and then words come out without thinking. Introducing Awkward School Moments:
Students running after me after being dropped off in homeroom
Me: What are you doing? Go back to your classroom?
Student: but I love you!
Me: ok, I love you too. Now go back to the classroom.
Student: ok.

---

Student: Mis, witches are real, did you know that?
Me (sarcastic laugh): sweetie, I don't believe in witches.
Student makes crying face: no?
Me: no. But I'm pretty sure they are real.
Student (confused): what?
Other student: She always says that!
Darn! Students are beginning to catch up on my weirdness.

-----

Student(pointing to classmate): Mis, tell him something!
Me: Something!

-----

Student (walks up almost to my face): I have strep throat.
Me (backing up slowly making sure no part of me touches anything that might be touching the student): honey, you're not supposed to be in school. Go to the office and let them know that. .

Trade your dog for a homeless child

I watched a video about PETA's wacky demands yesterday. The video mentioned that they were upset because during the aftermath of the storm, people were being saved in detriment of animals! Are you for real?
I always thought of PETA as a good, reasonable animal protection society. However, of this video is true, I guess I was wrong. I had no idea they did wacky things like that.
Now I'm here wondering what PETA would say about this famous Brazilian rock song sang by Eduardo Dusek that goes "trade your dog for a homeless child".
"With people things are different," goes another song. Face the truth, people are more important than animals.
How come fertilized animal eggs are protected as if they were sacred material? Are they more important than fertilized human eggs who can be destroyed in the name of choice?

I love animals too, and I don't think they should be treated with cruelty. But, yes, a homeless child should have precedence over a pet.

I don't think that the rocker guy was saying that we should all just dump our pets. But why spend millions on our dear animals while letting children go hungry in the streets?

Whose side are we on when we care more for the well being of another species than that of our own? Does the word self-preservation mean anything to the human race?

"With people things are different"

Accident in Japan

9 people died in their cars in Japan. How? The roof of a tunnel fell in. They were just driving, on their way to work, to a friend's house, to a vacation, to a special dinner, who knows!
The roof fell in, three cars were smashed and caught on fire. What an awful way to die. And, just like that, nine lives were taken... How many families are crying now?
This just goes to show how fragile our lives are. One minute we are here. The next minute we are gone. How many times a day do we dodge death by a few seconds?
And yet, we live as if our lives are so certain. We are so foolish! Why are we not on our knees everyday, thanking God for another day he spared us? And why don't we live each day as if it were our last? I mean, the best way possible, as if in a second we would have to give an account of our actions to a higher authority, aka God?

Me? A mom? Yeah, right.

So, after four years of marriage I still say,"children? I'm too young for that. We'll think about it in 5 years."
Some days though I wake up thinking, "man, I think I'm ready to raise a kiddo." then the next moment reason hits me,"what are you saying, crazy girl?"
The thing is I'm slowing coming to grips with the idea.
The idea of childbirth is not what scares me the most. Neither the fear that I will screw up on the whole child-raising thing ... badly. No, no, no.
I'm mostly scared of no longer being the center of attention. Once you have kids you become Mom and Dad. Yup, that's your new names. Even your friends will call you that. I'm not ready for that. I like being Vika. Cute Vika. The only daughter and granddaughter Vika. Everyone's little girl Vika.
Once babies come, Vika is just going to be the mom of the new cute stuff in the fam.
I'm not making that up. I was told. I was told, "enjoy your privileges now, bc when our grandchild comes, everything that used to go to you will go to the baby".
That means the attention, the gifts, the special treatment, the spotlight. Where did it go? Baby took it!
I'm not ready for that.

Most critical election?

I laugh at the power the people give the elections and, by the same token, the president. I think that it is important to be mindful when you vote. I do believe the person in charge makes a difference. But hey, has anyone ever heard the saying "each people gets the government they deserve"? The president will not change the course of history. The people will. It is the mindset of the people that elects the president. So the person elected to be in power will reflect the thinking of the constituents. The president will not change America. America will choose the president that is more like the majority of the voting Americans. Nuff said.

Trade your dog for a homeless child

I watched a video about PETA's wacky demands yesterday. I always thought of PETA as a good, reasonable animal protection society. I guess I was wrong. I had no idea they did so many wacky things.
Now I'm here wondering what PETA would say about this famous Brazilian rock song sang by Eduardo Dusek that goes "trade your dog for a homeless child".
"People are different," goes another song. Face the truth, people are more important than animals.
How come fertilized animal eggs are protected as if they were sacred material? Are they more important than fertilized human eggs who can be destroyed in the name of choice?

I love animals too, and I don't think they should be treated with cruelty. But, yes, a homeless child should have precedence over a pet.

