Oi! Tudo bem?

Once a year, for a week or sometimes 2, I become a wannabe Brasileira.


I start to do inexplicable and, frankly, embarrassing things.


I speed-flip through my Portuguese dictionary trying to cram new or forgotten words into my aching head and wish I hadn't wasted the other 51 weeks learning how to speak Klingon. 


Sometimes, my English develops an interesting Portuguese accent.


I test out my new language skills on Georgia who mostly looks perturbed.


I develop a sudden craving for  pão de queijo that, for most of the year, I manage to quell because they're so annoyingly fattening. 


I buy ingredients to make a big pot of feijoada. 


I drag out the dusty Brasil-On-The-Go playlist on my iPhone, listen to Brazilian jazz and pagode. And I wail along with them as I pretend samba around the kitchen.


It's fair to say this is a very confusing and trying time for The Man and The Dog.


Here are 3 old favourites I listened to yesterday morning as I was cooking. I am a sentimental fool.

Tragic, no?

*

What is all this wannabe-ness in aid of? 


My capoeira batizado or grading starts in just 2 more sleeps!


Thanks to my stinky right knee [acquired during a careless and callous takedown in training], I've missed 2 big gradings over the last few years, and I think, 3 little ones. So I'm absolutely chuffed about the one coming up! 

That said, I've never had much luck with gradings and now approach each one with trepidation [more like a sense of impending doom].


>>> One grading day a few years back, The Other Half dropped me off at Darling Harbour, drove across Anzac Bridge and was 1 of 5 cars involved in a pileup when a truck in front tried to avoid a carton in the middle of the road at the very last minute and pulled his brakes.

Our car was a total write-off. To the amazement of the cops and ambulance crew that arrived on the scene, The Other Half emerged from the wreck without a scratch. I only found out about the accident hours later, when I returned from the grading. The Other Half can be stoical, considerate and silly.


In memory of that little miracle, we named our new car Baz, short for batizado which in English means baptised. [The same car that now sits on the street, unwashed, unloved, covered in cobwebs, gum leaves and bird poop.]


>>> Another year, my nanny passed away in the middle of the grading. Although she was old and not in the best of health, it was unexpected. She was playing with her grandniece [or nephew, I can't remember which], felt tired, had a shower, a mug of Milo, went to sleep and never woke up again. She was the mother my mother never was, and I loved her very much. But it was the best possible way a person could go, so I was grateful.


>>> Last year, I had just returned to training after a break of more than 2 years, and didn't feel ready to take part in the rough and tumble. Then, Rufus died and I lost interest in even being a spectator. 

What could possibly happen this year?


Glad you asked.  

**

Incredibly [or perhaps not], the curse has struck again! and my good left knee went bad about 2 weeks ago, thanks to a devilish move that entails dropping to the floor from a standing position onto one knee then swivelling around on the ball of your foot to the back. [Don't bother to try to picture it. It's too hard to even explain and I probably didn't do it right.] Then, repeat the move 10 times on each side, every day, for a week. 


It was just a disaster waiting to happen.


The Other Half [and my long-suffering GP] will tell you that some of the stuff we do in capoeira is ridiculous and unnatural. 

Hogwash, I say! I can think of loads of things worse for the human body! Like shovelling gravel every day for a week. [Right, Jean?] Or sitting in front of a computer all day and night blogging. [Right, all you people reading this?]


Should I give up just because my body is falling to bits?


Hell, NO!

***

So that's my exciting news for today. 3 masters from Brazil have already touched down, with more to come. And I've mastered what to say when I meet them. My scintillating conversation will go something like this -


"Oi, Mestre So-And-So! Tudo bem?" [Hi, Master So and So! Everything well?]


And if they should be kind enough to ask me the same, I will cheerfully answer, even if I feel like crap, "Tudo bom!" [Everything good!]


I've cooked enough frozen dinners to last The Other Half most days of next week. Being a forward thinker, I've also made an appointment with my trusty orthopaedic surgeon [whose waiting list is 3 months long, in all 3 of his clinics]. I've even spoken to Georgia about being away a lot next week and she basically said, "So?" 


In short, I think I'm set! There's a good chance I'll be too knackered to blog, so I'll see you in 10 days or thereabouts. [Unless I have any exciting news or another black eye to share.] If you want to hang around, that would be grand.


Till then, tchau! [That's goodbye for all you people who don't speak fluent Portuguese like I do.]


With love and respect, as always, The Typist :) x

****

Oh!


I just had to include this priceless picture of a capoeira friend, Laura, enjoying her udon lunch.
Taken by yet another capoeira friend, MandaChuva.
Guess where Laura is from.

*****

>  In case there's any of you who still don't know what capoeira is, here's the link to that old post with the video.


 >  This reminds me that I haven't yet finished telling you about our trip to Brazil. I don't know if anyone is interested any more. I've certainly lost the zing. But I know The Other Half is keen. So, specially for him, I shall be writing about the tail end of the trip soon. 


Very soon. 


In fact, just as soon as I remember what happened. 


It'll be the least I can do for putting him through this week-to-come. Stay tuned.