Food for thought: Unpaid work

Today I am sharing a post I read, by Melinda Gates, regarding unpaid work.

The massive, hidden cost of women's unpaid work

Women do work a lot more, in general, than men.
Mostly because after a whole day at work, women go home and work an extra shift.

I am definitely going to start following her and keeping an eye on her articles.

Same end (Ana Simões, 27/04/2012)

Around me lay several sheets of paper
Written,
Crumpled up,
Full of words, thoughts, emotions.
Sentences and texts forgotten,
Abandoned,
Wasted,
Lay, in the sheets spreaded across the floor, unfinished.
And once again I recommence,
Re-think,
All I've lived, all I've said,
All I see and feel.
And then I feel frail and strong,
And I feel joy,
And I feel rage,
And all in me is contradiction.
And again I write, I erase and recommence.
In my thoughts and feelings I trip,
I pour all I am,
All that goes in my mind,
In my soul,
And with fury I cast away this sheet among so many others around me.
New sheet,
New title,
Same end.

Image source

Book Review: Uncommon Type, by Tom Hanks

Yes, I have been reading again. I have a Kobo Aura HD eReader that I tend to take everywhere. It makes my commuting an adventure, although not always fun (I tend to forget the world is still going, I lose track of time, and sometimes I miss my stop).

I also use Kindle app for smartphone (until I gather the money to buy one of their eReaders... and a bigger backpack).

On one of my ventures through Kobo store, it suggested the book Uncommon Type and my reaction was basically "NOOOOOO! I can't believe he also writes!!! I need to read this one!".

Best thing I've done!

Tom Hanks writes beautiful, enthralling stories. I felt like I was in the book, and not just reading these short stories.

Loved it!
Definitely a must read and a must revisit!

Mother Earth Day (Ana Simões, 22/04/2018)

Góis, Coimbra, schist rock formation. Photo taken by yours truly

A walk through the forest

Or a stroll by the sea,

Small things that can do wonders

For both you and me.

It’s not just the exercise, you see?

And it’s not just the sun, or just the fresh air.

It is all of that, and it is so much more.

It’s us, and the sun, and it’s nature everywhere.

Because with the fast paced lives we’ve been leading,

Along with the “ruler of the world” mindset,

We forgot that we’re also a part of nature.

We’re destroying our Mother – the Earth,

Destroying our Brothers – the Animals,

Destroying our Sisters – the Plants and the Trees.

We forgot what it feels like to be one with the Earth,

We forgot what it’s like to walk in nature

Without killing an animal, without littering the world.

While power and money blind us, rule us and corrupt us,

We poison our waters, we’re killing us all.

On this Mother Earth Day

Go back to what we always were.

Take a walk through the forest

Or a stroll by the sea.

Sit down, take a deep breath,

Really feel the world around you.

And always, always remember:

Mother Earth is filled with life and magic,

Just like you and me.

São Pedro do Estoril, Cascais, São Pedro beach. Photo taken by yours truly

Book review: The General's Daughter, by Nelson DeMille

The General's Daughter - the movie

I had already seen the movie. It was not a light movie, nor an easy one to see.

Still, I loved it, to the point I still remember several scenes. So I knew I had to read the book.

And I am delighted that I did it. I finished the book last night.
I read it every chance I got. It's annoying when the day job gets in the way of reading, specially when you find a book it is hard to put down and all you feel like doing is reading until its very last page.

The characters feel like real people, the story is brilliant and I can actually see something like that happening, in the past or in the present.

This is a book on murder, rape, and corruption.

This is an up-to-date book the relationships between men and women, and what a patriarchal-built society expects from both genders (not counting with other gender options, that it).
And, from a feminist point of view, I did feel like punching some throats throughout the book. All in all, a great book.

And, if you're into police/army/criminal investigation thrillers, this is definitely the book (and movie) for you.
Just know that some details were changed for the movie (including some of the characters' names), and the story had to be adapted to fit the length of the movie.

The General's Daughter - the book

Lucifer is coming

Netflix is bringing back one of my favourite tv series ever! Lucifer.

The series is loads of fun, someone actually bothered to study Lucifer to create his character and the other characters are also very well created.

So, I have to say it: Thank you, Netflix!

Lucifer Morningstar, I'll be seeing you on May 8th...

...or before that. ;)

Women, you deserve better!

We live for the weekends (that might not actually for on the actual weekends, if you're working shifts with different schedules), holidays and vacations of our lives.

Image taken from here

And those are the breaks we have from the hardships that come with growing up, adulting, having a job that takes at least 8 hours of our lives (in Portugal, a full time job has mandatory 8 hours, and a normal work day is at least 8 hours, with little chance of having the extra hours paid).

After the shift, you go home. And, if you fall under the female category, that usually means an extra shift.

Usually, you work all day, you go home, your dinner won't cook by itself, you might want to get things ready for the following day, and organise your house a bit. Unless you have made plans with a friend. And this, of course, if you live by yourself.

However, if you have kids and a significant other, then there's your family to take care of: dinner, showers, cleaning up whatever needs to be cleaned. That and listen to your significant other's problems when he most likely won't even ask how your day was. Looking for some "me" time? LoL

Stay at home mum? Your whole day revolves around the house and your kids' lives, and your significant other's. You think you have problems? LOL How dare you think you had a bad day, when you spend your days at home - isn't that the dream life? Oh yes, and so much for some "me" time.