I don't think that the rocker guy was saying that we should all just dump our pets. But why spend millions on our dear animals while letting children go hungry in the streets?

Whose side are we on when we care more for the well being of another species than that of our own? Does the word self-preservation mean anything to the human race?

"People are different"

Ayrton Senna from Brazil!

To end the children's month with a golden key, another one of my childhood. I'm here watching a documentary about Ayrton Senna and crying my eyes out... Nostalgia ... I miss that wonderful jingle along with Galvão Bueno's scream, "Ayrton Senna from Brazil!" Any Brazilian who lived in the 80's or 90's remembers this famous line.

Senna was our hero. He started as a nobody.  Upper-middle class boy, it is true, but a nobody from a third world country in the world of Formula 1. He stood out in karting, then came to Formula 1 in 84 and soon showed everyone he had come to stay. He surprised everyone with his geniality. In wet circuits, he was king. He won three world championships and more pole positions than any racing driver in history. Ayrton became the great phenomenon of Formula 1. He was a fighter who came, saw and conquered. But he never forgot Brazil, this suffering and injusticed country. Our flag was something he always carried with pride. The rich boy didn't even forget the poor of his country. In secret, he donated fortunes to our poor children, and when he was still alive, created what would be called the Instituto Ayrton Senna.

Can I imagine my childhood without seeing Senna racing - and winning? I can not. Sunday was the day to go to church and watch Ayrton win. Win and carry, with pride, our flag with him. At a time when we had so little to be proud of in this country, every victory of his was a victory of the Brazilian people.

And those of us who lived through the 90s will never forget the words of Roberto Cabrini, "Ayrton Senna da Silva is dead. News we never wanted to give. Ayrton Senna da Silva is dead." A black day in the history of Brazil. A black day in my history.

He was gone so early, but he left his mark on every Brazilian - the message that we who are born on this Tupiniquim land can be somebody.

Senna was and always will be the great hero of my childhood.

Elections here and there

Elections for mayor in Salvador were held yesterday. The winner was ACM III, the grandson of a man who used to be called the boss of Bahia. People voted for him because he "robbed, but he got the job done". Considering that elections for president in America are coming up, I figured I'd write here a little bit of what I thought about what happened there:

The jingle of the ACM Senior went like this, - "Do you remember me? I've never seen you so lonely. Cuddle of mine, darling of mine, my Bahia!"

From what I saw yesterday on facebook, ACM III could have sung the same jingle in these elections. Everyone was so desperate with the deteriorating condition of this beautiful caiptal of Bahia, that ACM III was celebrated as a hero simply for being elected.

I have not been following the politics of Bahia. But I have been hearing about the abuses of the dirty politics game that has been played there.
I never liked that old story from ACM's time : he robs, but he gets the job done. Admitting that you're a thief is little better than gross jerkiness.

But I know that in the real world nobody is 100% good. In fact, according to the word of God, no one is good, no one does good. So I believe that instead of saying "he robs, but he gets the job done", let's say "the lesser of two evils". Hopefully this elected mayor is a politician who fights for the interests of the city and do what is best for the citizens of Salvador.

But by the same philosophy that no one is 100% good, let's not forget that politics is no hero, no politician brings salvation of the fatherland. I do not care who you voted for - your candidate is not a hero. Is not and never will be. Let's not admit it is ok to rob! He gets the job done? Ok, so let's get him in power and keep an eye on him so that he will not rob ... much.

You citizen, you who went and voted and celebrated your victory at the polls, and even you who, I-don't-know-why-on-earth, have voted for the other guy, you still have a job to do, your civic duty is not over yet.

Watch, demand, criticize what deserves criticism and praise what deserves praise. Do not swallow their pills, do not sit back and hope, do not wait for the next four years. Know your councilors, write to them expressing your opinion, be informed and make your voice heard. And if your voice is not heard during the rule of these men, leave a message at the polls in the next election. But do not wait until then to act again.

Politics is part of life for a community. Citizens who are politicized is the essential part of a democracy. Only politicized citizens will not let politics turn into a dirty game. Only with politicized citizens will the men placed in power not do what they want to us. Only with politicized citizens will we build a democracy that's evolved and honored.

Seeing the American and Brazilian politics through history, I realize that when citizens are not apathetic to public life, men placed in power understand that they have to answer to a higher power- their constituents.

I end this post with a great truth which I've heard all my life:
The fate of those who are not interested in politics is to be controlled by those who are interested. Do you want to be controlled by others whose moral and good manners you doubt? Or would be interested and keep them under control?

Beatles copying Justin Bieber?

this was reposted by a friend of mine on facebook:

And this was the answer some dude gave on a comment:

Your full question was:

Are the Beatles copying Justin bieber?

