I think I once dreamed of grandeur, like many.

A fast-paced life, non-stop excitement, parties, a big house, expensive cars, boats, travel, wine and dine, beautiful clothes, more shoes than Imelda Marcos, funding a couple of startups, a million friends (the Facebook ones wouldn’t count), going to bed late and waking up late.

Maybe I got a little bit of some of those, maybe not. But today I know what a perfect day in my life is like and I believe I get it all the time.

Here’s how it typically goes.

On Saturday and/or Sunday (simplified routine on weekdays):

I sleep late. I wake up late.

I wonder around the house in nightgowns and barefoot until I am completely awake while having a cup of coffee.

I play tennis!

I head to the beach to wash out the sweat and relax the muscles.

I float in the blue ocean like a buoy for about two hours.

I check my tan. The darker the better. In the land of my ancestors I would be the lowest possible cast.

I take a shower. (Showers after the beach and tennis are the best!)

I have my favorite booze, and also my home country’s favorite: caipirinha.

I go to some Argentinean or Cuban bakery for breakfast and a mandatory cafe con leche. Strong full-bodied coffee and whole milk. Decaf and skim are cheating.

I have lunch. Currently I’m on a Peruvian phase checking all the ceviches around town.

I save dessert for a bistro or patisserie, where I have yet another coffee. That will keep me awake after the lunch laziness.

I drive around town. I wander, I dream, I window shop. I buy completely useless knickknacks for the house and much-needed clothes and shoes for myself. Oh, yeah!

I come back home and sit on a zero gravity chair overlooking the blue infinite mesmerizing ocean and try to read but normally I fall asleep.

I wake up and the same (perhaps even more beautiful) blue infinite mesmerizing ocean is still there. (Such a blessing!)

Perhaps a movie next. And checking if there’s a moon lighting up the ocean at night.

There you go. I don’t really think I need a life of grandeur and I am ready for the week ahead as a dead weight for the society.

Sometimes little things bring you so much satisfaction.

I have been shopping for a doormat for quite some time. No matter how basic the item I want to purchase is I want to find just the perfect one. The extended shopping process gives me an extra joy.

I am talking about a doormat. But not just an obvious ‘Welcome’ doormat. One should turn everything in life special. And what’s more special than family and friends coming to my home?

I wanted a doormat with the ‘Welcome’ in my mother tongue. I was looking for one in my home country. I’d ship it to a friend and he’d bring it when he visited me.

Then I had this brilliant (pardon my lack of humbleness) idea: Personalize it and buy it locally.

I am so happy with my Goldilocks doormat.

And it’s bilingual, for my Brazilian friends and my English-speaking local friends.

Check it out:

My husband and I went to this cool Halloween party.

The crowd was artistic and eclectic but the best thing was the fact they all seemed to be above 25 years old.

If you are passed that age by a few years (or a lot of years) you know what I mean. You will understand the words they use and the references they make.

But that’s not what my post is about.

Having had a busy week we decided to pick a simple costume. One that wouldn’t require a big production and anybody would know the moment they see you. Oh, A and B! Cool!

Or so we thought.

I got so many puzzled faces and was asked if the Japanese flag had changed from the red sunset to yellow sunrise. Which would make a better flag, I thought, since their red circle means war.

My husband was mistaken for another flag, the British one. He was also called Peter Pan and Robin Hood.

Well, here we are. Make your guesses:

If nobody gets it right I am going to sue the manufacturer because it was a final sale and I can’t return the costume!

Hint: Look at the title.

I found that on the Internet and saved it together with the picture.

I don’t remember when and how.

Googling it back, I can’t find any information about it.

Do you know who wrote it?

Does it belong to a song?

Is it cheesy? Beautiful?

It hit something inside me…