Image taken from here

Unless the kids' parent(s) actually pull their weight around the house and contribute with their share of the workload, you're in it for the second shift of the day - the Cinderella shift (without the happily ever after). And it shouldn't be that way: after all, they also eat, they also soil stuff, and they also live in the freaking house.

Women, you don't just need help around the house. You need someone that helps you improve your day, not someone that only increases your workload by playing the big kid in an useless adult body, and that can only sleep (and snore), stuff their faces and watch tv (and, most likely, go out with friends, or tell you how you should be doing "your work at home").

Women, we deserve better! And please don't fall for the "it's embarrassing for a woman not to be able to take care of her man" because, what's embarrassing is for a man not to be able to take care of himself.

Women, we deserve better than to also do all the emotional and mental workload because men are unable to think of someone other than themselves.

You shouldn't have to ask for help with the house chores. They need to share the workload!

Improve your lives! You deserve to also have a life and to rest. You're a woman and you are not paid to be his maid and personal psychologist.

Men, stop being useless twats and start taking responsibility. You also live there!!!

Image taken from here

What about our damned rights?!?

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, specifically the articles cited below, 

Article 1. 

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2. 

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. 

Article 3. 

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. 

Article 4. 

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. 

Article 5. 

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 

Article 6. 

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. 

Article 7. 

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. 

Article 8. 

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. 

Article 16. 

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. 

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. 

Article 23. 

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. 

Article 24. 

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. 

Article 28. 

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

men and women are supposed to have equal rights.

Unfortunately, women's rights seem to be a lot less equal than men's. And that is blatantly obvious when we look at the media and find news articles such as

Outrage over 6-month sentence for Brock Turner in Stanford rape case (US)

Portuguese judge uses Bible to excuse abusive husband (Portugal)

English judge says man having sex with wife is 'fundamental human right' (UK)

Image found online

This is when I ask "Where the hell are our damned rights?!?"

When I am told that I should be happy that I don't have it worse, I feel like screaming in their faces and tell them to shove their misogyny in a really dark place of their own anatomy.

Legally, we have the same rights as men.

And, yet, we are paid less, not chosen for the same professional opportunities just because we might want to have kids, in some western countries (I'm looking at you, US!) we have less bodily rights than a freaking corpse.

And, yet, everywhere in the world we are treated as decoration (and you either match society's idea of beauty or you are seen as sub-human and treated like garbage).

And, yet, we are told to smile more, like we owe any stranger your time of day.

And, yet, we're insulted and degraded if we don't reply according to men's wishes, and even brutally attacked and viciously killed if we don't want to date them.

And it pains me when I hear women say that they don't need feminism. Mostly because they never read about feminism and think it is the exact opposite of machismo.

To all of you fuming furiously at each post on blogs and social media regarding feminism, please, tell yourselves why you think feminism is no longer needed, when it so clearly is.

Image found online

Book review: The Story of Awkward, by R. K. Ryals

To be fair, I was not expecting much when I started reading this book. But it mentioned "awkward" and I've had my share of feeling that way. So I gave it a go.

And, honestly, it was the best thing I could have ever done.

The book is told from the point of view of main character (also the narrator) and, let me tell you, without spoiling it for you, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me dream and, when I finished it, it made me feel like going back to the start because I got addicted to this book.

I loved it! The characters are well created. The story, filled with awkwardness, captures you as you won't believe it.

R. K. Ryals is definitely a writer I will be following more closely.

R. K. Ryals, The Story of Awkward. Kobo Books

Tea, poetry and me (Ana Simões, 29/03/2019)

Image found here

Time flies, days pass, stars fade,
The tides change endlessly.
But there are things in my life that remain:
Tea, poetry and me.

Relationships might be fleeting,
Though they won't end painlessly
But I have all the love I need:
I have tea, poetry and me

Happiness and joy can last a song,
While a bad day might feel eternity
But still it won't last as long
As tea, poetry and me

My heart may break into a thousand pieces
But I promise you you will still see,
Tomorrow we shall still be here
Tea, poetry and me

Time flies...

...and so does life.

Almost 4 years have passed since I started this blog. So much has changed in my life.

Jobs changed, loved ones passed away, health issues have come and gone, life got in the way of blogging time and again, and so many challenges have been faced since September 5th, 2015.

I've gained further insight into life and its hardships (another way to say I am older) and, on the verge of turning 40, it is time to reassess this blog.

It sucks big time to try to learn a language by myself. I learn a lot better with a teacher. So French is not as good as I would like to.
However, I am back to learning German (with a teacher, mind you), so lets see how far that'll take me.

I still write, but not as often as I would like to. I wish to go back to writing poetry, so lets see how that goes. Inspiration, I am looking at you.

You can still expect the unexpected from my blog.
Only now, besides social criticism, poetry, photography, books and movies reviews, traveling and music (yes, I still bug everyone with that), you can also expect suggestions on what to visit everywhere I go (be it in my country or in any other I might be lucky enough to visit), and food related articles (be it recipes or restaurant reviews).

Yes, I love food! And I am owning up to that.

Food is love, it brings people together, be it family or people of different communities.

Food is life. Photosynthesis does not work all that well for me. Chances are that for you it doesn't work either.

Food is utterly fun! It's like spellwork for your tummy.

And it's my favourite way (even if not the most positive) way of coping with stress. It beats, however, throwing people off windows. To be honest, that sort of behaviour is frowned upon and I don't look good in prison fashion.

Photo found here

So, yes, expect the beauty.
Expect rage.
Expect pain, sorrow, but expect also love and happiness.
Expect everything as that is what you will likely find.

Expect me soon...