I was thinking, the beatles have copied justins haircut, musical style and numerous other things. Isn't this illegal?

Let's break it down, shall we?

Q: Are the Beatles copying Justin bieber?

A: No.

Q: I was thinking,

A: No, you were NOT thinking.

Q: the beatles have copied justins haircut, musical style and numerous other things.

A: The Beatles had the haircut which I assume you mean circa 1963 to 1966. Justin Bieber was not yet born in 1967.

Q: Isn't this illegal?

A: Assuming the style had actually been copied, NO, it would NOT be illegal. Twisted Sister wore makeup. KISS wore makeup before THAT. Alice Cooper, T Rex et. al. wore makeup even earlier. Musical style was copied from The Beatles? Hardly. The Beatles rock, Justin Bieber sucks. Enough said about the musical "style" of Justin Bieber.

Little 12 year old girls love Justin Bieber's "music". Granted, many 12 year old girls loved (and love) The Beatles' music. However...if a 17 year old guy were to say then (or now) that he thought The Beatles were great, many would express agreement. Should a 17 year old guy say Justin Bieber were great he would (after being laughed at, ostracised, et cetera) have his sexuality called into question. Comparing Justin Bieber to The Beatles is like comparing apples to something that is NOTHING like an apple. Claiming that The Beatles "copied" Justin Bieber is like claiming that Ludwig von Beethoven "copied" Reginald Dwight (Elton John). Should that analogy have gone over your head, please note that Ludwig von Beethoven lived in the late 18th century to the early 19th century, whereas Elton John began in the late 20th century and continues into the early 21st century. However, that analogy lacks something. Mainly the fact that for it to be a really APT analogy, one would ALSO have to assume that Elton John is an untalented hack. In conclusion, it hardly seems likely that The Beatles somehow managed to travel through time, see Justin Bieber, and basically say, "This bloke's 'music' is horrible!!! But, little 12 year old girls seem to like him. Here's a thought! Let's go back to our own time and emulate him so we can be popular." Assuming that this DID in fact happen, The Beatles mucked up. They actually got people with musical taste to like their music, rather than simply tone deaf 12 year old girls with no musical taste. Brian Epstein (The Beatles' manager), while trying to get The Beatles a recording contract, would tell the prospective agent that "The Beatles willl be bigger than Elvis" (Presley). Many managers in the 1960's would say that about artists whom they were trying to get contracts. Brian Epstein was the only manager to make the statement about his artist and be proven right. The Beatles copied Justin Bieber? Hardly.

Camp is good and bad

Today the weather reminded me of mornings at camp.
I like and I don't like thinking about camp.
It's good because it brings back such wonderful memories.
It's bad because I know I will never have them back.
There's nothing about my childhood and teenage years that I miss more than camp.

Brazilians and the temperatures

Transcription from you tube.

85 º F or moreBaianos (people from Bahia) go to the beach, dance, sing and eat acarajé.Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) go to the beach and play soccer.Mineiros (people from Minas Gerais) eat cheese in the shade.All the Paulistas (people from São Paulo) are in Santos, facing 2-hour queues in bakeries and supermarkets in the region.Gauchos (people from Rio Grande do Sul) deplete the stocks of sunscreen.

75 º FBaianos do not let the kids outside after 5 PM because of the cold wind.Cariocas go to the beach, but do not enter the water, because it is too cold.Mineiros eat cowboy's beans.Paulistas have barbecues in their coastal homes in Santos, but no longer go in the water.Gauchos complain about the heat and make no effort due to physical exhaustion.

70 º FBaianos change the showers to position 'Winter' (hot water in an electric shower)!Cariocas wear a sweatshirt.Mineiros begin drinking rum by the wood stove.Paulistas decide to come home from Santos, and traffic turns into that well-known hell.Gauchos go sunbathing in the Redenção park.

60 º FBaianos tremble uncontrollably from the cold.Cariocas gather to eat fondue.Mineiros continue drinking rum by the wood stove.Paulistas are still stuck in traffic jams on the way back from Santos.Gauchos begin to drive with the windows down, because there's a fresh air outside.

50 º FBahia declares state of emergency.Cariocas use full-length coats, wool under-pants, gloves and wool hats.Mineiros continue drinking rum and put more wood in the stove.Paulistas have already arrived from Santos and go all to the same pizza place in the same mall causing traffic jam in the city.Gauchos consider the possibility of putting on long sleeve shirts.

40 º FBahia enters Armageddon.Mayor César Maia launches Rio's bid for the Winter Olympics.Mineiros continue drinking their rum and add some mulled wine, still by the wood stove.Paulistas crowd hospitals and clinics due to diseases caused by temperature inversions.Gauchos shut the windows of the house.

