Wednesday 30 May 2012

surprising our significant other...

I am not really a backpack girl - at least not for holiday. I carry a backpack with me all the time and enjoy it - one can not survive without one in London -, but one thing is carrying a backpack for the day, which I'm okay with as long as the rucksack matches my personal style; a completely different thing is carrying THE HOLIDAY BACKPACK. And honestly, I'm not cheering for that.

However, Mr. Bubbly must have born with a rucksack on the back because it seems illogically natural to him going on holiday and carrying everything there. Well, we have always travelled my way (nice trolleys, airport flights, very relaxing holidays...), so I figured out it was maybe time for me to return his generosity and bought him this book: 'TimeOut Flight-Free Europe - Great breaks by Rail, Road & Sea'. Which better way to surprise him after such tiring weeks of work?

I just gave the 1st step to some tiring sweaty holidays with two heavy uncomfortable backpacks - is this love or what?:)

Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Monday 28 May 2012

and the sun is STILL shining in London

We don't have beach in London, but that doesn't mean we don't sunbathe, because we do! We just do it differently: we go to one of the many parks and lay on the grass wearing our bikinis. And that's not as good as being at the beach, but it will have to do!

Here's my latest buy: a red and white Gilly Hicks plaid bikini. I know, I know, it looks like a picnic cloth, but that's just what I like about it. I usually wear Brazilian bikinis but it seemed impossible to find one in London. So, I simply opted for a cute look with this one. For the ones who don't know the brand, Gilly Hicks belongs to the Abercrombie and Fitch group and is a must-go store if you fancy lingerie and cute beach dresses and shorts!

Have a fantastic day and enjoy the sun!

Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Monday 21 May 2012

is monogamy monotonous?


In the past I have had some long relationships as well as short ones. I tried the whole "no strings" kind of thing too. In fact, I can fairly say I have experienced a lot in my past when it comes to my love life. As a friend of mine usually says, I am "the only person he knows that has lots of ex-boyfriends and an ex-fiancé" - he also loves teasing me by saying it won't last too long until I add an ex-husband to my EXs list (yup, he's a big time joker!!)

Anyway, from my vast experience (trust me, it is vast indeed) I gathered that relationships are only monotonous if couples allows them to be. It all depends on the way they handle things within their lives.

Naturally, as time goes by, couples are forced to create routines. Now, the question is: 'Must routines be boring?!?!' And the answer is only one: 'NOOOOOOO!' Next question: 'So how can we turn our routines into something non-monotonous?' Answer: 'Be creative. Have fun!' I can give you an example to prove my point. I don't particularly enjoy doing the laundry - and neither does Mr. Bubbly! But we turned it into a pleasant moment in our lives. How?! We turn the music on, we dance and do it together - it takes a lot longer to do it this way, but we enjoy it. Lesson number 1: Enjoy the time you spend together, so it becomes joyful and not monotonous.

We all have to follow strict schedules right? And that doesn't support my whole point of 'be creative and turn routines into pleasure', I guess. However, it is always a question of knowing how to manage time and be honest when it comes to setting your priorities. Since me and Mr. Bubbly started our relationship at the end of the school year, we were on holiday for our first months together and, therefore, travelled a lot together. After those initial couple of months, we always tried to overcome any routine issues by travelling, even if we only had the weekend to do that. That was never a problem: two-day getaways are as pleasant as a week holiday if you have the right person by your side. So, Lesson number 2: Learn how to manage time and find time for travelling if possible!

We don't have much free time now, since Mr. Bubbly is coaching at weekends. But I love doing small surprises at week days to help us ease up after a stressfull day of work. I try to recreate the whole hotel glamour of the beginning in our bedroom and prepare our favourite meals (some with memories attached) that we eat on our bed, just like we did in our first times together. It's cheaper, it's romantic and it's a routine-killer solution. Finally, Lesson number 3: Use your best memories together to organise small thoughtful surprises.

Well, these are my little tricks. They work for us. Mr. Bubbly has his own way of surprising me and the important thing is that both members of the couple are involved in turning routines into pleasant moments together. Once you learn how to do that, you will understand being monogamous is actually pretty exciting as well. And as for the ones who aren't monogamous, I'm pretty sure you're lives are not monotonous!:)

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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

SHY

Sunday was day for a long stroll. We woke up in the morning and went to the nearest park to play football (I tried!!!), badminton and to throw the flying saucer (just so that you know it was windy, so it was 'fun' [read 'hilarious'] to watch, but hard to play). We had pancakes for lunch (I'll soon be fatter than Peter Griffin) and went out again. We didn't do anything special actually, just relaxed. Working days are so much stressful it feels amazing not to have plans for one day or the other.

I'm posting my look for the day: relaxed & easy. Oh, remember this shirt? You can see it here as well.


