Cancer . June 22 - July 22

Watch out world: here comes cancer with a refreshing week, ready to find the serenity in all of those who need him/her!
Being a very trusting person, everyone will be love struck with you and die for a minute of your attention this week!
Oh, and try to sit down, just you and your pencil. Maybe you'll get surprised, who knows? Your ideals and dreams can move your creativity to a new level!
Everything is moving in your favour, you'll be very happy!

by marta

Going to Tokyo!

Introduction

Travelling to Japan is a great experience for those who like to get in touch with a new kind of culture, with entirely different customs from the ones we are used to deal with. I have specifically chosen Tokyo, not only for being the main city but also because of all the festivities which I thought would be very pleasant for a lovely trip.
As requested, throughout this report, I present some findings about the location and its features.

How to Get There?

It is quite difficult to find a non-stop flight from Lisbon to Tokyo. It is rather easy to find stopover flights, as the distance between the two locations is quite further to travel through with just one journey. However, if you choose to take a non-stop flight, it can take you from 12 to 20 hours to get to Tokyo.
Nevertheless, I believe no travel precautions are necessary.

Where to Stay?

There are lots of very cheap hostels to choose from but if you have the possibility of spending a little bit more, maybe you get the chance of being also very well accommodated besides being on this magnificent city!
Having considered the options, I’ve found a not too expensive but actually even cheap hotel: the Sakura Hotel. Conveniently located in the heart of Tokyo, it also offers the traveller a lounge area, free internet line and air-conditioning, a bar and a terrace, besides having some nice and friendly staffs. The price per room rounds €150 for a week stay.

When to Go?

After researching I suggest going to Tokyo in early or mid April, during spring. The temperatures are mild and there is not too much rain at that time. The rainy season goes between June and July, followed by the typhoon season from August to October.
I therefore recommend going if not in April at least during spring, as there will be a lot more activities for you to experience, not mentioning being able to walk around the city sightseeing surrounded by nice sunny days!

Why Go to Tokyo?

Tokyo is known for its unique characteristics and also for being considered one of the world's major cities. I can perhaps state that this is a city able to fulfil different requirements purposed by different kinds of people. Tokyo is famous for its many museums and it is as well the national centre of performing arts. There are many theatres in the city in which traditional forms of Japanese drama (like noh and kabuki) as well as modern dramas. Symphony orchestras and other musical organizations perform Western and traditional music. It is also home to many different festivals that occur throughout the city.
As you can see it is a multipurpose city and you only have to know how to make the most of it, exploring everything really well, without missing a thing!

• Food

There are many views as to what defines Japanese cuisine, as the everyday food of the Japanese people has diversified immensely over the past century or so. Food in Japan is generally of a very high quality and most Japanese people tend to be quite well informed diners. Local, regional and seasonal dishes are invariably a key tourist attraction for the domestic traveller.
Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods (Shushoku), typically rice or noodles, with a soup, and okazu - dishes made from fish, meat, vegetables, tofu and the like, designed to add flavour to the staple food. These are typically flavoured with dashi, miso, and soy sauce, and traditionally tend to be low in fat and high in salt.

Of course, there is always the well known and lovely sushi! It comes from Japan and is a vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients, usually fish or seafood.
You have the nigri-sushi which has the ingredients on top of a block of rice.
The maki-zushi, however, is translated as "roll sushi", this is where rice and seafood or other ingredients are placed on a sheet of seaweed (nori) and rolled into a cylindrical shape on a bamboo mat and then cut into smaller pieces.
The temaki is basically the same as makizushi, except that the nori is rolled into a cone-shape with the ingredients placed inside. Sometimes it is referred to as a "hand-roll".
At last, chirashi, translated as "scattered", involves fresh sea food, vegetables or other ingredients that are placed on top of sushi rice in a bowl or a dish.

You also have the deep-fried dishes like the as well known tempura: deep-fried vegetables or seafood in a light, distinctive batter.

Another dish is Sashimi, a raw dish with thinly sliced foods served with a dipping sauce and simple garnishes; usually fish or shellfish served with soy sauce and wasabi. It has less common variations.

Japanese cuisine also includes lots of teas and non-alcoholic or alcoholic Japanese beverages to drink along the meal.

• Places of Interest

Japanese gardens are recognised for their immense beauty. In Tokyo, I have found Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a large park with an eminent garden which you may wish to consider visiting. The gardens have more than 20,000 trees, including approximately 1,500 cherry trees (view the Cherry Blossom Festival on the next topic). Other trees found here include the majestic Himalayan cedars, which soar above the rest of the trees in the park, tulip trees, cypresses, and plane trees, which were first planted in Japan in the Imperial Gardens.

The Rainbow Bridge is another amazing sight to see in Tokyo. A suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay which spans 570 meters and carries three transportation lines. The bridge has separate walkways on the north and south sides; the north side offers views of inner Tokyo Harbour and the Tokyo Tower, while the south side offers views of Tokyo Bay and occasionally Mont Fuji. The towers supporting the bridge are white in colour, designed to harmonize with the skyline of central Tokyo and there are lamps placed on the wires supporting the bridge, which are illuminated into three different colours, red, white and green every night, using the solar energy obtained during the day. That’s why the strange but funny name!