32 ° FLife in Bahia or the entire Northeast is now extinct.In Rio, Cesar Maia wears 7 coats and launches 'Snowboarding in Rio'.Mineiros enter alcoholic coma by the wood stove.Paulistas do not leave home and give high levels of audience to Luciana Gimenes TV shows.Gauchos get ready to barbecue in the courtyard, before it gets cold.Source: http://bobagento.com/brasileiros-em-varias-temperaturas/

Peter Pan and the Nutty Boy

October 12 is Children's Day in Brazil. Just another excuse for candies and toys ... until Mom and Dad decide you're too old to be a child. Then October 12 is just like any other day.

I think most of us who grew up in the twentieth century know the story of Peter Pan, the boy who did not grow up. He lived in a place called Neverland. He could fly between our world and his. He could fight against the evil Captain Hook. The only thing he could not do was grow up.

When I was six years old I discovered poem of the ultra-romantic author Casimiro de Abreu "My Eight Years Old." "Oh how I miss the dawn of my life, my sweet childhood, that years bring back no more" ... Casimiro died at age 21, he had barely begun adulthood, and already he was missing his childhood ....

What was it that Casimiro knew? That Peter Pan knew? And I? What was it that I knew? I was only six years old and already knew that would be forever my favorite poem. ... I never wanted to grow up. Oh, yes I knew that I had a very special thing, and that it would not last forever. It did not last. Time came and took it away from me.

The first time I realized this was happening was on that day at the amusement park, when they barred me from entering the jumping house. Too big, they said. Too big? But last year I went in! How am I too big? It was the time playing its tricks on me. Years later, senior in high school, the teacher gave us all, pre-college students, lollipops on Children's Day ... And we mentioned to each other that in college no one would give us lollipops on children's day. Next year nobody would look at us and see a child ... It was time doing it to us again. The merciless time that not even Ziraldo's Nutty Boy could handle. Time came and made us all grow up.

So many kids out there wanting to grow up fast, wanting to be grownups. Ah, I never understood why. Why would you want to leave the simpler part of your life? The more careless part? That part where everything is possible, and where dreams and reality are almost one and the same? So many kids out there having to grow up too soon - for lack of choice that life gives them. Having to be grownups, to take care of themselves and take care of others sometimes. So many kids around having to bear responsibilities that life has brought upon them too soon. And you want to let go of your sweet childhood out of your own free will? Why?

Growing is fun sometimes, it's true. To grow is to live. Life is full of experiences. One after another. And with every new experience, a little bit of the child goes away. A little more of the adult arrives.

Growing up takes away so much ... so many things that we can never get back. The naivety of childhood will never return. The lack of care ... well, we can even have that back, but ... it will give you so much trouble ... better not. Growing up is learning to be responsible for ourselves and for others. It is learning that the only sensible choice is to be responsible.

Growing up, said one of  Marco Nanini's character, is slowly moving away from your feet. Actually, after that belly decides to sit there in the middle, those feet that once came all the way to your mouth, will never get as close and as easily. So it's true. Growing up is inevitable. How sad this fate of ours - Those of us who are classified as living beings in science class, in third grade - they are born, grow up, reproduce, grow old and die. Yeah there you have it - it is written in our homework, in our exam, in our textbook. Just as growing old and dying, growing up  is inevitable. ...

Stop! Stop everything! Says who? Growing up in the outside, yes. Stop being a child inside? Ah, that is optional, brother. Being a child is knowing to dream, to play, to run and to jump, to marvel at the little things of life like they were big things. You sing aloud, dance and act goofy and are oblivious to who's looking or who quit looking.

One day, said Ziraldo, the Nutty Boy grew up. He grew into a nice guy. But a real nice guy. He turned into the nicest guy in the world. And it was then, that everyone found out he had not been a Nutty Boy. He had been a happy boy.

I think the Nutty Boy never stopped being a child inside

Girl

Girl! The day I met you, you were just a child
Now you come to me, out of the blue,
Beautiful, turned into a woman

Girl! How could I love you now ...
I held you in my arms, little girl
I sang for you to sleep ...
I sang for you to sleep ...

Remember an ugly girl
So shy, bare feet on the ground
Today so malicious
She keeps secrets in her heart
Secrets in her heart! ...

Girl! So many times I've made her cry
Finding amusing whenever she said:
"When I grow up I will
Marry you "
Girl!
How could I love you now ...

I've carried you in my arms, girl
I sang for you to sleep ...

I sang for you to sleep ...
I sang for you to sleep ...
I sang for you to sleep ...