Wearing:
Topshop dress, River Island men's shirt and black & white skull bracelet, 
Zara scarf and brown leather belt, Urban Outfitters grey V and golden skulls bracelet, 
Casio golden watch.

Enjoy your Tuesday the best way.

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THAAAANKS!


Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Saturday 19 May 2012

good & bad news

Which ones would you like first?!

Since I cannot hear your choice, and I always like to start with bad news, let's start! So, the bad news is: remember my Mulberry Effie satchel? It was an online buy and has been cancelled for technical issues. Anyway, it isn't a big problem, because there are good news as well: Mulberry offered me a discount voucher in order to apologise for the website problem. So, I'm ordering it again now, but it will have to be an online purchase again, and I don't know when it will arrive. I'll post it as soon as possible!

However, that's not the only good news! Noooops! I have always loved Marc by Marc Jacobs flats and ordered a new pair at the weekend! [Online shopping is killing me, Gosh!] Anyway, since I like Melissa and the Mouse Marc Jacobs flats, I got myself a 2 in 1 pair of shoes: the MJ mouse rubber flats! Can't wait for them to arrive!

Here's a picture! And it was actually a good deal!





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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

shopping frenzy (8) - attacking the men's department

Yesterday was day for shopping - and it was Mr. Bubbly's idea this time! So, before you start picturing The 100% Superficial Mrs Bubbly, try to remember I'M INNOCENT!

I always had a problem with Men's Department at stores. I can't get enough satisfaction ("I can't get no, thhhhrrr Rrrrhhrrrr thrrrrrrree SA-TIS-FA-CTION! Thhhheeeee, Rhhhhheeeee, Rhhhhhhhe, NO! NO! NO!!!!" - Sorry, singing momentarily madness) from buying only at Women's department anymore. So, helping the husband find some sartorial treasures has become my latest favourite hobbie, because it means buying myself a few treats! Ehhhh ehhh eeeeeehhh! [are you hearing an eccho of evil Machiavelli laughter - yah, that was me!]

Anyway, here are some of the treats:


River Island man's skull bracelet
I love their terrified faces! they're the skulls and they're the ones who look terrified?!?!

 River Island man's shirt
it's size S, but looks like an oversized denim shirt on me
(i was always borrowing Mr. Bubby's and now I have my own)


I am a backpack addicted!
This one is from River Island's Men Department (what else, right?) 
and was a gift from Mr. Bubbly (Yeeeeeeeey!!)
Don't you love the ethnic pattern?! :)

And that was it! Hope to have given you some sort of inspiration for your shopping sprees! Otherwise you can always keep stealing your boyfriend's clothes - that's what I keep doing!
:)

Enjoy your Sunday and
join me on 


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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

being single: boring or exciting?

Hi Bubbly Buddies!

I'm sorry that I was a bit more absent for the last couple of days, but I had been improving my cooking skills. I'm only working in the mornings (which will end soon) so I have free afternoons to spend doing whatever I want to. When this happens, and I don't feel like reading, writing or shopping, I either play Sudoku (Yup, I'm one of those weirdos :P) or I do cooking research and apply my skills. Well, at least Mr. Bubbly's happy (and fatter perhaps?!?!)

And speaking of Mr. Bubbly, this brings me to today's topic. We were having this discussion at lunch time. I had been cooking for hours to have Mr. Bubbly's lunch ready (such a housewife I'm turning out to be, pfffffffff) at 1p.m. and guess what?! He was late 25 minutes!!! I was talking to two of my (male) flatmates (one married and one single) and the single one said: "See?! That's an advantage of being single: not having to wait for my partner to have lunch! I can have lunch at any time!"

We then started doing a "Being Single" pros and cons list. The fact is that I couldn't really give a consistent contribution to the list. I honestly can't remember what it is like to be single. Curiously, my married friend could remember lots of advantages of being single: being independent and able to make your own decisions regardless of some partner's opinion; using your time the way you feel like; not being commited to one person and being able to have multiple sexual partners (with no regrets or remorse).

Even more curiously, my single friend could find many disadvantages of being single: not having a person you can share your life with; not having someone you can share the housechores with; not having the regular and steady support arm of somebody who will love you no matter what, not having someone that loves you "just the way you are" (okay, okay, I admit it - I added this one myself)

There's nothing wrong with being single. That's okay. I myself regret not having been single for a longer period in my past. I strongly believe being single can help you heal a sore heart or mind and sometimes that's just what we need. And although one can be happy with our friends' love, one must always bear in mind that that may not fulfill your life forever. That is a big part of it, but I like to think we are all looking for someone that loves us "just the way we are". I can't help being romantic, but I'm in love, what can I do? :)


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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Tuesday 15 May 2012

RED

You all know I love lipstick. I like it pink, I like it dark red, blood red, I like it nude, I like it a lot you see. The last one I'm addicted to is the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet 38 La Fascinante. It's a red luminous matte colour. I love it because when I wear it, it's like I have no makeup at all, and I don't feel that level of comfort wearing any other red lipstick.  Whenever I wore red lipstick (particularly red) I would always have to check my makeup every hour, to make sure it looked okay. With Rouge Allure Velvet you really don't have to, because it actually becomes a part of your lips, it blends perfectly and it isn't sticky at all. Bye bye hair sticking uncomfortably to your lips on windy days! Oh, and no worries about lipstick marks all over the glasses - it doesn't leave marks.

