Here we are. The 16th of August. My birthday. My 23rd one.

I guess I'm supposed to make some wishes, and I want to share them with all of you.

I wish I will always be loved by amazing people like I am now.

I wish I will be able not to give up on my dreams and values, and that I will always have the strength to fight for them.

I wish I will never have to be alone.

I wish I will be able to make a difference in someone's life.

I wish I will be able to stop loving all the things that I cannot have, and that I will be able to appreciate all the great things that are within reach.

I wish sometimes I will be able to follow my heart, instead of always following my head.

I wish I will be able to recognize and appreciate the real value of things, acts and people.

I wish I will do something crazy (I welcome every suggestion)

I wish someone will dedicate a song to me.

I wish I will be able to accept the fact that nowadays being normal is the greatest form of transgression.

I wish I will lose 1 kg

I wish someone will think I am beautiful in a unique way

I wish I will find a job

I wish I will be able to go on a journey.

I wish I will be able to complete my novel.

But above all things, I wish I will fall in love twice: the first time with myself and the second with someone who appreciate me for who I am.

Now I just have to believe that at least one of these wishes will come true. My heart is full of hope.

"Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want everything you want. Do you have it?

Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true . But if you believe that it's just around the corner and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it you just might get the thing you're wishing for. The world is full of magic, you just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it?

Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart." - One Tree Hill

May all your wishes come true.

S.

Hi everyone!

As promised, here I am with a new blog entry. Time passes quite slowly here and I spend a lot of time on my own, thinking about many different things, some stupid, some more serious. Lately I've been thinking about how human beings never appreciate the things they have until they are taken away from them. I've made this mistake a lot of times in my life, I've taken people, things, ideas for granted, giving them the right level of importance only when it was too late.

This being said, this blog is going to be an apology to some people that I've been taking for granted many times and that deserve a lot better than that. Some of you will find this entry cheesy, others will find it banal, others will use it to learn something about me. Of course, I hope someone will like it.

I'm lucky, and sometimes I forget it. I complain about the little annoying things that happen in everyday life and I forget to be grateful for the huge things I have.

My family is a no-conventional one. My parents met when they were teens, they got married, they're still married after 30 years and, believe it or not, they still love each other. It's rare to find couples like this nowadays. My parents never forced me to do what they wanted me to do, but they taught me how to make my own decisions and they always supported them. The system of values they taught me made me the person I am today. Of course sometimes we had discussions and arguments, sometimes I didn't agree with their point of view and they did not agree with mine, but in the end we managed to have a pleasant relationship, which is a very rare thing.

I also have a little-big brother (little because he is 2 years younger than me, big because he is almost 2 m tall). When I was a little girl I was very jealous, but now I admire him, and , even if he doesn't know that, I desperately seek his admiration. I want him to like me, I make a lot of efforts to achieve this goal, but I do not know if he realizes this. He taught me to love basketball, which became one of my greatest passions. Sometimes we argue, we have different personalities, he has a very difficult character, but this period apart showed me that he care about me and that we will always have each other's back...and I realized that thanks to a mixed tape he made for me... It's amazing how little and apparently insignificant things can become important and precious.

In my life I have two role-models, and they are my grandmothers. One was taken away from me two years ago. It was the first great sorrow of my life. Not her death, but all the pain that came before it. She was such a strong woman...she went through a lot of pain during her life, she had to deal with the consequences of an accident, she lost her husband, but she was a wonderful grandmother. I'm grateful I got the possibility of spending a lot of time with her. Still, I can't help thinking it was not enough. I want to remember her here because she tailored the clothes I designed (even when they were absurd), she taught me how to do crosswords and how to tidy up my bed, she cooked my favorite foods. I want to remember her for the lullaby she sang to me, for her perfume, for the time she spent with me. And I want to remember her because she won against all the obstacle life threw her away, and even if the last one was too much for her, she fought until the very last second. I want to remember her because I hope to be like her, to have learnt her lesson. And because I will always regret not having told her this when I had the possibility.

My other grandmother can be described with one word: vitality. She is 87, but she seems a lot younger than me. Her heart is young. She has not had an easy life, either, but she has always faced it with optimism and faith. And she was rewarded. Ah, I almost forgot: she is the best cook on Earth!

It's the love of all these special people that makes me the luckiest of the lucky ones.

This blog is getting a little too long...If I had to write everything I feel for my family, the whole Internet would not be enough. I will summarize it in 5 words: Thank you. I love you!

Bye guys.

All the best

S.

Hi everyone,

i meant to answer your comments long ago, but my notebook did not co-operate. Vista is so difficult to use when you are used to XP. Anyway here are my replies to your previous comments. I'll blog again soon. Miss you all...

othforeverlove Thanks, you too!

JennaNJ Thanks. I hope you're fine too. Are you enjoying holidays? Are you going to see your family? Have a great day.

mackymacaspac I'm afraid I won't be able to get Internet at home, but I found a safe place which is quite close to home so I will go there as much as I can. The job is interesting, sometimes I'm in the office, sometimes I accompany tourist during excursions...it's fun & tiring. Have a great time!

xlovedust Yes, I found a cafè with wi.fi connection, and I go there quite often, but not every day. It's nice because you can have a drink or an ice cream while surfing the web,,,the place is amazing. I'm fluent in English, I'm quite good in French...and my Portuguese is improving day after day...have a great day!

grace87 THANKS! All the best.

naughtynats Hi Nats! How are you? Your job? I hope everything is fine. I'm finally ok...I read that you started to play guitar...must be funny! now you can play FOB songs ehehe. Hugs...I'm sorry we can't talk more often...hugs have the greatest of days

Steph__x Thanks! The few "real" beaches are made of pebbles, so they're really uncomfortable and difficult to reach. concrete was a great solution, even though they exaggerated a little bit in some places. Hopefully I will be fluent in all those languages...but staying here I'm forgetting Italian ehehehe.

Have a great day!

Candacee23: You took the time to search pictures of the place where I'm staying...that's so sweet! And I can say that the island is definitely worth a visit. Maybe someday you will come here and have a great time.

I hope you're enjoying your holidays. hugs

mscraftee I could never forget you . And I'm glad you did not forget me. Homesickness is still here with me, but I learnt how to deal with it. The Island is amazing, maybe someday you will come here for a holiday with your kids...

The job is difficult, but also interesting and gratifying, at the end of the internship I will have learnt a whole lot of things

Madeira belongs to Portugal, so the official language is Portuguese, but there are tourists from all over the world, so we have to use English and French a lot. I'm meeting a lot of people, but unfortunately tourists here are mainly old people ... but I got to know a few person with whom I hang out when I don't have to work. If you have any other questions feel free to ask... I miss you too, hugs.

fieke28 Hi Fieke!
I hope you're ok, I was missing you. In the end I got to find some sort of balance, and I found a strength I didn't know I had...Your kind words helped a lot, too. Languages are an interesting challenge, I finally can practice what I've been studying for so many years at school.
Take care and have a great day. Hugs.