To learn how to converse in another language, without the help of a teacher or classroom is a daunting task, takes commitment, discipline and desire. The results are slow, the work monotonous, due to the memorizing of foreign words requiring repetition. The rules of grammar require that you remember enough words to make at least short sentences, that are then incorrect, at least half the time.
Most important requirement for learning a new language is passion. If you don’t posses a deeply felt interest in the people and culture of the country to which the chosen language is spoken, it’s not likely that you’ll find the motivation to follow-through on the commitment. Learning Portuguese requires; desire, commitment and discipline.
Rewards for learning Portuguese are too numerous to count, but for me the most significant can be stated in one word – Brazil.
Category: Mind
-
Learning a new language
-
Man’s real nature
Man’s real nature is happiness…
Happiness is inborn in the true Self. Man’s search for happiness is an unconscious search for his true Self. The trues Self is imperishable; therefore, when a man finds it, he finds a happiness which does not come to an end.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi -
Coke or Water?
For those who watch what they eat and drink. This! Is really an eye opener…. Water or Coke? We all know that water is important but I’ve never seen it written down like this before.
-
My Vision
I spent 2 hours in the Brasil Policia Federal office in Sao Paulo to finalize my application for permanent residence status. The process is laughable because of all the bureaucratic obstacles put in your way and the number of times you must pay fees to the government, but for the privilege of living in this great country, these few inconveniences are well worth the hassle, as this place is truly wonderful.
After 12 years living in Miami and traveling through much of USA and Canada, plus tours of Central America and parts of the Caribbean, I’m qualified to make an opinion. Also, in my early 20’s I lived 3 years in Australia and traveled seeking adventure twice through S.E. Asia via Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and across Malaysia, prior to my backpacking days I worked on Pipeline and Oilfield construction (plus many other jobs) in the great white North of my homeland, Western Canada. -
Mind matters – Just do it!
Living in Brasil I’m constantly reminded of how lucky I am, to have good health, great family, an education, and the means to provide an income for myself and family. Life is sweet! I enjoy living in South America, for all it’s bad points I’m able to find enough good to make up for it.
Yesterday, I saw a young boy asleep on the sidewalk in a very busy neighborhood, he was melting in the hot sun, barefoot and totally filthy stinking. I was wondering what sort of depravity he was involved in the previous night, to be able to sleep, not only in the bright, hot, mid-day sun, but also with all the commotion going on, as he was only a couple meters from a busy street corner. -
My body, mind, and spirit
Since I changed this Weblog from being more of a personal journal, formally called “a Canadian Living in Brazil”, and mostly about my observations from living and working here in Sao Paulo, Brasil, to a more corporate type Blog with articles about my various different web development projects, plus categories for stories about people and places. Now I added body, mind, and spirit because these are things that really matter to me, and I enjoy writing about these aspects of my life.
This weblog helps me improve myself and my life. Let’s face it we’re all confronted with challenges in our lives, and sometimes the best way to work through them is to express yourself in words, or in my case webpages. From 44 years of living a fairly ambitious lifestyle, I’ve learned that the challenges related to most things can be overcome, usually with persistence or perseverance, and almost always with a good purposeful use of the mind. Perhaps the worst challenges are those related to the body or mind, and these would effect the spirit. However, having a good attitude might be the main key to overcoming any and all challenges. It’s not possible for me to go through life without reflecting on body, mind, and spirit.
Your body is your temple, my mother would say.When I was younger there wasn’t much time (I thought) for philosophical debate about health and lifestyle, as I was too busy just living it. Now I’m starting to see and feel the effects of aging and find more time to reflect on the topic of my body. I enjoy good food and love sex, but who doesn’t? Also, in recent years I’ve been known to tip back a few beers, savor a good bottle of wine with friends, or even down a couple of powerful cocktails ie. the famous Brazilian “Caipirinha“. Each week my wife Paula and I try to run (or jog may be more like it) at least 4 days per week, play tennis and occasionally (not nearly enough) swim in the giant pool at our wonderful and massive Club. So, all that being said, you can understand why I’ve added those categories to this Weblog, and also why I think these are things that I most enjoy writing about.
If you’ve just read all that, then I thank you for taking the time. The weird thing about keeping a Blog, is that sometimes it tends to get personal but I think that’s what keeps it interesting, at least for me. The idea is to add a little here and there everyday, and over time, an interesting type of story starts to unfold, which is different to every reader, as they mix and match the various different categories. But truthfully, I’m not doing this for your benefit, although I hope that you do benefit, but instead for my on self-therapy, and so I’ll have stuff to look back on.
In closing I’d like to say, that even though I’m not a particularly religious person, I do believe in a higher, or universal power, for whom I’ve chosen to use the name God, which would make it evident that I believe in God, as I believe that I do. And having said that, I’ll take this opportunity, to thank God, for proving me with a good body, decent mind, and strong spirit. -
Welcome to Silicon Palms Weblog
My name is Aaron Arthur Day and I’m the editor, publisher and founder of Silicon Palms. This is a new software on an old Blog, as several things prompted me to remove the old content and software, which was originally started in 2001, and replace the entire weblog section of the Silicon Palms site with this new Movable Type personal publishing system. If you’re arriving here due to a lost of missing page, then I apologize, but all of the old content will be re-published, however you may need to use the “search” function to find what you were looking for.
You must be logged in to post a comment.