It's a matte dark red, a sensual colour that makes me feel I rule wherever I go! (This sounds like an ad slogan, doesn't it?! :P) Anyway, try it and tell me what you think about it!



For more information on it, visit Chanel's website.

Have you joined me already? NOOOOOO?!!!! Shame on you! :P




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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Monday 14 May 2012

pink and mint puppet

Yesterday I got to do some of the things I love: eat, laugh and learn. Unlike today, yesterday London was given the gift of sun. So, this was the first plus for Sunday.

We first went to the May Fayre and Puppet Festival in Covent Garden, which is the oldest Puppet Festival in Europe. There were puppet shows from all over Europe, from Switzerland to Germany, to Sweden or Norway. I even got the chance to have some "Pastéis de Nata" and "Brigadeiros" in a Portuguese/Brasilian stall, which was one of the high moments of the day - Gosh, how I miss Portuguese pastry! Here are the photos for you!











We then went to the "Picasso Prints: The Vollard Suite" exhibition, which takes place in the British Museum until September 2nd. It was quite interesting and we got to understand Rembrandt's influence in Picasso's work, as well as the influence of Greek mithology, with the presence of characters such as the Minotaur. The relationship between the artist and his models is also represented and what I found most shocking were the prints under the theme of "Rape" - probably because that's the woman's scariest nightmare. The pictures for you:








[the last is one of the "Rape" prints]

Wearing:
Office London studded Chelsea boots, Primark mint quilted bag also seen here
Topshop oversized pink jumper

Have a fantastic day, and join me



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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Saturday 12 May 2012

and tonight...

We'll stay at home watching Fringe Season Finale. We're absolutely obsessed about it! Can't wait! Do you watch it as well?

Good night, BB!

Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Mulberry addiction

As you already know, I love good-quality bags. That's one of my true passions and I simply cannot resist to Carolina Herrera, Mulberry, Hermès, Balenciaga and Proenza Schouler. These are by far my favourite brands.

I have been promising myself for a while now a Mulberry (Yup, remember the Alexa I was craving for?! Still don't have it - always end up spending money in other stuff). Well I didn't buy the Alexa (YET), but I bought the Black Spongy Pebbled Effie Satchel, just for starters (I'd like to think so, at least). This is a very practical bag for everyday use, but which can be adapted for a night out, and has recently joined the Mulberry family, so who knows?! It may become iconic one day! Apart from a vintage quilted black leather backpack I bought a couple of months ago, this is my first real investment bag since I arrived, so I'm quite happy about it. Couldn't be happier indeed!

Later in the week, photos with MYYYY PRECIIIOOOOOOUSSSS!


Enjoy your Saturday! I will probably be strolling around the Soho and visit (finally hopefully) the Louboutin exhibition (let's just hope Mr. Bubbly won't be exhausted after his morning football coaching session).

Oh, and didn't you forget something very, truuuuly important? Ah ah, I suspected so! What are you waiting for? Join me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheBubblyGirlinGlasses


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Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Friday 11 May 2012

shopping frenzy (7)

Who doesn't like Primark?

Today, among other shops, I went shopping at Primark. I don't buy a lot there, but usually, if I go there, I always bring something home (okay, okay, a "few" things). When I lived in Portugal and went to a Primark store for the first time I felt it was paradise: the items are not of amazing quality (we all have to agree on that) but "they will do" and many of them are still fashionable and trendy, so why not? It is not the right place if you want a bag or a pair of shoes for life, but it is the right place to go if you're short on money but still are craving for shopping.

Unlike some of my friends, and many women who always carry those grey Primark trolleys full of clothes and accessories they will never really wear, I think I never spent there more than £35/40. I don't love everything I see - let's just say I'm exquisite - eheheh! However, with 30£ you can buy a lot of things there. I'll show you.


 Sandals, YEEEEY! the 1st pair was 6£ and the 2nd 8£ - lovely AND cheap!


 I hate buying cheap poor-quality bags, I do! 
But, in my defence, I love this Tiffany blue that goes with my iPhone rubber case and it was only £6!! :)

 The Colourful Necklace - only £4! Cheap, and great to wear with some dresses, blouses and sweaters.