The Tokyo National Museum was the last place I’ve chosen that must be seen in the city. It is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. It collects and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure holdings and 610 Important Cultural Property holdings (as of July, 2005). The museum also conducts research and organizes educational events related to its collection. It is great for any arts student or even any person with interests in it! There are restaurants and shops within the museum's premises, as well as outdoor exhibitions and a garden where visitors can enjoy seasonal views.

What’s on?

The Cherry Blossom Festivals have been a Japanese custom since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed looking at the cherry blossoms and wrote poems.
Cherry Blossom Viewing Parties (hanami) and Cherry Blossom Festivals are held all over Japan in spring. Sakura is the national flower of Japan, and it's said that there are over four hundred varieties of cherry trees in Japan.
Sakura is different from the cherry of other countries. Japanese cherry trees do not yield fruits like other cherry trees.
It is like a picnic. People drink, eat, and sing during the day and night.
In popular cherry blossom viewing spots, there is even competition for the best spot. If you do not like a crowd, you can go to mountains or other quiet places for cherry blossom viewing. Stop by any castles, parks, shrines, temples, and school yards near you.
I believe these are just superb and it is just another reason for going to Tokyo during spring!

While you are in Tokyo, you can always enjoy a calm and peaceful Shiatsu Massage. Known as a unique treatment, it is actually a traditional Japanese hands-on therapy based on anatomical and physiological theory. Its various styles incorporate aspects of Japanese massage traditions, Chinese Medicine practice, and "Western" anatomy and physiology.

Conclusion

Everyone should have the ambition of someday going to Tokyo or anywhere else in Japan, even if it’s just to get in touch with a different society and its completely different customs. I believe it is actually worth it.

I hope I have convinced you with my report and have fun in Tokyo if you ever visit it!

by marta

Dear Aunty Carolina

I am in my second marriage and i'm 42 years old. Me and my new wife, we both have a daughter. Since we moved all together there have been a lot of problems because our kids don't get along with each other. I already had a conversation with my daughter and she says she can't really stand my wife's daughter. We feel like our daughter's problems are also affecting our relationship. What can I do?

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine is certainly one of those films you won't want to miss.
A hilarious comedy without being too ridiculous, as most comedies are these days.
Starring Abigail Breslin as Olive, Toni Collete as Sheryl, Paul Dano as Dwayne, Steve Carell as Frank, Greg Kinnear as Richard and Allan Arkin as Edwin, they all form an eccentric but amazing family: The Hoovers.
With lots of nominations, Little Miss Sunshine is a fair candidate to be one of the very best films of the year. It illustrates a completely chaotic family, a family of losers in a world obsessed with winning, which leads me to the fact of being also a very versatile film, since it goes from pure comedy to death even passing through some thoughtful reflections about life.
A wonderful message film where it's funny side is an intelligent and yet an intellectual one, which makes us even sometimes reflect and reconsider some things in our everyday life. I remember a strong scene, maybe the most touching and expressive in the whole film, when Dwayne's life dream falls apart completely. I've really enjoyed that part, we end up thinking twice about how unfair life can actually be.
Not only the actors but also the incredible characters they play, affect us in many ways you can only imagine by watching it. It has got a little bit for everyone, an easily identifiable premise that makes anyone who thought their family was the craziest feel a little closer to normal. It's an actually near perfect comedy and I am not usually fond of comedies. I assure you, you'll be delighted if not a bit breathless from laughing and I believe you still come out of the film wanting to give your family a hug!

by marta

Dear Aunty Carolina

I am a 20 year old sister whose brother is having an affair.
My brother's fiancé, Amie, is a really nice person and she means a lot to me. We get along very well, which makes things really complicated for me. However, I don't want to break my brother's confidence by telling everything to Amie.
Is talking to my brother the best solution? I don't want to get between them, but I also feel bad if I don't express myself. I'm afraid of hurting him or Amie and that our relationship becomes awkward.
What should I do? If things are like this and they are only just engaged, how's it going to be in a few years?

New Comedy: Shocking or Improving?

Have you ever stopped to wonder about the development that comedy has had and the enormous role in our society it has been accomplishing these past few years? Well, The Tight Spot has. And here we present some points of view that may have never been thought before, not even once.
Take ‘Gato Fedorento’ for example: two renowned words for the ones who know who they are. The compelling way with which they fascinate the current society is astounding. A huge critic is always involved in a strong and different way which our society had never been in touch with before. At least, not in this way.
But if we take a closer look, we will find it a very noteworthy type of comedy. With the end of the dictatorship in Portugal and a government of basically repression, freedom of expression was conceded. However, with 33 years of being able to freely expressing ourselves, it is possible that we haven’t been using that capability completely until now. Let’s focus on those four guys with that unique style of comedy which makes us see the reality in such a dissimilar but much more interesting way. Always up to date and focused on the hot topics of the week, on their own free will or not, they have changed the Portuguese humour into what seems to be an improvement. Perhaps not all the society thinks the same way when watching ‘Diz Que é Uma Espécie de Magazine’, their new show aired on Sundays. But it is really a matter of different interpretations. They make us reflect on the subjects and they have no fear of expressing themselves, which take us to the first point: a completely different and shocking approach, causing an entirely different reaction.
As far as I’m concerned, the feedback to this humour may take different paths. The easier thing to do is to believe that older generations may be in shock as younger people may be excited and really pleased with it. But do you find it really that way? It all relapses in a simple question:
Do you find it a benefit or just good jokes?