 The oversized black shirt to wear with almost everything: shorts, jeans, skirts and so on - 10£.

This is how it looks on me - I love trying on the new stuff I buy when I arrive home - just to make sure it was well-invested money, of course. :)
[ btw, never mind the silly face, I do that all the time! and what's that with my right hand?!?! 
Gosh, what a picture! :)]

So, all in all, I spent £34! and look how much stuff I brought home! We have to love it!


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The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos

Hermès and I

After two rainy weeks in London, the sun finally peeped out today, which is always a reason to celebrate, aka, go shopping.

The title may mislead you - no I didn't buy anything with the H logo. However, after the shopping spree I managed to go to the Hermès Exhibition "Leather Forever", which is taking place in the Burlington Gardens until the May 27th. It is absolutely fantastic! I would deeply advise anyone interested in fashion to go.

You learn about each different iconic bag (don't be limited by the most common bags such as the Birkin, Kelly, Constance, Bolide or the Plume), about the brand's history, its creative directors and about the respect it has always shown towards its first client, the horse.

Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take any photos, but you can go to the Daily Telegraph link:

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG9256834/The-house-of-Hermes-goes-on-show-in-London.html

which will give you a very thorough perspective of it, although it doesn't include plenty of photos.

If you're not living in London, but would like to see it with your own eyes, the best thing to do if is to spend some days in London, do some shopping, visit the Hermès and Louboutin's exhibitions and go to some of the vintage markets held at weekends.

Enjoy the sun!

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The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
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Thursday 10 May 2012

back to love affairs...

After a while (a year probably) without proper writing, and now that I'm adapted to my life in London, just felt I was missing something. I soon realised I missed writing, sharing opinions, above all, building and expressing opinions. So I'm back. The worst  that can come from it is having bad comments to my texts, and we all know I can live with that.

As you already know, I got married not long ago, and although it may look like I have nothing to say now that I settled down, trust me, I still have so much to say! "Relationships" is the sort of topic that will never meet its own conclusion. Today I woke up thinking of "Ex's". Everybody has Ex's, right? But is it just me, or am I just the unluckiest person when it comes to this topic?! It has all calmed down for a while in my life, but I had quite a difficult past with Ex's.

My Ex's have always been perfect (more or less, actually, some kind of tried crossing the line the moment they found out I was about to start a new relationship) - okay, maybe not perfect, but they did okay, I guess. However when it comes to the person I'm with, he always has to have a crazy Ex - it's almost like a weird requirement for a guy to be with me: Hei, do you have any crazy Ex's? Oh, she just came out of jail for kidnapping you for half a year? Okay, that will do! I might be overreacting, but even so I can pretty much say I have quite a past with partners that made me live all sort of Mexican dramas - Lord, please give me the strenght!

I don't really get it. I understand it may be more difficult for some girls to overcome the end of a relationship. I really do understand that. My questions are: When is too much too  much? and How should the girlfriend cope with such thing?


I am patient towards some sorts of behaviour, and I don't just flip out with a text message, depending on its content (I'm Human, come on! - A "Me and my doggy really miss you, sweet honey bun, bla bla bla, a very special and sweet kiss from me and the dog, bla bla bla" is not acceptable, right???), but when they start   scheming that is the exact moment when I say "Enough is Enough". Why would a woman do that? The way I see things, when a relationship is over,  the woman has the right to try to get her boyfriend back through honest clear means and not by dirty humiliating resources. That's no good for her. She will have to live picturing herself as a self-deluded maniac and that's awful. Sometimes we do things we are not proud of, but the problem is how we are going to face ourselves in the future. What we do at the moment will reflect our future actions and decisions. We are what we do.

In the past, I lived quite a difficult relationship with one of my Ex's - one of those where you do everything for the loved person and believe "He is The One", even if it is obvious he wasn't. In the end, it took me a couple of months to forget him, but the most difficult thing for me was to meet me again, to accept who I had become and to find out who I was going to be after such an experience. It is never a matter of facing the others, but a matter of facing ourselves, and that's what's tough.

As the girlfriend, there is not much we can do, but be patient and respect our boyfriend/husband's Ex, unless she starts acting like crazy, of course. If she does, the only thing to do is for the man to cut all the strings with her for her own sake. Otherwise, she will never move forward and will never let you move forward.

And you know what? In the end of the day, I'm just a bubbly girl looking forward to happiness, mine, yours and theirs. So, being life so pink (I live in London, so make it a greyish pink for me, please) why insist on crying over the past, when such bright future may be waiting for you just around the corner?!

Enjoy your day. I will enjoy mine, because now I know I'm back!



Beijinhos,

The Bubbly Girl in Glasses
A Menina dos Óculos


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